Philippe de Weck (photo: UBS)
Fribourg, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Philippe de Weck, who was the managing director of Swiss bank UBS from 1966-1976 and then head of the board for another four years, has died, age 90, in Fribourg. De Weck was the only head of the bank who has come from the French-speaking part of Switzerland. He remained a member of the board until 1988, after stepping down as chairman in 1980.
De Weck was one of a trio of experts called in to investigate the l’Instituto per le Opere Religiose, the Vatican’s bank, when it was faced with the Banco Ambrosiano scandal in 1982. He also served on the boards of several large Swiss companies, including Nestle and SGS.
He was born into a family that was part of Fribourg’s social set, a strongly Catholic society. His marriage to Alix de Saussure in 194 linked him to one of Geneva’s most notable Protestant families. He studied law in Fribourg and after working briefly in a law firm joined the family bank, Weck, Aeby & Cie, later bought out by Union Bank of Switzerland, which in turn merged with Swiss Bank Corporation to become UBS. The de Weck family is still active in banking today, with several members of the family involved in Geneva banks. Roger de Weck, his son, heads the Graduate Institute in Geneva.
The funeral will be Tuesday 15 December at the St Nicolas Cathedral in Fribourg.
Cardinal Peter Turkson, of Cape Coast, Ghana has been named to be president of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace by Pope Benedict XVI 24 October at a special meeting in the Vatican to promote peace and justice in Africa. Cardinal Turkson,61, is Ghana’s first cardinal.
The justice and peace council was formed after the Second Vatican Council to promote peace and justice in the world by working with other groups, Catholic or not, to attain those objectives. Cardinal Turkson is considered a leading light in Vatican circles. He studied theology at St. Anthony-on-the-Hudson in Rensselaer, New York. He was ordained archbishop of Cape Coast at the age of 44. Catholic News Service, Catholic Online
The Vatican announced a mechanism called an Apostolic Constitution which allows disaffected Anglican groups to enter the Catholic Church. The arrangement will allow Anglicans to enter full union with the Catholic Church but maintain elelments of their liturgy and rituals. Cardinal William Joseph Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith made the announcement Tuesday 20 October, and said that it was in response to requests from Anglicans around the world to join the Catholic Church.
The Anglican Communion is seriously divided by the issues of homosexual bishops, same-sex marriage and the ordination of women priests. BBC, Wall Street Journal
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The International Olympic Committee was bestowed observer status at the UN General Assembly in New York, USA Monday, 19 October, in recognition of the IOC’s efforts to promote the UN’s Millenium Development Goals and the importance of sports in promoting development and peace.
Observer status is a privilege given to non-member states – currently only the Vatican is a non-member – and non-governmental organizations, like the International Red Cross. Observers may speak, but cannot vote or introduce resolutions.
Eluana Englaro, age 38, has died in northern Italy. Her death was announced by the clinic caring for her. Englaro had been in a coma since 1992 following a car accident. Her family was able to move her to a clinic in northern Italy early in February 2008 where staff removed her feeding tubes 6 February. She has been at the centre of heated political and religious fighting for several months.
