Angelo Becciu he will be reinstated in his functions as cardinal, lost (but retaining office) after the financial scandals he was accused of, including the one relating to the purchase of a building in London, in Sloane Avenue, in 2014. Against him – that he is 75 years old and had been substitute for the general affairs of the Secretariat of State, practically number 3 of the Vatican – a trial is still underway at the Holy See. He is accused of embezzlement and abuse of office. He faces up to 5 years in prison.
Despite this, Francesco has decided to reinstate him in his role. “On Saturday the pope telephoned me to tell me that I will be reinstated in my cardinal functions and to ask me to participate in a meeting with all the cardinals that will be held in the next few days in Rome. Rome”. These are the words that Becciu pronounced yesterday morning during a private mass celebrated in front of a group of faithful in Golfo Aranci, where he is spending a few days on vacation. They write it the Sardinian Union e The New Sardinia.
Pope Francis, according to sources contacted by the Republic, did not want to absolve the cardinal with his gesture. Indeed, he would have urged the magistrates to reach a sentence soon, probably as early as September. The London building purchased in 2014 for a real estate investment has meanwhile been resold, with a loss for the Vatican of 114 million euros. A trial is also underway on this real estate transaction in Great Britain.