Rome, Italy (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI personally told the director of the Vatican Bank that he trusted him and appreciates the work he is doing, the Vatican said Monday, after Italian authorities launched a money-laundering investigation into the bank.
Ettore Tedeschi, the bank head, was among the faithful meeting Benedict Sunday after the pope's weekly Angelus address.
Tedeschi kissed the pope's hand and gave him a copy of his book "Money and Paradise," and they exchanged a few words, the Vatican said.
Italian prosecutors last week froze Vatican Bank transactions for the first time ever, after the bank failed to provide all the information required by anti-money laundering rules.
Tedeschi told CNN last week he was incredulous and "humiliated" when he learned Italian investigators were looking into money-laundering allegations against the bank.
He said the probe was the result of a "misunderstanding".
CNN
