VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis approved new statutes for the Institute for the Works of Religion, often referred to as the Vatican bank, that include structural changes and a mandatory external audit.

WASHINGTON – The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference and Caritas India are among 19 Catholic institutions that have decided to divest from the fossil fuel industry.

VATICAN – The Institute for the Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican bank, seeks to follow Catholic ethical practices in investments, according to its latest annual report.

VATICAN – The Vatican has accused a former director of the Vatican bank and his lawyer of money laundering and embezzlement, saying the men skimmed an estimated 57 million euros (about $68 million) off profits from the sale of Vatican properties.

VATICAN – A former president of the Institute of Religious Works, the so-called “Vatican Bank,” and his lawyer, have been ordered to stand trial at the Vatican on charges of embezzlement and money laundering.

VATICAN – A Vatican court found two former top managers of the Vatican bank liable for mismanagement and ordered an injunction for them to pay damages.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras – An Italian media outlet has reported allegations of financial mismanagement on the part of Honduran Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga, although no formal allegations or charges have been raised against the cardinal to date.

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican bank has initiated legal action in Malta against unnamed third parties because of "significant damages" incurred after a 17-million-euro investment.

VATICAN CITY – The Institute for the Works of Religion, often referred to as the Vatican bank, made a profit of 36 million euros (about $53 million) in 2016, according to its annual report.

VATICAN CITY – While the trial of five people accused of leaking confidential Vatican financial documents captured headlines in 2016, the Vatican City court also continued investigating possible financial crimes, freezing more than $2.1 million in assets deposited at the Vatican bank.

VATICAN CITY – Individuals and entities that have accounts at the Vatican bank and are subject to taxation in Italy will have until mid-April to report to Italian authorities the income earned by their Vatican accounts.

VATICAN CITY – Two members of the Vatican bank's board of supervisors handed in their resignation over a difference in opinion concerning the bank's management.

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican's financial watchdog agency reported a huge jump in the number of financial transactions flagged as "suspicious" and in the value of assets it has blocked or frozen.
During 2015, the Financial Intelligence Authority "received 544 reports of suspicious activities — almost three times as many as 2014," it said in its annual report, released April 28.

VATICAN CITY - One reason the cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis two years ago was a brief but powerful speech the Argentine cardinal made shortly before the conclave in which he denounced the “theological narcissism” of the Roman Catholic Church.

VATICAN CITY - New rules governing the guidance, oversight and control of Vatican financial and administrative activities include the power to levy sanctions and take "civil or criminal action" in cases of "damage to assets," as well as providing protection for whistleblowers raising red flags about "anomalous activity."