Pope Working on Vatican Bank PR

When you think about public relations in the banking industry, you might think of patriotic commercials, earnest-looking tellers and clean-cut guys in pinstripes waiting to “earn your business.” But, would you expect any of those folks to wear the robes and crown of the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church? Probably not. Well, Ronn Torossian says, think again because the Pope is now in the game of banking PR.

Recently, Pope Francis gathered with a host of cardinals to discuss the financial health of the Holy See. There were—flowcharts, spreadsheets, graphs and PowerPoint presentations. PowerPoint in the Vatican? Yep. Congrats Microsoft, you have papal approval.

While it’s really no secret that Vatican finances have been growing through a rough patch in recent years, the extent of the issue was not well known because the Vatican kept their books locked up tighter than the gold at Fort Knox. Need to know only. According to Bloomberg, the meeting last February was the very first time that many cardinals were ever given the opportunity to see the church’s financial picture in such detail. Moreover, many of the presenters were not even clergy. Several lay experts were also present, breaking things down for the assembled holy men.

While this is hardly the first time Pope Francis has made headlines for breaking with church tradition, previous popes have challenged church practicum and theology. However, financial disclosure on this scale is virtually unprecedented. The lesson here is one of deft public relations. Underneath all the discussion about the church’s role in global culture and politics, is a steady current of dismay and outright revulsion related to both the institutionalized privacy and the abhorrent sex-abuse scandals. In opening the books, the pope is doing something so relatively drastic, which no one can look at it and not begin to rethink their position, at least on the church’s privacy issues.

The message is clear: this pope is not just changing the way the church deals with its people. This pope is changing the way the church operates internally, at the most basic of levels. When you open the books, you invite criticism of previous mismanagement and potential catcalls of corruption. The gesture, then, communicates a willingness to address any potential issues and a dedication to a new level of openness. At least, that’s the message being conveyed. Whether or not the faithful – much less the general public – buys it is an entirely different story.