Chronology

2013

FEBRUARY 10	Pope Benedict XVI resigns from his office as the Bishop of Rome. As of February 28, the Holy See enters a period of sede vacante, when it administered by the College of Cardinals.
MARCH 13	Jorge Mario Bergoglio is elected as the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and chooses as his name Francis.
APRIL 13	Francis appoints a Commission of Cardinal for the reform of the Roman Curia.
JUNE 24	The Pope establishes the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR).
JUNE 27	The international auditors write to the Pope sub secreto pontificio detailing the irregularities, inertia, and shady areas in the finances of the Curia.
JULY 3	Francis stands before the hierarchy of the Church in a confidential meeting and delivers a blistering speech on the gravity of the financial situation and the impending risks.
AUGUST 2	The Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA) begins its audit of the Vatican finances.
AUGUST 5	COSEA freezes four hundred bank accounts at the IOR.
OCTOBER	COSEA runs into mounting difficulties and does not receive the information it has requested.
DECEMBER 19	Tensions rise over the COSEA audit. A pattern of obstacles, silence, or denial is used to impede the activity of Francis’s men.

2014

JANUARY 30	The Secretary of State delivers to COSEA a twenty-nine-page file on the secret accounts.
FEBRUARY 18	The Cardinals learn of all the critical areas uncovered by COSEA.
FEBRUARY 24	Francis appoints Cardinal George Pell as the first Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy.
MARCH 30	COSEA documents are stolen in the night when burglars break into the safes and strong boxes in the Prefecture’s archives.
JULY 8	Francis transfers responsibility for the ordinary section of APSA to the Secretariat for the Economy.

2015

MARCH

Hidden microphones are discovered in the offices of the Holy See.