Vatican City – One of the most numbered cardinals in the Catholic Church resigned to his Vatican post on September 24, without elaborating on the dismissal by the city-state.
In a surprise bulletin at the end of Rome, the Vatican said that Italian Cardinal Angelo Beccio had both resigned from positions of responsibility for overseeing the cause of the Catholic saints and “relinquished the right to join Cardinale.”
Bulletin did not give further details, but it is extremely rare for a cardinal to do so. The last Cardinal to relinquish Cardinal’s rights was Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who was accused of having improper sexual relations with other men.
Becky has been serving as the head of the congregation since August August 2018 for the reasons of the saints of the congregation. He previously served in the Vatican Secretariat, whose role was often described as that of the pope’s chief of staff.
In a previous role, Becky was rumored to be involved in a controversial deal in which the Vatican invested in a development project in London.
Vatican police have been investigating the deal for months. In October 2019 they carried out an unusual raid on the Secretariat of State offices Fiso, collecting documents and electronic devices that appeared to be linked to the deal.
The Vatican’s September 24 statement said only that Pope Francis had accepted Becky’s resignation and the right of cardinals. It suggests that Becky only remains major in the title, and will be unable to participate in any future settlements.
The Vatican press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Beckenbauer resigned or not.
Becky had earlier denied any allegations of impropriety in the London property deal, citing the Italian media as an opportunity to make a profit by upgrading office fee spaces in luxury apartments.
“The investment was made on the building,” Cardinal said in February. “It was a good and appropriate occasion that many people envy us today.”
Becky was formerly a Vatican diplomat, serving as city-state ambassador to Angola under Pope John Paul II and his ambassador to Cuba under Pope Benedict XVI. The future cardinal began serving in the state role of the Vatican Secretariat in 2011, where he was replaced by General Affairs in 2011.
Francis named Bequiુ to the Congregation of Saints in May 2018, and made him head in June 2018. In his role in the Saints ’Office Fees, Becky recruited scholarships from several prominent individuals, including the martyred Salvadoran Archbishop Scar Romero.
This is a breaking news story.
[Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]