‘Vatican earthquake’: the corruption scandal that caused the ‘resignation’ of one of the most powerful cardinals of the Catholic Church

Becciu said he was pressured by the Holy See on suspicion that he “had given Church money to his brothers,” something he categorically denied.

“I did not steal a euro. I am not under investigation, but if they send me to trial, I will defend myself,” he said.

At a press conference on Friday (09/25), Becciu said his impeachment came “like a bolt out of nowhere” and that the pope “was suffering” when he broke the news.

“Everything is surreal. Until yesterday I felt like a friend of the Pope, a faithful executioner of the Pope,” he said.

“Then the Pope told me that he no longer had faith in me because he received a report from the magistrates that I committed an act of embezzlement,” he added.

Exemptions at this level in the Vatican are extremely rare, and the Holy See made few clarifications in its statement released Thursday night.

Cardinal Becciu was a close associate of Francis and had previously held an important position in the Vatican Secretariat of State.

However, his “frying” process began after it was revealed that he was involved in the purchase of a luxury building in London with Church funds.

Since then, this transaction has been the subject of a financial investigation.

Becciu was a Vatican “career diplomat” for years: From 2011 to 2018 he played the powerful role of Alternate General Affairs at the Secretary of State, approaching the Pope, with whom he had almost daily meetings.

It was Francis who appointed him cardinal in 2018, when Becciu assumed a new position at the head of the department that is in charge of naming the new saints and blesseds of the Church.

Analysis by Mark Lowen, BBC Rome correspondent

“I said to the Pope: why are you doing this to me in front of everyone?”

The anguished words are from one of the most important cardinals in the Catholic Church, now deposed and deprived of his right to elect the next pope.

Giovanni Angelo Becciu served as undersecretary of state, a role with unlimited access to Pope Francis, and later was head of the department that elects future saints.

But on Thursday night he was called into a supposedly tense meeting with his boss.

Cardinal Becciu had given the green light to the controversial purchase of a property in London for 232 million dollars with funds from the Church, including money from alms.

Other reports claim that he supported a dilapidated Roman hospital that employed his niece.

“The Holy Father explained that I did favors for my brothers and their businesses with money from the Church … but I am sure that I did not commit any crime,” he told the Italian newspaper Domani.

But his words were not enough. What happened was called “an earthquake in the Vatican.”

His resignation may seem covert, but it is a reminder that the scandal and corruption plaguing governments around the world are also affecting the highest echelons of the Holy See.

It was during his time as a surrogate for general affairs that the priest was involved in a luxury property business in a wealthy part of London.

The purchase of a residential building on Sloane Avenue was made with Church money, through corporate and offshore funds, according to official documents.

Five Vatican officials were suspended last year after an operation and police confiscated documents and computers.

Then, in June, Italian businessman Gianluigi Torzi was arrested by the Vatican police on suspicion of extortion and embezzlement.

Earlier this year, Cardinal Becciu defended the purchase.

“An investment was made in a building. It was a good and opportune occasion, which today many people envy us,” he said in February.

He also denied that the money raised for the poor was used in the business.

The Italian press considers that the sudden departure of the cardinal may be related not only to the London property.

In his interview on Friday, the cardinal said the pope also confronted him over the Church money he gave for businesses run by his brothers.

A cooperative in Sardinia, run by Becciu’s brother, Tonino, assisted the migrants and the cardinal said all the money had been counted.

Other funds were used to renovate the Holy See building in Cuba.

Italian media reports also suggest that the Pope was unhappy with the use of poor people’s funds for other investments.

Last year, the Italian weekly L’Espresso published a report by the Vatican’s anti-corruption authority on speculative investments worth $ 725 million.

Cardinal Becciu will retain his title, despite his resignation from the congregation. However, he loses his right to choose the next pope.

Currently, of the 219 cardinals of the Catholic Church, 121 are voters.

The last cardinal to renounce his right to vote was Scotsman Keith O’Brien, who resigned in 2013 amid a sex scandal. He died five years later.

Have you seen our new videos on Youtube? Subscribe to our channel!