{"id":2126905,"date":"2023-12-16T12:29:01","date_gmt":"2023-12-16T17:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/once-powerful-official-the-first-ever-cardinal-to-be-prosecuted-in-vatican-criminal-court-will-learn-fate-today\/"},"modified":"2023-12-16T12:35:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-16T17:35:15","slug":"once-powerful-official-the-first-ever-cardinal-to-be-prosecuted-in-vatican-criminal-court-will-learn-fate-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/once-powerful-official-the-first-ever-cardinal-to-be-prosecuted-in-vatican-criminal-court-will-learn-fate-today\/","title":{"rendered":"First-ever Cardinal on trial in Vatican court awaits verdict today"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fonce-powerful-official-the-first-ever-cardinal-to-be-prosecuted-in-vatican-criminal-court-will-learn-fate-today%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2126905&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Once-Powerful\u2064 Official, \u200dthe First-Ever \u200cCardinal to Be Prosecuted in\u2064 Vatican Criminal \u200dCourt, Will\u200c Learn Fate Today<\/h2>\n<p>A once-powerful cardinal and nine other individuals\u2063 are anxiously awaiting their verdicts in a high-stakes financial trial at the Vatican. This complex case has not only exposed the inner workings of the small city-state but has also put its\u2062 justice system to the \u200btest.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Giuseppe Pignatone, at the start of the hearing, commended the professionalism of both the \u200dprosecutors and defense attorneys. \u2063He acknowledged that \u200cthis trial was &#8220;certainly \u200cunusual&#8221; for the Vatican due\u2063 to its\u200c intricacy.<\/p>\n<p>Pignatone emphasized that the tribunal had \u200bmade every effort, &#8220;within the limits&#8230;\u2064 of the legal \u2064framework in force,&#8221; \u200dto ensure that both \u200bsides had ample opportunity to present their\u2062 arguments, particularly the defense.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>The Verdict<\/h3>\n<p>After the initial hearing, the three-judge panel\u2064 went into closed consultations. The verdicts will be announced later in the day in the converted courtroom located in the Vatican Museums. Over\u2062 the \u2062past 2 1\/2 years, the two sides have \u2063fiercely debated\u2063 the details of a financially\u200d disastrous investment\u200b in a luxury property \u200bin London.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Angelo Becciu, the first-ever cardinal to face prosecution in the Vatican&#8217;s criminal \u200dcourt, is accused \u200bof embezzlement-related charges in connection with the London deal. If convicted, he could face up\u200d to seven years in prison. Becciu \u2064vehemently denies\u200b any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike \u200dmost defendants, Becciu has\u2063 attended nearly all\u200b of the 86 hearings. \u2064He believes that Pope\u200d Francis wanted him to face judgment in court,\u2063 as \u200bthe\u2062 Pope had already forced\u2064 his resignation\u200d and stripped him \u2062of his cardinal privileges even \u200bbefore formal charges were filed.<\/p>\n<p>Although Becciu is no longer a cardinal,\u200d he remains a priest and a retired bishop.<\/p>\n<p>This trial has raised concerns about the rule of\u2064 law within the\u2062 Vatican and the extent of Pope Francis&#8217;\u200b power as\u200d an absolute\u2063 monarch. As the supreme authority in legislative, executive, and \u200cjudicial \u2062matters,\u200b the Pope&#8217;s actions have been criticized for potentially compromising a fair trial.<\/p>\n<p>The defense\u200b attorneys\u2063 have praised Judge Pignatone for his\u2064 impartiality and acknowledged\u2062 that they were able to present their arguments thoroughly.\u2064 However, they lamented \u2064the Vatican&#8217;s\u200d outdated\u2064 procedural norms, which allowed prosecutors \u2064significant leeway in withholding \u200cevidence\u2064 and conducting their investigation with minimal hindrance.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to Becciu, prosecutors have charged nine others with various financial\u2062 crimes \u2062related to the secretariat of the state&#8217;s 350 million euro investment in the development of\u200d luxury apartments in a former\u200b Harrod&#8217;s warehouse.<\/p>\n<p>The prosecutors allege that \u200cVatican monsignors \u2064and brokers defrauded the Holy See of tens of millions of euros in fees and commissions. Furthermore, they claim that the Holy \u2063See was \u200dextorted for 15 \u2064million \u2063euros to relinquish control of\u2063 the building.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d prosecutors \u200bare seeking convictions \u200con nearly \u206350 different charges, including fraud, embezzlement, money-laundering, \u200bcorruption, abuse of office, and extortion. They are also seeking prison sentences\u200c ranging from \u2063three to\u2062 13 years and damages \u2064exceeding 400\u2062 million euros to recover the \u200destimated 200 million euros lost by the Holy See\u2062 in these\u200c ill-fated deals.<\/p>\n<p>Initially seen as\u2063 a testament to Pope \u2064Francis&#8217; commitment to\u200d financial reform and his \u2063willingness to address alleged financial misconduct within\u2063 the Vatican, \u200dthis trial has had unintended consequences. \u2064It\u200c has \u200cexposed\u200b vendettas, espionage, and even ransom payments to Islamic militants, tarnishing the\u200c reputation of the\u2063 Holy See.<\/p>\n<p>For \u200cinstance, the secretariat of \u2063state\u2063 is\u2062 seeking damages to fund a marketing campaign aimed at repairing\u200d the reputational harm it claims \u2064to\u2064 have suffered. Even the \u200dVatican \u2063communications department has acknowledged that this\u200b trial has been a \u2064&#8221;stress test&#8221; for \u200cthe legal \u2064system.<\/p>\n<p>A significant aspect of the\u2063 London \u2062case revolves\u200d around \u2064the transfer of the property \u200bfrom one London broker to another in late 2018. Prosecutors argue that the second broker, Gianluigi Torzi, deceived the\u200d Vatican and \u2063maneuvered to gain\u200d full control of the building. They claim \u200bthat Torzi only\u200b relinquished control when the Vatican \u2062paid him 15 \u200dmillion euros.<\/p>\n<p>According to Vatican\u200d prosecutors, this amounted\u200c to\u200c extortion. However, the defense, along\u200b with a British judge\u2064 who rejected Vatican\u200c attempts to seize \u2064Torzi&#8217;s assets, argues that it \u200bwas a negotiated resolution to a\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boston-police-union-exploring-legal-options-to-fight-mayor-wus-vaccine-mandate\/\" title=\"Boston Police Union \u2018Exploring\u2019 Legal Options to Fight Mayor Wu\u2019s Vaccine Mandate\">legally binding contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 two former managers of the Vatican&#8217;s financial watchdog, Rene Bruelhart and Tommaso Di Ruzza, were\u200b accused of abusing their positions by not blocking the payment to Torzi and failing \u200bto report the incident to Vatican prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p>In their defense, Bruelhart and Di Ruzza implicated Pope Francis himself\u200b in the trial. They claimed that the Pope had instructed them \u2062to help the secretariat of \u2062state regain control of the property from Torzi once it\u2063 became\u200c apparent that the Vatican did not actually own the building.<\/p>\n<p>They\u200b cited written testimony from Monsignor Edgar \u200cPena \u200dParra, the Vatican chief of staff, \u2063who stated\u200b that Vatican lawyers advised against suing Torzi due to the weak\u200c case. Instead, the Vatican chose to negotiate \u200da payout with Torzi, considering it the\u200c best option in terms of cost, risk, and outcome.<\/p>\n<p>Pena Parra added, \u2063&#8221;It \u200balso appeared to \u200cbe purely aligned with the will of the superior,&#8221; referring\u2062 to\u2062 Pope Francis, who wanted to &#8220;turn the\u2063 page and start over.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The original\u2063 London investigation\u200b led \u200dto two other related\u2064 cases involving the star defendant,\u200b Becciu, who was\u200d once considered a potential candidate for the papacy\u200d and one of Francis&#8217; top \u2063advisers.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors accused Becciu\u200d of embezzlement for sending 125,000 euros\u2062 from Vatican funds to a \u200bSardinian charity run \u2062by his brother. Becciu \u2063argued that the local bishop had requested the money\u2064 to establish \u2062a bakery that would employ \u200bat-risk youths and that \u200dthe funds remained within the diocese&#8217;s coffers.<\/p>\n<p>Becciu was also accused of \u2063paying a Sardinian woman, \u200cCecilia \u2062Marogna, for her intelligence services. Prosecutors traced \u200bapproximately 575,000 euros in wire transfers from the Vatican to a Slovenian front company owned\u200c by Marogna.\u200d They \u2064alleged that she used the\u2062 money \u2062to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-department-announces-1-2-billion-health-care-crackdown-tied-to-telehealth-cardiovascular-tests\/\" title=\"Justice Department Announces .2 Billion Health Care Crackdown Tied to Telehealth, Cardiovascular Tests\">purchase luxury items<\/a> \u2062and fund \u2063vacations.<\/p>\n<p>Becciu claimed that he believed the funds were \u2062intended to pay\u2064 a British security firm to negotiate the release\u2062 of Gloria Narvaez, a\u200d Colombian nun who had been taken hostage by Islamic militants in\u2064 Mali\u2063 in \u200c2017. He astonishingly revealed that Pope Francis had \u2064authorized up to 1 million euros for the nun&#8217;s liberation, indicating \u2063the Vatican&#8217;s\u2062 willingness to make\u200b a ransom payment\u2063 to al-Qaida-linked militants.<\/p>\n<p>Marogna, who is also on trial, has\u2063 denied any \u2062wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic\">The\u2062 Western Journal has \u200breviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it\u2063 prior\u200d to publication \u200cto ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<p>The post\u200c <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-cardinal-9-others-will-learn-fate-vatican-financial-trial-2-years-hearings\/\">Once-Powerful Official, the \u200cFirst-Ever Cardinal to Be Prosecuted in Vatican Criminal Court, Will Learn Fate Today<\/a> appeared\u200c first on\u2063 <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\">The Western Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How does the outcome of the trial \u200dimpact the Vatican&#8217;s approach to tackling corruption and financial misconduct in the\u2064 future?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  O Pope Francis. <\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the verdict, this trial represents a pivotal moment for the Vatican&#8217;s justice system and its reputation as a sovereign state. \u2062The \u200doutcome will have far-reaching implications and \u2062may determine the path the Vatican takes in tackling corruption and financial misconduct in the \u200cfuture.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2062 is\u200d worth\u200d noting\u2064 that this trial is not just\u200c about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-treasury-department-ignoring-national-security-responsibilities-experts-say\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Treasury Department Ignoring National Security Responsibilities, Experts Say\">financial crimes committed<\/a> but also about the transparency and fairness of the\u2064 Vatican&#8217;s legal proceedings. The defense has raised concerns about the Vatican&#8217;s procedural \u200bnorms, which they believe have provided \u200dprosecutors with significant advantages, such as the ability to withhold evidence and conduct investigations with minimal\u2064 hindrance.<\/p>\n<p>These concerns highlight the need for the Vatican to modernize \u200cits legal \u2063system and align its processes with international standards. It is crucial for the Vatican to ensure that all \u2063individuals, regardless of their rank or position,\u2063 are provided with fair and\u200d impartial trials.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, this trial has brought to light the extent of\u2062 Pope Francis&#8217; power as the supreme authority within \u200cthe \u2064Vatican. \u2062Some \u200ccritics argue that\u2062 his involvement in this trial has potentially compromised its fairness, raising questions about the separation\u2063 of powers and\u200d the rule of law within the Vatican&#8217;s governance structure.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the verdict of this trial\u2062 will shape the \u2064future of \u200dthe Vatican and its commitment to combating corruption and financial misconduct. It is \u200dan opportunity for the Vatican to demonstrate its dedication to justice and transparency,\u200d as \u2063well \u2062as its willingness to hold even the\u2063 most \u200dpowerful individuals\u2062 accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of\u2063 the outcome, this trial serves as a wake-up call for the \u200cVatican to address these issues head-on and initiate meaningful\u2063 reforms. It is time for the Vatican to strengthen its \u2063legal framework, \u200cenhance transparency, and ensure that justice \u2064is \u2063served without compromise.<\/p>\n<p>As the judgment is announced\u2062 and the fate of the \u2064once-powerful official and\u2064 the\u2063 other individuals involved is determined, the world \u2063will be watching. The Vatican&#8217;s response to this trial will be of great importance, not only\u200b in reaffirming its commitment to justice but also in\u2064 restoring its reputation as a sovereign state \u2064guided by the principles of integrity and fairness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Saturday, a Vatican tribunal will decide the fate of a former influential cardinal and nine others involved in a complex financial trial. This trial has exposed the Vatican&#8217;s internal issues and put its justice system to the test. Judge Giuseppe Pignatone commended the professionalism of both prosecutors and defense attorneys at the beginning of the hearing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2126906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2126905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2126905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2126905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2126905\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2126906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2126905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2126905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2126905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}