PanaTimes

Monday, Mar 20, 2023

Cardinal On Trial For Misuse Of Church Funds Taped Call With Pope Francis

Cardinal On Trial For Misuse Of Church Funds Taped Call With Pope Francis

Cardinal Becciu was removed from office and stripped of his cardinal privileges amid a scandal over the Vatican's loss-making purchase of a luxury London property and misuse of Church funds.
A senior cardinal on trial for fraud secretly taped a conversation with Pope Francis where he asked the pontiff to confirm he had approved some secret financial transactions, it emerged Friday.

The existence of the recording, made in July 2021, just days before the trial of Cardinal Angelo Becciu began, emerged at a hearing on Thursday and a transcript was later published by Italian media.

Cardinal Becciu, once a close advisor to Pope Francis, was removed from office and stripped of his cardinal privileges in September 2020 amid a scandal over the Vatican's loss-making purchase of a luxury London property and misuse of Church funds.

Cardinal Becciu, together with nine other defendants, went on trial in July last year facing charges ranging from fraud to money laundering and extortion. Angelo Becciu strongly denies wrongdoing.

Among the defendants is a woman Angelo Becciu hired as a security consultant, Cecilia Marogna, accused of misspending 575,000 euros ($667,000) she received from the Vatican, allegedly earmarked for freeing captive priests and nuns abroad.

In the call with the pope on July 24, 2021 -- 10 days after Francis left hospital following colon surgery -- the cardinal asked the pontiff to confirm that he had approved a plan to release funds to free a Colombian nun held in Mali.

"Did you or not give me the authorisation to start the operations to free the nun?" Angelo Becciu asks in the call, according to the transcript published by Italian media.

"For the ransom we had fixed 500,000, we said no more because it seemed immoral to give more money... that would go into the pockets of the terrorists... I think I had informed you about all this... do you remember?"

According to the transcript, the pope said he "vaguely" remembered but asked Angelo Becciu to put his request in writing.

The call was recorded in Cardinal Becciu's apartment by one of his relatives, on a speakerphone, the court heard.

The nun, who had been taken hostage in 2017 by al-Qaeda-linked jihadists, was freed in Mali in October 2021.
Newsletter

Related Articles

PanaTimes
Close
0:00
0:00
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
The US government has charged Chinese businessman Guo Wengui with leading a $1 billion fraud scheme that cheated thousands of followers out of their money.
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
Drew Barrymore
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
Lady bites police officer and gets instantly reaction
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Senator Tom Cotton: If the Mexican Government Won’t Stop Cartels from Killing Americans, Then U.S. Government Should
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
Silicon Valley Bank: Struggles Threaten Tech Startup Ecosystem"
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
Givenchy Store in New York Robbed of $50,000 in Merchandise
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
Tucker Carlson called Trump a 'demonic force'
Kamala Harris: "The United States has formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity."
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
White House: No ETs over the United States
U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada
Nord Stream terror attack: David Sacks breaks down Sy Hersh's story
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
Miracle: El Salvador Search and Rescue teams, with the support of Turkish teams, rescued a woman and a child from the rubble 150 hours after the earthquake
SpaceX, the private space exploration company, made a significant breakthrough in their mission to reach space.
China's top tech firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, and JD.com, are developing their own versions of Open AI's AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT
This shocking picture, showing how terrible is the results of the earthquake in Turkey
President Joe Biden delivered the 2023 State of the Union Address , in order to help Americans that missed the 2022 speech, do not have internet, and suffer from short memory.
The desk of King Carlos Alberto of Sardinia has many secret compartments
Today's news from Britain - 9th February 2023
China has declined the US's request for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to speak with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe after the US Air Force shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, according to the Pentagon
The five largest oil companies in the West generated combined profits of nearly $200 billion in 2022, which has led to increased calls for governments to impose tougher windfall taxes
2 earthquakes in Turkey killed over 2,300 people
U.S. added 517,000 jobs in January, snapping five-month string of slowing employment growth
×