Vatican bank head meets with Pope; encounter seen as show of support

Pope Benedict XVI met with Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, the embattled head of the Vatican bank, after his Angelus audience on September 26.

Tedeschi and his wife were among the handful of people who were personally presented to the Pontiff after his midday audience at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. The two exchanged a few words.

The public meeting was interpreted by the ANSA news agency as a demonstration of the Pope’s support for Tedeschi, who is the subject of a money-laundering investigation by Italian officials.