Vatican Pope appoints Princess Gisela of Liechtenstein to Council for the Economy

Pope Leo XIV has announced significant changes to the Vatican’s Council for the Economy, appointing several new members to the strategic oversight body. Among the new appointments is Princess Gisela of Liechtenstein, a 36-year-old wealth management expert and CEO of Industrie-Und Finanzkontor. Her appointment is part of a broader strategy to integrate specialized lay professionals into the Holy See’s financial administration to increase transparency and professionalism.

Princess Gisela joins a council composed of eight cardinals and bishops, coordinated by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, and seven lay experts. Other new lay members include French philanthropist Denis Duverne, Holy See administrator Paolo Nusiner, and UBS executive director Elena Wettstein-Principato. The Council is responsible for supervising the Vatican’s finances, approving the annual budget, and reviewing consolidated financial reports.

This restructuring follows years of efforts to reform the Church’s financial management and address historical concerns regarding transparency. The Council serves as a critical oversight mechanism, providing a “financial x-ray” of the Holy See by identifying systemic risks and monitoring the activities of various departments and the Institute for the Works of Religion.