Scandals in the Vatican: the justice of the Holy See pursues two priests for pedophilia

Pope Francis during a public audience in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican, October 7, 2020. Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

Text by: Éric Senanque

4 min

The Covid-19 pandemic put business in the Vatican on hold for several months.

Financial matters but also matters of morals.

And now they are back on the front of the stage.

This Wednesday, October 14 opens in fact before the Vatican justice the trial of two priests for pedophilia.

A trial that is rare in the smallest state in the world, but which shows that the lines are moving.

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From our correspondent in the Vatican,

The trial concerns the Saint Pius X pre-seminary. It is there, in this establishment located in the Vatican, that since 1956 those who will serve the ceremonies in Saint Peter's Basilica, the “choirboys” of the Pope, have been trained. .

Two priests are on the dock: the first is being prosecuted for abuse of minors, the second is the former rector of Saint Pius X. It is a former Polish seminarian who launched the alert, claiming to have witnessed touching that would have even taken place in the sacristy of St. Peter's Basilica.

The Vatican City court will therefore verify the charges and hear the two priests.

This kind of trial inside the Vatican walls is extremely rare: so far, the only trial for pedophilia had concerned a former diplomat of the Holy See five years ago, but the accused had died even before either established his guilt.

Vatican justice is progressing: it is now faster with the desire to end the culture of secrecy.

Financial scandals: the

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The whole Italian press has been talking about it for three weeks, with Cardinal Angelo Becciù, 72, in the eye of the storm.

On September 24, this Sardinian was forced to resign by Pope Francis.

Angelo Becciù remains cardinal but has lost his attributions, that is to say that he will no longer be able to elect a pope in the event of a conclave.

What do we blame him for?

To have embezzled funds at the time when he was deputy of the Secretary of State, number 2 of the Curia, a key position he held until 2017. The funds in question would have benefited his family .

While he has not yet been the subject of an internal investigation, five of his relatives are being prosecuted by Vatican prosecutors for also having participated in an opaque financial transaction in the purchase of a luxury building in London.

In Italy, Cardinal Becciù's setbacks take on the appearance of a thriller.

A few days ago, the press revealed the name of Cecilia Marogna, a Sardinian - also - of 39 years, consultant in international relations and whose company based in Slovenia would have received a transfer of 500,000 euros, thanks to Bishop Becciù.

The confidence of the prelate would have been abused because this sum which was to be used for humanitarian missions ended up in expenses of luxury products.

The "cardinal's lady", as all the transalpine press calls her, was arrested this Tuesday evening in Milan by the financial police.

Pope Francis does the "housework"

The Pope wants to speed up reforms and it pays off.

Rare thing, the trial which opens this Wednesday takes place in the Vatican even before being held in front of the Italian justice.

Because the denunciations against the two priests had also been made to the public prosecutor's office in Rome, but they have not yet enabled a trial to be held.

The same for the Becciù-Marogna affair: it was the Vatican investigators who alerted Interpol, which allowed the young woman's arrest.

A speed that we did not know before.

The Pope recently enlarged the team of investigators within the Vatican justice.

Another novelty: the anti-money laundering measures within the smallest state in the world were reinforced by a decree on October 10 with the confirmation of a key position today in the Vatican, that of "promoter of justice", the equivalent of prosecutor in the French judicial system.

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