Church says Cardinal Pell returning to Vatican in crisis

Cleveland.com ^ | 9/28/2020 | Associated Press

[EBH]

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis' former finance minister, will soon return to the Vatican during an extraordinary economic scandal for the first time since he was cleared of child abuse allegations in Australia five months ago, a church agency said Monday.

Pell will fly back to Rome on Tuesday, CathNews, an information agency of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said, citing “sources close to” Pell....

In his first television interview after his release, Pell linked his fight against Vatican corruption with his prosecution in Australia.

The interview was conducted in April by Herald-Sun newspaper columnist Andrew Bolt, a vocal champion of the cardinal who reported the news early Monday of his return to the Vatican. The Sydney Archdiocese did not respond to a request for comment on Pell’s travel plans, and a woman who answered the phone at the Sydney seminary where Pell lives told The Associated Press: “We have no comment.”

[EBH]

Becciu said he was fired after Francis told him that documents from the Italian financial police alleged the 72-year-old cardinal had embezzled 100,000 euros ($116,200). Becciu, the former No. 2 in the Vatican’s secretariat of state, denied any wrongdoing.

[Bayard]

They can’t run the place, even Francis can’t fire everyone and hope that the Vatican will still function.

It’s not like Bishops and Cardinal’s are incredibly replaceable.