Vatican, Becciu resigns from Holy Cause and cardinalate

2020-09-24T19:17:42.981Z

"Today, Thursday 24 September, the Holy Father accepted the resignation from the office of Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and from the rights connected to the Cardinalate, presented by His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu". This was reported by a bulletin from the Vatican press office, unusually released in the evening. According to what is learned, the Pope's decision was communicated a little while ago by Bergoglio himself to Becciu in a shocking audience. It is the first time since Bergoglio was pontiff that a cardinal of the Curia renounces, in addition to the office in his own Dicastery, the "rights" connected to the cardinalate. Angelo Becciu, created a cardinal by Pope Francis himself, did not have time to return to his apartment tonight as the news of his "resignation" had already been officially published with the bulletin of the press room. Becciu, after a career as apostolic nuncio, was for a long time Substitute in the Secretariat of State and at the age of 70 he received the cardinal's hat from Francis, as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. His sensational resignation, about which no other official communications are currently available, cannot fail to be connected with the affair of the building of the Secretariat of State in London.