The man was short, but he was one of the most powerful in the Vatican.
Cardinal Angelo Becciu, 72, was dismissed from all his functions by Pope Francis on the evening of September 24.
Including that of Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, a prestigious post at ministerial level, which he held.
More precisely, he had to present his resignation to François who accepted it on the spot during a shady twenty-minute interview.
The latter had nevertheless appointed him cardinal in June 2018, an eminent sign of the confidence he had in him.
To read also: Secret Vatican: our report behind the scenes of Saint Peter in Rome
An article on financial embezzlement involving Church money that this cardinal of Sardinian origin would have covered and which would have benefited his blood brothers, published in the left-wing weekly,
l'Espresso
, to be published this weekend , precipitated the fall of the one who occupied the strategic position of n ° 3 of the Holy See from 2011 to 2018.
The "Becciu method"
What do we blame him for?
A first red alert sounded a year ago in the context of an investigation into the acquisition by the Vatican of a commercial building in a wealthy London neighborhood.
Cardinal Becciu's name then circulated.
He had effectively given the green light to this complex and risky transaction, far from the usual attributions of the Catholic Church but on funds of the Secretariat of State.
The case is still ongoing.
He recognized everything by considering that it was his duty to "
make the money from the funds of the Secretary of State work
".
Very informed Vatican sources, however, indicated on Friday that other similar financial arrangements would have occurred under his jurisdiction involving Italian businessmen close to the cardinal and very sophisticated financial circuits.
It would therefore be “
the Becciu method
” which is today publicly questioned.
By driving him out, the Pope would give a “
spectacular sign”
of the household he is currently leading against financial corruption in the Vatican “
with the same vigor as his battle for transparency against pedophilia cases,
” assures these sources.
By expelling him the Pope would give a "spectacular sign" of the household he is currently leading against financial corruption in the Vatican
As for the resounding article in the left-wing Italian weekly,
l'Espresso
, it certifies that Cardinal Becciu would have paid at least 100,000 euros in Church funds into a charitable cooperative, run by his brother, in Sardinia.
What Cardinal Becciu did not deny on Friday at a press conference, assuring that it was in his "
prerogatives
" at the time to make this type of payment for charitable purposes and that this money was "
always available
”in the Sardinian diocese.
Likewise, he admitted, on Friday, having made another of his brothers, a carpenter, work in work at the nunciature of Cuba where Angelo Becciu was apostolic nuncio - another complaint raised by the magazine - not seeing how it was “
illegal
” especially since he would have asked for “
authorization
” in Rome.
On the other hand, he “
absolutely denied
” the third accusation of the Italian magazine of having invested Church money in the beverage and beer business of his… third brother.
"I am not corrupt"
But on the other hand he did not speak on the heaviest accusation of the
Espresso
article
,
little argued it is true, of a series of uncertain assemblies which would have ended up costing "
450 million Euros"
to the Holy See according to the weekly.
Since Thursday evening, Cardinal Becciu, a very pugnacious man, has declared himself "
innocent
" and promises that he will prove it.
He affirms that what
the Espresso
wrote
is "
totally false
", that he did not carry out any "
embezzlement
".
That he accepted the Pope's decision "out of
obedience and love of the Church"
but that he asked the
Pope for
the "
right
" to organize his own "
defense
" because his "
honesty
" could not be called into question .
"
My conscience tells me that I am not corrupt
" he insisted again.
However, the rare fact of a resignation immediately accepted by the Pope suggests that the case would not be without merit.
When there is doubt, the Vatican usually protects prelates until such time as justice establishes formal proof of guilt.
This was typically the case for Cardinal Barbarin.
An immediate decision by the Pope, which is moreover on the basis of information from the Italian judiciary, indicates on the contrary that the elements at his disposal would be sufficient to decide.
Cardinal Becciu accepted the Pope's decision "out of obedience and love of the Church" but asked for the "right" of the Pope to organize his own "defense"
Another clue: the consequences of this decision to apply immediately are drastic.
If Mgr Angelo Becciu keeps his title of cardinal, he no longer has any prerogative: namely the election of a pope in the event of a conclave from which he is now excluded and where he would have played a role of pope maker and especially the instant termination of his function as adviser to the head of the Catholic Church.
This means a sudden exit from the circle of power of a man of the Church who has exercised for ten years decisive responsibilities at the heart of the Vatican administration.
To the point of having even been the essential man in still very recent times.
This man of confidence who no longer is, renowned for his operational efficiency, was thus chosen by Pope Francis to take over the Order of Malta, a highly financially burdensome dossier, in February 2017, as "
special delegate
”and with“
all powers
”.
Before being appointed two years ago by Francis to the "
cause of the saints
" as they say in Rome, that is to say to the ministry in charge of investigating all the causes of beatifications and canonizations, post little political but very honorary and with a global dimension, he was indeed the “
Substitute”
from 2011 to 2018. This misleading name does not designate a jump seat.
"
Il sostitut
o" is even less a simple Minister of the Interior as we can read.
There is much more.
A seismic shock in the Vatican
The Substitute is above all the secretary general of the Catholic Church.
In his office converges information and decisions coming from the Pope, the Secretary of State (the Prime Minister) but from all Vatican ministries - including finance, communication, the Vatican gendarmerie - and powerful bastions of the Holy See such as the management of Vatican City, that of Saint Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and ... the Vatican gendarmerie, therefore internal intelligence.
In short, the high responsibility that he occupied, would combine in France the general secretariat of the Élysée, Matignon and all the ministries.
Hence the seismic shock felt in the small world of the Vatican.
He is a figure and a strong man who falls.
He had been appointed by Benedict XVI to the position of Substitute but was always very faithful to Pope Francis who made him cardinal.
His fall will therefore have repercussions for the next conclave, which many are starting to talk about in Rome.
The Holy See therefore did not comment on this scandal-smelling affair, but a reaction was very noticeable.
That of another cardinal.
He publicly welcomed the Pope's decision.
His name is George Pell.
He is Australian.
Francis had brought him to Rome at the beginning of the pontificate as Minister of Finance to restore order to the money of the Church.
Very quickly Pell and Becciu opposed because the Secretariat of State of which the Sardinian had the keys.
He never wanted to submit the accounts and finances of the Secretariat of State, the heart of the Roman curia, to this new financial entity, a ministry of finance entrusted to Australia, wanted by Francis, accompanied by a management control.
Cardinal Pell then experienced violent legal troubles over pedophilia issues from which he has always defended himself and from which he has only just recovered.
He published these few lines
on
Thursday evening: “
The Holy Father has been elected to clean up the finances of the Vatican.
He plays for the long haul and should be thanked and congratulated for these recent developments.
I hope that the cleaning of the stables will continue
to ”.
