At the Vatican’s losing real estate deal trial, the accused Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Piccio denied all charges. “All these allegations are absolutely baseless,” the Italian said in a statement that lasted more than two hours before a judge in Rome.
Becciu defended himself against accusations that he misused his office. During his interrogation, the cardinal repeatedly referred to other employees. He also spoke about the case of Australian Cardinal George Pell, who was on trial in his homeland for sexual assault. He denied that he was going to allocate 2.3 million Australian dollars (about 1.5 million euros) to influence the operation. He cited a letter from Cardinal and Foreign Minister Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s second-in-command, in which he quoted that “the sum was used to pay for the Catholic Internet domain.”
The process has been going on for months, although it hasn’t really started yet. Since the first hearing in July 2021, the process has been petitions, redrafted documents and flawed evidence. Concretely, the case relates to a losing investment by the Vatican in luxury real estate in the Chelsea area of London and the supposed illegal use of funds for this purpose.
The Holy See’s powerful General Secretariat is involved in the cause. Meanwhile, the Vatican sold the property again. According to the indictment, several people have acquired it. The $1 million deal will also include donations from believers in the so-called St. Peter’s Medal, the collection held each year for the Pope in churches around the world.
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