Since September 24, 2020, during a shock hearing Pope Francis having deprived him of the office of Curia and the rights of the cardinalate, “a public pillory of global proportions began for me: even in Angola, where I had been nuncio for seven and a half years, I was told that national television had devoted a week to the theme of the debates; I made the front pages of newspapers around the world; deprived of all ecclesiastical office; relegated to the margins of the Curia and the Church. This made me suffer and continues to make me suffer for having exposed my family to such atrocious and unjust suffering.”
Talking in a long diatribe about two and a half hours of “spontaneous statements” it's the cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciuduring the 14th hearing of the trial which sees him implicated in the Vatican on management of Secretariat of State funds, of which Becciu was deputy for General Affairs for seven years (from 2011 to 2018), the highest position after that of secretary. At the time of his resignation, Becciu was also prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Ap Press conference of Cardinal Becciu two years ago, upon his resignation from the Secretariat of State
The meeting with Cecilia Marogna
During yesterday's hearing, the former member of the College of Cardinals among the electors (cardinals who have not reached the age of 80) provided a detailed reconstruction of the facts underlying the accusations against him – which the person directly involved completely rejected. . His statements were followed in the afternoon by other two and a half hours of interrogation by the promoter of justice (the Vatican prosecutor) Alessandro Diddi. Becciu retraced in detail his history during the seven years in which he was deputy for General Affairs, before becoming prefect for the Causes of Saints, and did not fail to give his version on the Marogna affair, to which he had until now opposed the “pontifical secret”, from which the Pope however exonerated him. Becciu in fact thanked the Pontiff for allowing him “to be able to speak freely and defend myself in complete transparency”.
Security and Intelligence Collaboration
Among other things, also regarding his knowledge of the former Sardinian manager, he expressed “a strong and vibrant indignation at the way in which this relationship has been distorted by offensive allegations, of the lowest nature, detrimental to my priestly dignity. I believe this attitude also betrays a lack of consideration for women in general, and I feel compelled to wonder whether similar treatment would have been meted out to a man.” However, Becciu recalled how he met the woman who had requested a hearing to propose one. security and intelligence collaboration and, appreciating his abilities, decided (authorized step by step by the Pope) to appeal to his advice on the occasion of the kidnapping in Mali in February 2017 of the Colombian nun Gloria Cecilia Navaes Goti, released four and a half years later.
Google Maps The building in Sloane Avenue, London, purchased by the Curia
The purchase of the London Palace
At this point in history, the London agency Inkermann comes into play, as does Bank transfers disposed towards Marogna (575 thousand euros), which she guaranteed was aimed at the release of Sister Gloria, finished on the contrary, to a large extent in luxury products. Becciu declared that he had not used the Saint-Pierre denier for the various investments, even for the famous Sloane Avenue Building in London, but rather “the reserve funds of the Secretary of State”. And he reiterated how the 125 thousand euros transferred to Ozieri's Caritas, through the Spes cooperative led by brother Tonino, had exclusively a “charitable objective”: Angelo Becciu illustrated how “as a priest, I blush when I think of Tonino's commitment to the poor and to the community”. But this very accusation of “enriching my family” “has been the mother of all my misfortunes.” From this “incriminated bank transfer”, he was in fact summoned to the Pope's audience, after which, the next morning, he hastened to convene a press conference because, explained the Sardinian cardinal, “the press release published was so aseptic that in the evening they bombarded me with phone calls asking if I had resigned for 'sex crimes,' which would outrage me.”
The case against Pell
There is also a certain concern about the various financial movements which led to the prosecution's file, about the relations with the other defendants (“I would have abused my powers, not for personal profit but to enrich people who 'were substantially unknown'). In the different passages, Becciu always reiterated “with force my absolute innocence” and denied “the shameful accusation, the very serious insinuation” of having even financed with money the Secretariat of State. false testimony against the card. George Pell, then acquitted in his native country of child abuse charges. Meanwhile, yesterday, at the start of the hearing, the key witness Mgr. Alberto Perlasca he filed a civil suit against Becciu for “bribing a witness”, and against four other defendants for fraud, for having “misled” him by signing the agreement on the 1,000 actions to control the building Londoner.
