https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/suspended-audit-reveals-power-struggle-at-the-vatican-48384

However, the Secretariat of State claimed the need for further control, and raised issues for discussion, such as: given that Vatican City is a sovereign state, and not a company, is it even proper that its financial books undergo external auditing?

The issue of sovereignty is crucial for the Holy See, which has fought recently to be independent of any secular power: sovereignty has helped the Church to act independently throughout the world, without depending on any secular power, and to be able to have an independent voice in the international scene, thus being able to advocate for human rights and the common good without being accused of any partiality.

Sovereignty is not just a notion: the Holy See’s sovereignty insists on the independent, albeit small, territory of the Vatican City State, which like any other independent nation has its internal jurisdiction and legislation, and is involved in international relations.

This sovereignty implies that the Vatican dicasteries are considered on par with the ministries of any other country – which includes a level of confidentiality in handling their budgets.

For Cardinal Pell, the real challenge is to introduce international accountability standards within a state system: to find a balance between the needs of a manager and those of a governor. Apr 25, 2016

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/reports-of-pell-guilty-verdict-emerge-despite-gag-order-32220

Sydney, Australia, Dec 12, 2018 / 10:48 am (CNA).- Cardinal George Pell has been convicted by an Australian court on charges of sexual abuse of minors, according to media reports and sources close to the cardinal.

A judicial gag order has restricted Australian media coverage of the trial since June.

Despite the gag order, a story published Dec. 11 on the Daily Beast website first reported that a unanimous verdict of guilty had been returned by a jury on charges that Pell sexually abused two altar servers in the late 1990s, while he was Archbishop of Melbourne.

Prior to his appointment to the Secretariat for the Economy in 2014, Pell served as the Archbishop of Sydney. In October, Pope Francis removed Pell, along with Cardinal Javier Errazuriz and Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo, from the C9 Council of Cardinals charged with helping the pope draft a new constitution for the Holy See’s governing structure.