A Vatican tribunal will hear an appeal from Libero Milone, the Holy See’s first-ever auditor general, on July 3.
Milone claims his resignation from the role of auditor general was extorted under threat of arrest in 2017, as was a similarly forced resignation of one of his two deputies, Ferruccio Panicco, on the following day. Mr Panicco died from cancer in 2023.
Mr Milone believes he was framed and forced to resign seven years ago to avoid being arrested and sent to jail in the Vatican. He believes that those who wanted to remove him as auditor general deceived Pope Francis regarding his activities to get the Pope to agree to his removal.
Mr Milone, 75, and his lawyers told this to a small group of journalists, including America’s Vatican correspondent, at a press briefing in his lawyers’ office in Rome on June 19.