March 15, 2000

Cardinal Szoka to be Honored by Catholic Foundations/FADICA Award to be Given During Jubilee Program in Rome

Washington, D.C. –– Cardinal Edmund G. Szoka, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City will be honored by Catholic foundations in FADICA during a special dinner in Rome on June 6.

The tribute, FADICA's Distinguished Catholic Leadership Award, is being given to the Cardinal for the role he played in improving the financial condition of the Holy See.
The honor will occur in connection with a weeklong program of symposia and pilgrimage activities in Rome that forms FADICA's observance of the Jubilee Year for the Catholic church.

The former Detroit archbishop was called to the Holy See in 1990 and first served as President of the Economic Prefecture there. The Prefecture works much like a combined Office of Management and Budget and General Accounting Office. While at the Prefecture, Cardinal Szoka introduced improved technology, better budgeting and reporting measures, and engaged more dioceses throughout the world in supporting the work of the Holy See. In 1998 Cardinal Szoka was appointed by Pope John Paul II to direct the operations of Vatican City, where he is now governor.

The FADICA organization worked closely with Cardinal Szoka during his leadership at the Economic Prefecture. In 1992 several of FADICA's foundations financed the costs of a new computer network for the Economic Prefecture and several management studies done for the Holy See.

Announcing the award, Francis J. Butler, FADICA President said: "Cardinal Szoka accepted a great challenge when he went to Rome. His gifted management not only helped to reverse over twenty years of operating deficits at the Holy See, but introduced a reporting framework that impresses donors everywhere."

The DCL award was inaugurated by FADICA in 1988. Past recipients of FADICA's Distinguished Catholic Leadership Award have included: Renato Poblete SJ, of Santiago, Chile, for his work among the poor; Walter J. Burghardt SJ, of Georgetown University for excellence in preaching; and Sr. Joan Bland SND, of Trinity College for theological education for lay volunteers, among several others.

FADICA is an association 45 private foundations sharing an interest in Catholic sponsored activities. It was founded in 1976.

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