A recent official meeting between Cardinal Becciu and Pope Francis raised many eyebrows amongst Vatican observers here in Rome. In fact,  Pope Francis has met with Cardinal Becciu several times but this time, the meeting was officially announced. In an interview from 2021, the Holy Father did disclose that he liked the Cardinal as a person. It is well known that he went to Becciu’s home to celebrate mass together. Briefly after, the Cardinal had to resign from all his offices.  

At that time he was the Prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican’s department for vetting sainthood. Before that he held a high office in the Secretariat of State.  Many media outlets refer to the ongoing court case as the ‚Vatican Trial of the Century‘, also because of the Cardinal’s prominence. Never before has such a high ranking member of the Vatican leadership been put on trial for such grave matters. Cardinal Becciu is accused of embezzlement, fraud, extortion, money laundering and abuse of office.  

 At the heart of this trial is a 350  millions of dollars real estate deal around a London property. In the end, the Vatican has lost 180 million US Dollars with what at first seemed to be a sensible investment. Cardinal Becciu is one of several defendants and by far the most prominent. He has called on Pope Francis to witness in his favour. However, the court recently ruled that the Pontiff will not be summoned. Instead of Pope Francis, his chief of staff, Venezuelan Archbishop Peña Para will have to appear before court.  

This week on Thursday and Friday, there are two more court hearings scheduled. At this point we expect to learn more about the involvement of Cardinal Becciu and if Pope Francis played a role in the proceedings around the London property as well. This is what makes this trial so outstanding. Also a Pope is mentioned in it by the Defense.  

 We should not forget, however, that it was Pope Francis, who issued a motu proprio in April 2021 that also Cardinals could be charged by a court, which does not consist of only Cardinals as was the case before. We should also remember that Cardinal Becciu was invited by Pope Francis to participate in the most recent Consistory, which is the meeting of Cardinals that took place in Rome last August.   

There is a huge public interest because we might be witnessing another scandal unfolding within the Church. One of the highest-ranking Church officials ever is at the core of this trial that might even implicate Pope Francis.  

 At the same time, we should not forget that this trial bears witness to the Vatican’s and Pope Francis‘ attempt to expose financial wrong doings. This court case testifies to the fact that there is a sincere will to bring greater transparency. Though painful, it is much needed and certainly a step in the right direction.