pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the salesian priest Massimo Palombella, 51 years old, who was director of the choir of the Sistine Chapel for the past nine years, according to a statement released by the Vatican on Wednesday. According to the Italian media, Massimo Palombella and Michelangelo Nardella, a layman who was formerly in charge of the administration of the training and organization of tours, are suspected to have diverted the money for personal expenses. This resignation also comes at a time when parents complained about reprimands too brutal that the director of the choir would have inflicted on the children who sang badly. The two men have denied the facts, without further comment.
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The release of the pope does not mention, however, not the internal investigation underway on the two men. Michelangelo Nardella had already been replaced in January by an archbishop and recasé in another department of the Vatican. The spokesperson of the State papal, however, has confirmed that the investigation was following its course. According to a source at the Vatican, Marco Pavan, who runs the boys of the choir, will take the head of the ensemble of the choir temporarily.
One of the oldest choirs in the world
The Cappella Musicale Pontificia is one of the oldest choirs in the world still in activity. The training, based at the end of the Fifteenth century, is itself the heir of the Schola Cantorum papal medieval. The choir is now composed of twenty singers male professionals and 35 boys under 13 years of age. It occurs on the occasion of offices, records for a label to be important, and tours regularly. Last year, the choir sang at the gala opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The tour of the summer of 2018 had been cancelled without explanation, just as the recording of a new CD.