Giovanni Angelo Becciu on June 28, 2018 in the Apostolic Palace of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
(CNN) -
One of the powerful Vatican cardinals resigned from office amid a growing financial scandal.
Giovanni Angelo Becciu says he was accused of embezzlement and proclaimed his innocence during a press conference on Friday, the day after Pope Francis effectively fired him.
Becciu served as a "substitute" at the Vatican Secretariat of State, a powerful position similar to that of chief of staff, since 2011.
The 72-year-old was named a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2018 and head of the office that oversees the canonizations of the saints.
Becciu's tenure came to an abrupt halt Thursday night, when the Vatican announced in a short statement that Pope Francis had accepted the cardinal's resignation.
The Vatican gave no further explanation.
"Yesterday, until 6:02 pm, I felt like I was a friend of the pope," Becciu said at an impromptu news conference on Friday.
"Then he told me that he no longer trusted me because the magistrates informed him that I had committed an embezzlement," he added.
Becciu claimed that Francisco was visibly upset during the meeting.
"He asked me to renounce the privileges of being a cardinal," Becciu added.
Despite the tense meeting with the pope, Becciu said he will prove his innocence and that he is still "willing to give his life" for the pontiff.
The Vatican financial scandals
Becciu said he has not received any official notification of charges against him, but understands that he is accused of using money from the Vatican to further the business of two of his brothers.
The cardinal admitted that he transferred 100,000 euros (US $ 116,000) to the Catholic charity Caritas in his native Sardinia, which has ties to one of his brother's companies.
However, he said the money was not given to his brother.
Becciu also admitted that he gave money to another brother's window and door company for reconstruction work at the Vatican embassies in Angola and Cuba.
However, he said the Vatican approved the payment.
The Vatican bank has been plagued by financial scandals for a long time.
In 2013, Pope Francis created a committee of experts to recommend reforms to the economic and administrative structures of the Holy See in order to combat the problem.
