L\u2019Espresso belongs to the anti-Christian Repubblica.it, Francis\u2019 favourite oligarch newspaper, which the Vatican feeds with information.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nIn a lawsuit launched on Wednesday, Becciu claims the publication ruined his reputation by\u00a0 publishing \u201cunsourced and speculative articles\u201d about alleged dodgy financial dealings, including allegations he had sent some \u20ac100,000 euros ($119,000) in Holy See funds to a Sardinian charity controlled by his brother.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s demanding \u20ac10-million in damages, which he says will go to charity.<\/p>\n
Becciu resigned on September 24 as the Prefect of the Vatican\u2019s saint-making office. He was also No 2 in the Vatican Secretariat of State, and enjoyed full authority to manage the department\u2019s substantial asset portfolio, including using it for charitable donations.<\/p>\n
In his legal complaint, Becciu claimed that his ousting was a coordinated \u201chit job\u201d with L\u2019Espresso<\/em>, which broke the story of the payment to his brother in a story that went to the printers on September 24.<\/p>\nThe complaint alleges Francis had a copy of the magazine\u2019s article on his desk during the September 24 meeting at which he sacked Becciu, suggesting an internal leak of the article to the Vatican.<\/p>\n
RNS <\/em>says L\u2019Espresso<\/em> has been leading the charge against Becciu, with a series of unsourced and speculative articles outlining prosecutors\u2019 case against him, some of them citing unnamed Vatican investigators but others offering no attribution for the magazine\u2019s claims.<\/p>\nBecciu\u2019s ousting came just days before the Vatican began showing off its efforts at greater financial transparency and accountability during a visit by evaluators from the Council of Europe\u2019s anti-money laundering committee.<\/p>\n
The committee, Moneyval, has faulted the Vatican tribunal in the past for failing to investigate or prosecute alleged financial crimes.<\/p>\n
In his complaint, Becciu said the damage to his reputation had harmed him personally as well as the Catholic faithful at large.<\/p>\n
As a powerful cardinal with pastoral, diplomatic and Vatican experience, Becciu had been considered \u201cpapabile\u201d before his downfall. But the complaint said that by being forced to relinquish his rights as a cardinal, Becciu had lost his chance to one day become pope.<\/p>\n
The complaint also said that Becciu\u2019s absence from a future conclave as a voting cardinal \u201ccould give rise to questions about the validity of the election,\u201d dividing the church and requiring a costly second conclave.<\/p>\n
L\u2019Espresso<\/em> has stood by its reporting, calling his lawsuit a \u201cstupefying attack.\u201d<\/p>\nIn Italy, journalists can be accused of both criminal and civil defamation.<\/p>\nImage via YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe magazine\u2019s editor-in-chief, Marco Damilano, above, didn\u2019t deny the Pope had an advance copy of its story, but said it was ridiculous to think that \u201ca single journalistic article\u201d caused him to fire Becciu. He said:<\/p>\n
L\u2019Espresso is accused of having not only influenced the current Pope but also the Holy Spirit that could have chosen Becciu as his successor, if it weren\u2019t for an article to block his ascent.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u2022 Please report any typos\/errors to barry@freethinker.co.uk<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nIf you\u2019d like to buy me a cup of coffee \u2013 and boy, do I get through a LOT<\/em> of coffee keeping this site active \u2013 please click the link below.<\/h3>\n
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