The Vatican Bank fires a couple whose marriage violated a new workplace ban

The Vatican Bank has fired two employees whose recent wedding violates a newly introduced ban on marriage between employees.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Institute for Religious Works, as it is officially called, said it had made the “difficult decision” to fire the couple because “the creation of marriage among employees is in fact flagrantly contrary to current regulations” at the bank.

“This decision, made with deep regret, was dictated by the need to maintain transparency and impartiality in the Institute’s activities and was in no way intended to question the right of two people to unite in marriage,” he added.

The bank said its policy aims to prevent conflicts of interest at an institution with only about 100 employees, all working in the same location.

Laura Sgro, a lawyer representing the unnamed couple, said they informed the bank of their intention to marry in February, but new rules banning marriages between employees were not adopted until May.

Sgro said the couple, who have three children, were told their employment ended on Oct. 1.

Sgro added that it “challenged and brought an action against this decision, considering it “null and void, unlawful and seriously harmful to the fundamental rights of individuals and workers and therefore devoid of any effect.”

Sgro added that the couple had asked Pope Francis and bank director Gian Franco Mammi for an exemption from these rules. None of them responded to this request, she added.

The Vatican Bank has a history of financial scandals, and in 2013 Pope Francis appointed a committee of experts to recommend reforms to the Holy See’s economic and administrative structures to combat the problem.

It was part of the pope’s long-running efforts to crack down on financial corruption and bring transparency and accountability in the management of Vatican money.

Since then, investigations have resulted in convictions for high-profile figures.

In January 2021, Angelo Caloia, the former head of the bank, was sentenced to almost nine years in prison for money laundering and aggravated embezzlement, becoming the highest-ranking Vatican official convicted of a financial crime.

In December, Giovanni Angelo Becciu was sentenced to five and a half years in prison after several counts of embezzlement. He is the first cardinal found guilty and sentenced by a Vatican court.

Becciu denied the allegations and his lawyer announced he would appeal against the convictions.

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