Title: Pope’s anti-corruption decree for Vatican limits gifts to 40 euros
Pope Francis issued a new decree on Thursday mandating full economic disclosure and controls for Vatican managers, including cardinals, and stipulating that no one can accept personal gifts worth more than 40 euros ($49).
The decree followed another papal law last May in which Francis tightened rules for Vatican procurement contracts.
The practice of gift-giving among Catholic clerics was the source of several scandals in the Church in recent years.
In 2019, an investigation by the U.S. Church found that Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of West Virginia sent personal cheques totalling more than $350,000 to about 140 fellow clerics over more than a decade, including two U.S. cardinals.
He later used local Church funds to reimburse himself. The investigation found him responsible for sexual harassment of adults and financial improprieties. He denied wrongdoing.