Cardinal Becciu Back in the News
It strains credulity, but it sure has all the ingredients of a great story.
The Cardinal Becciu case has come back to life. Like all Italian court cases, it is an enigma to non-Italians; and this is a Vatican court case too, so it is an enigma wrapped up in a mystery. For sheer impenetrability, which even experts will find baffling, just speak to any Canon lawyer. Or else you can read this by AP, which explains it in terms that most of us can grasp.
What fascinates me about the case of the errant Cardinal is that you simply could not make it up. It has all the ingredients of the wildest fiction. First of all there is the Sardinian Cardinal himself, who denies all wrong doing, but who bears a more than passing resemblance to the idea most of us have of corrupt Renaissance Princes of the Church. Let us not forget that in Italy Cardinals are treated much like royalty in other countries, and that obscure villages and towns that have produced a Cardinal wear this as a badge of pride. Cardinals have immense influence in Italy. Becciu would have been, and probably still is, a local hero in Sassari, where he comes from, and where everyone, I am sure, thinks he is innocent, that is, he has been framed by dark forces, used as a scapegoat and so on.
Moreover, the Cardinal comes with a supporting cast that leaves one breathless at their sheer effrontery. First of all there is la dama del Cardinale, the Cardinal’s lady, as she is termed, a person called Cecilia Marogna, who also hails from Sardinia, and though not young, is absolutely gorgeous. No one, but no one, is suggesting that this self-styled international intelligence analyst is anything but a good friend of the Cardinal; but she was arrested for financial crimes, spending lots of Vatican money on various things that did not stand up to close scrutiny. As one Italian report from six years ago has it, translated for your convenience:
“Vatican investigators are said to have targeted wire transfers totalling €500,000 that the woman allegedly received from the Holy See for humanitarian operations in Asia and Africa. Almost half of the funds were used to purchase handbags, cosmetics, and other luxury goods. Specifically, €12,000 was spent on a Frau leather armchair, €2,200 on Prada, €1,400 on Tod’s, and €8,000 on Chanel. The 39-year-old Cagliari-born businesswoman allegedly established relations with the Vatican Secretariat of State in 2016, when Cardinal Becciu was Substitute for General Affairs—the third highest ranking official in the Vatican hierarchy—accrediting herself as an expert in diplomatic relations, a mediator in international crises, and a self-styled intelligence analyst.
“In possession of a letter signed by Becciu identifying her as a trusted person, the person dubbed the “Cardinal’s Lady” allegedly received the money in several instalments between December 2018 and July of last year from the bank account of Logsic, a Slovenian humanitarian missions company based in the capital Ljubljana, of which she is the administrator. All payments were described as “contributions for humanitarian missions.” Investigations, however, revealed that Logsic itself was a shell company, as no invoices or money movements were recorded. Marogna justified this by saying that “since these were confidential transactions, the financial statements do not show fees or invoices, and furthermore, the Vatican has no real tax system. And I certainly couldn’t issue invoices myself.” According to the Cardinal’s Lady, the luxury goods purchased were also allegedly used to facilitate the secret negotiations. “Perhaps the handbag was for the wife of a Nigerian friend who was able to communicate with Burkina Faso,” is Marogna’s version.”
If this were a soap opera the script editors would already be thinking it strained credibility. But there is more. In days of yore important Cardinals had mistresses, of course, but they also had nephews who sometimes really were their nephews. Becciu also comes encumbered with relatives who have also been charged with misuse of funds, and in this he is not alone. Quite a few important Italian Cardinals in the past had brothers and nephews, many of whom got rich through the contacts offered by their eminent scarlet-clad relatives. One such was Cardinal Sodano who used his patronage to place important contracts in the way of his nephew Andrea.
The nub of the Becciu scandal is the case of the London property deal which is pretty opaque to me, but which AP sums up like this: “The case had as its main focus the Vatican’s investment of 350 million euros ($413 million) in a London property. Prosecutors alleged brokers and Vatican monsignors fleeced the Holy See of tens of millions of euros in fees and commissions to acquire the property, and then extorted the Holy See for 15 million euros ($16.5 million) to cede control of it.”
But that is not all. These is also the conspiracy theory that Cardinal Becciu, terrified that Cardinal Pell was finally going to clean up the Vatican finances, had Pell framed for child abuse, and even murdered. The latter is incredible. The former is possible. But one thing is certainly true: Pell was the polar opposite of Becciu: a bluff, honest, sometimes too honest, straight-speaking, former ruby-playing Australian, who got things done. Oh, if only we could have more Cardinals like Pell, and not so many like Becciu!
As a Catholic the Becciu affair embarrasses me, though I admit it does not surprise me, and I find the whole thing fascinating. If I were an Italian I would be holding my head in my hands and groaning. Becciu may be innocent and being used as the fall-guy of a corrupt squad of officials in the Vatican. Cecilia Marogna might well have been doing some innocent shopping and be a very disorganised accountant, but…. One thing is for sure: this case will run and run, whereas in other jurisdictions it might well have been brought to a clear conclusion by now.
"These is also the conspiracy theory that Cardinal Becciu, terrified that Cardinal Pell was finally going to clean up the Vatican finances, had Pell framed for child abuse, and even murdered. The latter is incredible. The former is possible."
I see no reason at all to claim that the idea that Pell was murdered is incredible. Quite the contrary! Pell was alive and well and on major-network news a mere ten days before his death, offering live expert commentary on the funeral of Benedict XVI. He appeared vigorous and pink-cheeked. Pell checked into a hospital less than five miles from the Vatican for scheduled surgery a few days later and *boom* was inexplicably dead just hours after the operation. "Complications" were cited, which any reasonable person must admit were possible, but any reasonable person must also admit make a convenient cover for foul play. Pell's exequies in Rome were summary -- performed mid-Covid -- and his body sent back to Australia, where it was reported that those who opened his casket found him hurriedly dressed, in secular clothes, without any shoes on at all. They also reported he had a broken nose, which obviously suggests a struggle. There has never to this day been any investigation. The whole thing cries out to Heaven.
Cardinal Pell was a very talented Australian Rules football player, not rugby player.
Pope Francis made the same mistake in 2014 when he described Pell the Vatican's resident "rugby player". The wider media have repeated this.
Pell came from the state of Victoria in Australia, of which Melbourne is the capital. It is obsessed with Australian Rules football. There was hardly any rugby played there in his youth. He was skilled at it and the priesthood robbed the Victorian Football League of a fine footballer.
Glad to be able to contribute this important correction.