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One of the most influential Vatican cardinals, Angelo Becciu of Italy, has unexpectedly resigned from his post, the Holy See announced without explanation.
“The Holy Father accepted the resignation of the post of Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and of the rights related to the Cardinal, presented by His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu,” a one-line statement said last night.
Following a career as a Vatican emissary, Becciu has worked for the past six years as a General Affairs Substitute, a role similar to that of Chief of Staff, which means he sees Pope Francis on a daily basis and is one of his most trusted aides. .
The 72-year-old was named a cardinal in the summer of 2018 and has also been responsible for the department that oversees beatifications and sanctifications.
Your surprise resignation could be a penalty.
He has been linked in the past to an ongoing investigation at the Vatican over the past year into a real estate development in the upscale Chelsea area of London that was paid for with offshore funds and companies.
The process to invest in the plan to build luxury apartments began in 2014 when Becciu was in the secretariat of the Vatican, the central bureaucracy of the Holy See.
The Vatican police force raided the secretariat offices last year to confiscate financial documents and computers, while five staff members were suspended.
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Becciu defended the purchase earlier in the year during an interview.
© – AFP 2020
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