$25 Million Papal Foundation Grant to Vatican Remains Unaccounted For

Wuerl was mastermind behind enormous grant that led to foundation's internal civil war

PHILADELPHIA (ChurchMilitant.com) - After Cdl. Donald Wuerl spearheaded a $25 million grant to the Vatican earlier this year through the Papal Foundation, sources confirm the money remains unaccounted for, the Rome hospital designated as beneficiary apparently never having received the grant.

Sources also confirm Wuerl was behind the pope's cancellation of a meeting with foundation members in March, and continues to pull the strings behind the scenes.

Controversy engulfed the Papal Foundation, a charity partially founded by Abp. Theodore McCarrick in 1988 with assets worth $206 million, when three stewards resigned from the Audit Committee earlier this year after Wuerl pushed for the Vatican to receive $25 million — the largest single grant ever given by the foundation. The money was ostensibly to be used toward the Istituto Dermopatico Dell'Immacolata (IDI), a scandal-ridden hospital in Rome investigated by Italian authorities for embezzlement and tax fraud of nearly a billion euros.

Pope Francis had allegedly requested the $25 million in summer of 2017, and Wuerl, then-chairman of the foundation, lobbied members of the Board of Trustees to vote to approve the grant (originally a loan, but revised to an outright grant on Wuerl's insistence).

Board members consist of all nine U.S.-based cardinals, as well as various bishops and laymen, making up a total of 24 trustees.

Sounds like the money is not their biggest problem.

“The Papal Foundation has also been under increased scrutiny after a number of its leaders have been associated with sex abuse. McCarrick, a co-founder, was suspended from the College of Cardinals this summer and consigned to a life of prayer and penance over allegations of abuse of minors and seminarians. The announcement of his suspension launched the Church’s “Summer of Shame,” a crisis moment in the American Church that has left bishops scrambling to provide answers to angry laity who are withholding donations to the Church in protest of clerical malfeasance.

“Bishop Michael Bransfield, former president of the board of trustees, resigned from the diocese of Wheeling-Charlston, West Virginia in September after credible allegations of sexual harassment of adult males.

“Monsignor Thomas Benestad, who first chaired the foundation in 1988, was singled out by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro at a press conference in August, where he announced the publication of the grand jury report naming 301 accused predator priests. The report alleged that in the early 1980s, Benestad had forced a nine-year-old boy into oral sex, afterwards rinsing out his mouth with holy water to “purify” him. This would have taken place only about five years before Benestad was named to lead the Foundation.

“And Wuerl, the most recent chairman, resigned in disgrace last month after the Pennsylvania grand jury report showed he transferred and reassigned predator priests while bishop in Pittsburgh, even paying hush money to buy the silence of a priest involved in a sadomasochistic child porn ring. The priest, Fr. George Zirwas, whom Wuerl had reassigned to various parishes in spite of multiple allegations of abuse of minors, was murdered by a gay prostitute in Cuba in 2001.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.