Angelo Becciu, a powerful former Italian cardinal, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison by a Vatican court for financial crimes in a landmark case. Becciu, 75, who was once thought of as a possible pope and served as an advisor to Pope Francis, is the highest-ranking Catholic cleric to face criminal charges at the Vatican. His allegations, along with those of nine other defendants, which included financiers, attorneys, and former Vatican workers, were financial offenses centered on an intricate property transaction in London.
The court president, Giuseppe Pignatone, read down the decision on Saturday, finding Becciu guilty of theft, misuse of authority, and interfering with witnesses. Fabio Viglione, Becciu’s attorney, acknowledged that there would be an appeal but showed respect for the ruling. Additionally, Becciu was fined €8,000.
The trial centers on the 350 million euro ($380 million) purchase of an opulent London home, which was started in 2014 and cost the Vatican a significant amount of money. The trial, which is set to begin in July 2021, has focused on Pope Francis’ reform efforts since taking the helm of the Catholic Church in March 2013 on the intricate finances of the Vatican.
The trial also acts as a test of Francis’s reforms, as he recently removed the cardinal-led court system and empowered civilian tribunals at the Vatican to hear issues involving cardinals and bishops.
Alessandro Diddi, the prosecutor, requested sentences ranging from almost four to thirteen years for some of the defendants and seven years and three months for Becciu. Becciu, who said he was innocent, called the accusations ludicrous and said he had never taken money. Under Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, the Holy See, seeing itself as an “offended party,” has asked the court to “punish all crimes.”
In the trial, four Vatican organizations are parties and are suing the defendants for damages to their image and moral standing, totaling 177 million euros.