Prosecutors at a Vatican trial of 10 people, including a cardinal, accused of financial crimes, acknowledged errors were made in its case. The Vatican prosecutor offered to remedy the mistakes by essentially starting over, throwing the trial into question before it really got off the ground. Deputy prosecutor Alessandro Diddi made the surprise announcement at Read more
Pope Francis addressed the Vatican financial scandals in a sit-down radio interview that aired Wednesday, saying he hoped that Cardinal Angelo Becciu is innocent of the charges against him. “I hope with all my heart that he is innocent. Besides, he was a collaborator of mine and helped me a lot. He is a person Read more
Ten people, including a cardinal, are facing serious charges in a Vatican civil court. The Vatican’s trial against Cardinal Angelo Becciu and nine other individuals, along with three corporate entities, alleges extortion, fraud and embezzlement, money laundering and abuse of office. This is the first time a cardinal has been brought to trial by a Read more
A Vatican judge on Saturday indicted 10 people, including a once-powerful cardinal, on charges including embezzlement, abuse of office, extortion and fraud. The indictments are in connection with the Secretariat of State’s 350 million-euro investment in a London real estate venture. The president of the Vatican’s criminal tribunal, Giuseppe Pignatone, set July 27 as the Read more
Cardinal George Pell has spoken of his surprise at the apparent extent of ‘criminality’ involved in recent Vatican financial scandals. “I didn’t know that there was so much criminality involved,” Pell said. He was speaking to the AP before the Dec. 15 release of the first volume of his jailhouse memoir, ‘Prison Journal.’ The book Read more
Cardinal Angelo Becciu is seeking €10m (NZ$17m) damages against an Italian media outlet saying the publication ruined his chances of becoming pope. The Vatican cardinal was sacked by Pope Francis in September, amid a corruption investigation. He is suing Italian news magazine L’Espresso, claiming that by ruining his reputation his chance of becoming pope was Read more
After having been freed from jail in April when Australia’s High Court ruled unanimously he never should have been convicted of child sexual abuse in the first place, and after watching his erstwhile Vatican archenemy not just fall but plummet from grace last month, Cardinal George Pell completed his comeback tour Oct. 12 with a Read more
A woman arrested on Tuesday in connection with the latest Vatican financial scandal is said to be one of the sacked Vatican Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s staff. Becciu, a former top Vatican official was fired last month by Pope Francis, who accused him of embezzlement and nepotism. Becciu has denied all wrongdoing. Cecilia Marogna (39) was Read more
The accuser of Cardinal George Pell has denied bribery allegations regarding his complaint of abuse against the cardinal, after Italian media have reported the allegation that Cardinal Angelo Becciu might have wired money to Australia as a bribe during Pell’s trial. “My client denies any knowledge or receipt of any payments,” attorney Vivian Waller, who Read more
There is no connection between the timing of Cardinal George Pell’s return to Rome and the recent resignation of Cardinal Angelo Becciu. Pell and Becciu were known rivals in the bid to reform the finances of the Holy See before Pell returned to Australia to face child sex abuse charges. “There is no connection between Read more