Cardinal thanks Cardinal Becciu for taking a step back from the meeting, but be aware of trial litigation

Vatican City – The Catholic Cardinal admitted Wednesday that the determined word remains a charge on the Vatican trial that convicted Cardinal Angelo Becciu of financial crimes, the latest twist in a drama that dominated the May 7 meeting to elect the successor of Pope Francis.

Becciu, 76, a formerly capable Italian cardinal, formally withdrew his involvement on Tuesday after a few days of uncertainty in his identity.

The Vatican Criminal Court ruled Bech guilty and other financial-related charges at the end of the so-called “trial of the century” in 2023.

But the conviction is being appealed and there are lingering issues regarding the integrity of the trial, which the Cardinal College appears to have referred to in a statement Wednesday. Like Italy, the conviction of the Vatican Criminal Court was considered certainty until all appeals were exhausted.

In a statement Wednesday, the college thanked Becciu for withdrawing and “contributing to the exchange and tranquility of the conference.”

“The Cardinal’s congregation expressed appreciation for the gestures he made and hoped that the competent Justice institutions would be able to determine the facts,” said the Cardinal, who met in the pre-criticism discussion.

Francis forced Becciu to head the Vatican Christmas office in 2020 and forced him to give up his cardinal rights after receiving allegations of financial misconduct against him. These allegations are the basis for subsequent trials.

Becciu denied the misconduct, but at the time he said he would be unable to vote within the scope of future meetings. After Francis died on April 21, Becciu advocated his right to participate. But he backed off after receiving a letter from Francis on Tuesday, writing before his death saying he could not attend.

At the Vatican trial, which focused on the Vatican investment of 350 million euros in London property, defense lawyers found that Francis secretly distributed four decrees during the investigation to benefit prosecutors, allowing them to intercept and detain suspects without a judge’s arrest.

Defense lawyers believe that this intervention by the absolute monarch in the legal system, the Pope exercised the supreme legislation, the executive power and judicial power infringed on the basic rights of the clients and robbed them of their fair trial.

Also during the trial, the prosecutor's main witness against Becciu was guided, threatened and manipulated by outsiders to convince him to turn on the Cardinal.

The court refused to object to defense at the time and the trial continued. But in recent weeks, more evidence has emerged about external manipulation of witnesses and obvious collusion with Vatican prosecutors and military police to target Becciu. The Domani newspaper has published a previously edited WhatsApp chat and has an audio that shows that the Vatican military police and prosecutors have indirectly participated in the coach of Witness Alberto Perlasca to open Becciu.

Becciu responded angry at the report, saying they proved that his prosecution had been manipulated from the very beginning.

“Talking about the striking from my first moments: a false investigation based on falsehood, five years ago, which unjustly destroyed my life and put me in a global attack,” he said in a statement issued on April 14.

The appeal is scheduled to begin in September.

The trial found evidence of overall financial mismanagement, which cost tens of millions of euros at a time when the Vatican finances were at best unstable.

The Vatican has not released a consolidated budget for two years, but previous estimates indicate that the structural deficit is more than €50 million and pension funds are poor, so much so that Francis warned last year that it cannot guarantee a medium term obligation.

The Cardinal, who attended the former meeting of criticism, heard reports on Wednesday about the horrible financial situation and the next pope will have to face it. They heard from the senior cardinals of the Vatican Economic Commission, the Vatican Bank and the Vatican Investment Commission. However, since it is not a cardinal, there is no official responsible for the other two major financial institutions.

They are the governor of the Economic Secretariat, Maximino Caballero Ledo, and sisters Raffaella Petrini, the Vatican City President, which controls the main source of income for the Holy See, the Vatican Museum.

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