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April 29, 2021VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis approved a new set of laws that require Vatican officials and employees to sign a declaration stating they have not been and are not suspected of committing crimes, including money laundering, corruption or exploitation of minors. The measures, issued "motu proprio," on the pope's own accord, and published April 29, also prohibit all Vatican employees from "accepting or soliciting, for themselves or for parties other than the entity for which they work, by reason of or on the occasion of their office, gifts, presents or other benefits with a value greater than 40 euros," the equivalent of about $48. The pope said that while laws he promulgated in June 2020 covered contracts for the purchase of goods, property and services for both the Roman Curia and Vatican City State offices, corruption can still "be manifested in different manners and forms even in various sectors other than that of procurement." For this reason, the pope wrote, "internationally accepted regulations and best practices require transparency from those holding key roles in the public sector for the purpose of preventing and combatting conflicts of interest, patronage practices and corruption in general." The new laws also will ensure that Vatican officials and employees will uphold their "responsibility of making concrete the fidelity spoken of in the Gospel, acting according to the principle of transparency and in the absence of any conflict of interest," the pope wrote.
