“I have not committed any fraud or embezzlement and I shout it out loud. In a trial you have to find those responsible for those who have made unrestrained use of money. And above all those who have committed a crime. I deny having been among them, I acted on the basis of what was studied and proposed by our offices. Furthermore, the investment of the sum was authorised by my Superior, the then Cardinal Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone”. Cardinal (suspended) Giovanni Angelo Becciu speaks, former Substitute of the Secretariat of State, sentenced to 5 years and 6 months for embezzlement in the financial scandal linked to the building on Sloane Avenue, London, a real estate investment that caused over 200 million in net losses for the papal coffers. Becciu has decided to speak to the Corriere della Sera “because in the face of injustice one must not remain silent. The Bible says not to let the sun set without justice being done to the poor defrauded. It was considered a sin that cried out for vengeance in the sight of God. And for almost four years I have been defrauded of honor, of the episcopal ministry and of serenity. It is much more than a sunset.”
“Sloane Avenue? I just followed the directions.”
“For the Secretariat of State – he explains, citing the case for which he received a conviction – there was a specific office that dealt with this matter and I simply followed their instructions. Moreover, the office presented me with the investment that also included the Palace in London as being maximally advantageous for the Holy See. Where was the crime? Did I perhaps obtain a personal benefit? None! And then note that when the Secretariat of State decided to purchase the entire property of the Palace I was no longer Deputy”.
The phone call to Pope Francis
When his recording of a call to the Pope came out, he says, “I immediately ran to Pope Francis to explain myself and apologize. And he understood. I was desperate, and the desperation of the innocent accused is even more dramatic. The Pope had just left the hospital and there were alarming rumors about his health, with the trial looming. Not wanting to name him as a witness, I asked him if he could write down the things that only he and I knew: that he had authorized me to mediate for the release of a Colombian nun in Mali. He asked me to write the letter that I then sent him. But in response I received a harsh, severe one, signed by him but in a language that was not his, in which I did not recognize him. I had doubts. I called him back, because he was my only salvation. And I recorded our conversation. But I never used that recording, nor was it I who made it public.” And finally: “Unfortunately, someone told the Pope many falsehoods against me, after seven years of loyal and sincere relations. For me it remains a black hole. They had to destroy me, without a trial. They hoped I would retreat to Sardinia, without fighting. But I didn’t do it and I won’t do it. I will shout my innocence to the world with the force of truth. An inner strength that is even stronger since I was convicted.”
