“I was portrayed as a corrupt man, greedy for money, disloyal to the pope, but here I am with my head held high!” To the chagrin of his judges, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who claims to be the victim of an “unprecedented media massacre,” faces the charge alongside nine other people, all suspected of financial embezzlement.
The case focuses primarily on a London real estate investment that prosecutors say has cost the Holy See millions of euros, while enriching a number of intermediaries.
Many accusations were swept away with a wave of the porporato’s hand: “I want to say here and now, with the strength and transparency of my conscience: I never wanted €1, or even one penny that I had the management or even the knowledge of, to be diverted, misused or used for purposes that were not exclusively institutional,” he said in an opening statement.
During the tenth hearing, the person who was at the time of the alleged allegations a substitute for the Secretary of State, would be questioned by the prosecutor – the equivalent of the Advocate General – on the payment of 125,000 € for works from Sardinia, his country of origin. Of which 100,000 € was allegedly donated to the diocesan Caritas, run by his own brother.
But due to a SARS-CoV-2 infection, Allessandro Diddi preferred to step down: “I am not able to conduct the interrogation,” he said at the beginning of the hearing.
Vatican Court President Giuseppe Pignatone nonetheless asked a few questions about the status of Cecilia Marogna, an aide to the fallen cardinal who allegedly received money for occasional and unofficial missions ordered by the Secretary of State.
Msgr. Becciu took refuge behind the pontifical secrecy surrounding this part of the case, merely saying that he would agree to speak if the secrecy were lifted, which can only be decided by one person in the world: the pope.
The President of the Tribunal then questioned the Cardinal, who was relieved of his prerogatives in 2020, on the Sardinian case, in which he defended himself against any personal enrichment, since the disputed sums had been used, in his opinion, for the reintegration of young people in difficulty.
In all, the hearing lasted more than four hours before being adjourned by Giuseppe Pignatone. The next meeting is set for March 30 to include the interrogation of the key witness of the case, Msgr. Mauro Carlino, former bureau chief at the Secretariat of State.
As for Cardinal Becciu, he would once again have to stand at the bar on April 6 with the hope that the promoter of justice has then regained his health.
Accused of embezzlement and abuse of power, Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Maria Becciu told the court he was sure the truth would clear his name, after being subjected to what he called a “massacre by the media.”