The Italian cardinal, at the center of a historic Vatican trial for corruption and mismanagement, said on Sunday that Pope Francis had invited him to the consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals, to be held on Saturday, August 27, in Rome.
“On Saturday, the Pope called me to say that I would be reinstated in my cardinalatial functions and to ask me to participate in a meeting with all the cardinals to be held in the coming days in Rome,” Cardinal Angelo Becciu reportedly said on Sunday during a private Mass celebrated before a group of the faithful in Golfo Aranci, Italy, where he is on vacation.
He recounted this story to those present to explain why he would not “be present” at next Sunday’s Mass because he would be “busy in Rome.”
The prelate’s lawyer, Ivano Iai, confirmed the information to a local media outlet: “An invitation arrived from the Vatican for the Consistory for the creation of new cardinals to be held from August 27 to 30. This is the first time, since September 24, 2020, that His Eminence has been summoned to a Consistory. It is indeed a prerogative of cardinals, and these functions, two years ago, had been frozen by Pope Francis following judicial events.”
Becciu had been removed from his functions as a cardinal—though he retained the title—and shortly afterward, the trial against him and nine others was announced. It centered on the scandal surrounding the Vatican’s purchase of a property in London, and more specifically on the millions of euros paid in fees to intermediaries who arranged the transaction. Becciu is accused of embezzlement and abuse of power but vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
Due to his suspension, he was not invited to attend the November 2020 consistory.
Becciu was head of the Vatican’s saint-making office when Pope Francis asked him to step down. At the time, the Vatican provided no details, merely announcing in a single sentence Becciu’s resignation from his post as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints “and of his rights linked to the cardinalate.”
Becciu is also the former second-in-command of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. Francis made him a cardinal in 2018.
Renouncing the rights and privileges linked to the cardinalate means he is still a priest in good standing, but he cannot, for example, take part in a possible conclave to find Pope Francis’s successor, nor hold a position in the Roman Curia, the central government of the Catholic Church.
Only a handful of cardinals in history have had their privileges removed. American Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was fully removed from the College of Cardinals in July 2018, before being laicized, due to allegations of sexual abuse of minors.
In 2015, the late Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien renounced his cardinalatial rights and privileges after unidentified priests alleged sexual misconduct against him. O’Brien, however, was allowed to retain the title of cardinal and died as a member of the College of Cardinals.
The Vatican’s “trial of the century” is not expected to end anytime soon; in June, judges announced that the prosecution and defense planned to call more than 200 witnesses.
At the heart of the case is the controversial purchase by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State of a property at 60 Sloane Avenue in London’s upscale Chelsea district, which, according to Vatican prosecutors, cost the Church 350 million euros, partly from donations to a papal charity called Peter’s Pence.
Although the Holy See’s press office has not yet confirmed Becciu’s claim, it would not be surprising if it were true, as Pope Francis has expressed support for the disgraced cardinal since accepting his resignation, even going so far as to say Mass at the cardinal’s home on Holy Thursday 2021.
At the end of last year, Francis spoke of Becciu in a radio interview: “I hope with all my heart that he is innocent. Furthermore, he was one of my collaborators and helped me a great deal. He is a person for whom I have a certain esteem as a person, that is to say, my wish is that he comes out well. … In any case, justice will decide.”
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This article was originally published by Crux Now ( Article Link ).