Cardinal Becciu: Pope Francis Responsible for Vatican Auditor's Ousting

Catholic News Agency ^ | 5/18/22 | Hannah Brockhaus

[marshmallow]

Vatican City, May 18, 2022 / 13:33 pm Cardinal Angelo Becciu said Wednesday that he is blameless in the forced resignation of a Vatican auditor, because it came at Pope Francis’ request.

Becciu was said to be responsible for the sudden firing in 2017 of the Vatican’s first auditor general, Libero Milone, as well as the cancelation of an internal audit.

But during a May 18 hearing in the Vatican’s finance trial, Becciu denied this, stating that in June 2017, Pope Francis called him to a meeting in his Santa Marta residence, where he claimed that he longer had trust in Milone, and therefore wanted Becciu to call the auditor and tell him he must resign.

According to Becciu, the pope also expressed regret for entrusting the then-sostituto of the Secretariat of State with “these thankless tasks.”

At a May 5 hearing, the 73-year-old Becciu had declined to respond to a question from a prosecuting attorney about his involvement in Milone’s firing, claiming “for love of the Holy Father” he could not answer.

But during Wednesday’s interrogation, Becciu said he had since received Pope Francis’ permission to speak freely about the situation.

The cardinal said the motivation for ousting Milone was the same one cited by the Vatican in a Sept. 24, 2017 press release, which stated that Milone had “illegally commissioned an external firm to carry out investigative activities on the private lives of representatives of the Holy See.”

Milone has maintained that he was falsely accused with “staged” allegations and that Pope Francis was “blocked by the old guard” which “felt threatened” by him in his role as auditor general.

Becciu was questioned by Vatican prosecutor Alessandro Diddi for nearly eight hours on May 18 as part of the Vatican’s trial to prosecute Vatican officials and collaborators for.......

[cpdiii]

Becciu was said to be responsible for the sudden firing in 2017 of the Vatican’s first auditor general, Libero Milone, as well as the cancelation of an internal audit. But during a May 18 hearing in the Vatican’s finance trial, Becciu denied this, stating that in June 2017, Pope Francis called him to a meeting in his Santa Marta residence, where he claimed that he longer had trust...

Follow the money but in this case we are not allowed to follow the money. Pope Paul was my Pope. This present pope is an abomination to my past church.