A historic trial begins in Vatican City today. For the first time, a cardinal has to appear before the ‘secular judge’ of the mini-state.
And it’s not just any cardinal: Angelo Becciu (73) held the third post in the hierarchy of the Roman Curia, the board of the Roman Catholic Church, from 2011 to 2018. He headed the General Affairs Secretariat there; freely translated the Ministry of the Interior.
In that position, he was involved in the Church’s financial investments around the world to generate revenue. Apart from the donations of the faithful and the sale of souvenirs and publications, only the rental of real estate and the entrance tickets to the Vatican Museums bring in money.
Meanwhile, the salaries and pensions of the employees and of all the clergy around the world must be paid. Also, all monastic orders, missions and works of charity of a church of 1.3 billion believers must be funded. Plus the maintenance of the many monuments, buildings and churches owned by the Church.
The Chelsea deal flop
Investing money is therefore normal. But between 2014 and 2016 Archbishop Becciu became involved in the investment of more than 200 million euros in a luxury building in the London borough of Chelsea. There, a former building of the Harrods department store would be converted into chic apartments.
Financial intermediaries would have convinced Becciu and his staff that a lot of profit could be made here. In order to be able to contribute enough, Becciu is said to have drawn on money from the Peter Medal, the faithful’s donations for the poor, and even from Pope Francis’s personal charitable fund. But the deal went awry, partly due to Brexit, and the money was lost. None of this would be found in the books.
The Fall of the Cardinal
Meanwhile, Becciu became more important. In 2018, he became head of the Congregation for Causes of Saints and received his cardinal hat from the Pope. Two years later, Italian investigative journalists exposed the failed investment in London and also published how Cardinal Becciu allegedly benefited his relatives for years with Church money.
As a spicy detail, the story of a flamboyant lady, Cecilia Marogna, who, according to her own words, carried out secret humanitarian missions in Africa and Asia on behalf of Becciu. With the hundreds of thousands of euros she received from the cardinal, she is said to have tried to free hostages in collaboration with various secret services. In reality, much of the money turned out to have been spent on expensive clothing and accessories.
–
