Italy - 2 Top Managers at Vatican Bank Step Down - NYTimes.com Two top managers of the scandal-plagued Vatican bank resigned on Monday after the arrest of a high-ranking cleric with close ties to the financial institution. The bank's director, Paolo Cipriani, and deputy director, Massimo Tulli, stepped down three days after the arrest of Msgr. Nunzio Scarano, who is accused of plotting with two other people to smuggle $26 million into Italy from Switzerland. Ernst von Freyberg, a German who this year became president of the bank, officially known as the Institute for Works of Religion, will assume the role of bank director until a permanent replacement is appointed. The bank, tarnished by accusations of failing to meet international transparency standards intended to combat money laundering and tax evasion, is trying to clean up its image after a long history of scandals.