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The new law, promulgated on Friday, makes clear that the cardinals and bishops of the Holy See are under the jurisdiction of Vatican prosecutors, and the investigation only requires the consent of the Pope before an investigation can begin.
This law repealed the procedure approved last year, according to which only the Supreme Court of Appeals of the Court, made up of three cardinal magistrates, can evaluate the performance of cardinals and bishops accused of criminal offenses.
This reform is another sign that, after eight years of sermons on the fight against corruption and other crimes in the Holy See, Francis is taking concrete steps to reduce the obstacles to prosecuting his own cardinals and bishops, encouraging prosecutors to take office.
On Thursday, the pontiff approved another decree that requires senior Vatican officials to declare the legal origin of their income and sets a limit of a maximum value of 40 euros for gifts that Vatican employees can accept. Setting a maximum value for gifts is seen as a way to combat personal gifts received by Vatican workers.
Last year, Francis was deprived of the cardinal’s rights and privileges by his close adviser, Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu. This was seen as the first step in preparing to force Mr. Becci to appear at trial.
However, it is unclear what is suspected and, so far, Becciu has not been formally charged with any crime.
According to A. Beccius, Pope Francis did it for 100,000. Grants of funds from the Holy See to a charity run by the cardinal’s brother. However, Mr. Becciu himself denied acting illegally and said that he had the right to distribute the funds and that the money was donated to charity, not his brother, and did not go anywhere in the diocesan bank account to which he was transferred.
In the past, Becciu was linked to a Vatican investigation into real estate in the prestigious London Borough of Chelsea, paid for by tax-exempt companies and funds. Investing in the luxury apartment construction plan began in 2014, when GA Becciu worked for the Vatican Secretariat of State.
“Equal before the law”
With the introduction of a new procedural order, the Vatican will likely no longer have to deprive cardinals of their rights and privileges to prosecute them.
Introducing this ordinance, Francisco said that it was necessary for everyone to be equal before the law.
“Understanding these values and principles, which have matured in the Church community, requires today that the Vatican Code be more in line with international standards,” he wrote.
The Vatican’s canon law system establishes that cardinals and bishops are judged only by the Pope, who is an absolute monarch with exclusive legislative, executive, and judicial power in the Vatican. This privilege of the cardinals was also provided for in the Penal Code of the City State Court. This arrangement has led to absurd situations in recent years.
In one famous case, prosecutors decided not even to open an investigation into a cardinal whose apartment in the Vatican was repaired for 0.5 million. USD funds donated to a children’s hospital under the auspices of the Pope. The head of the hospital, who transferred these funds to repair the apartment, was convicted in the Vatican court, but the cardinal who benefited from the crime was not even summoned to testify.
Recently, a British judge expressed surprise that the Vatican ecclesiastical authorities have managed to evade an investigation into a property corruption case in London. This was stated in his order for the seizure of one of the main suspects in the case. The judge questioned why the Vatican Secretary of State and his right-hand man did not even testify about the treatment as witnesses, even though documents and evidence show the deal was made with their consent.
