Former Pope adviser Cardinal Angelo Becciu has been found guilty of financial crimes and has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison.
This makes Becciu the highest-ranking Catholic Church official to ever face trial before a Vatican criminal court.
The trial, reported by The Gateway Pundit, involved ten defendants accused of embezzlement related to an investment fund and the purchase of a building in London, which resulted in significant losses for the Catholic Church. The charges against Becciu included money laundering, fraud, extortion, and abuse of office, with millions of dollars allegedly extracted from the Vatican.
The indictment, which spanned nearly 500 pages, was issued in July 2021, accompanied by 30,000 pages of supplemental documentation provided by prosecutors.
During the trial, a recorded phone call between Pope Francis and Cardinal Becciu was played to the Vatican Court, shedding light on their conversations regarding the financial dealings in question.
According to The Independent, the court deemed Becciu's actions as irresponsible and "highly speculative" for investing over $200 million with a fund managed by Raffaele Mincione between 2013 and 2014. This amount accounted for approximately one-third of the Secretariat of State's holdings at the time.
In 2018, when Becciu held a different Vatican position, the secretariat of state felt deceived by Mincione and sought the assistance of financier Gianluigi Torzi to remove Mincione and acquire the remaining portion of the London building.
In 2020, prior to Becciu's downfall, Pope Francis removed him from his role overseeing the canonization of saints without providing a public explanation. Although Becciu retained his title as a cardinal, he lost the right to participate in a conclave for the election of a future pope.
The trial and subsequent conviction of Cardinal Becciu mark a significant moment in the Catholic Church's history, highlighting the ongoing efforts to address financial misconduct within its ranks.
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