Why Cardinal Pell Is Vindicated by Cardinal Becciu’s Firing

National Catholic Register, 29 September 2020

As Cardinal Pell arrives in Rome this week after three years in Australia, a look at the counterpoint between the cardinal’s return and Cardinal Becciu’s fall.

An important, but not the primary, consequence of the stunning sacking of Cardinal Angelo Becciu is that it completes on the Vatican side what was accomplished by the Australian High Court in April, namely the complete vindication of Cardinal George Pell.

As Cardinal Pell arrives in Rome this week after three years in Australia, the counterpoint between the cardinal’s return and Cardinal Becciu’s fall is worthy of a novel.

“The Holy Father was elected to clean up Vatican finances … and is to be thanked and congratulated on recent developments,” Cardinal Pell stated in reference to his brother cardinal’s dismissal. “I hope the cleaning of the stables continues in both the Vatican and Victoria [Australia].”

While the firing of a Curial cardinal itself is unprecedented, it may also be the first time another cardinal has congratulated the Holy Father on doing so. But it’s perhaps not surprising, as Cardinal Becciu himself acknowledged that Cardinal Pell viewed him as corrupt, despite his protestations otherwise.

No reason was officially given for the “resignation,” but Cardinal Becciu himself confirmed that he was asked to step down, while maintaining his innocence. Most reporting on the dismissal links it to Cardinal Becciu’s involvement in dubious property dealings when he was even more powerful than he recently was, serving as sostituto (chief deputy) in the Secretariat of State from 2011 to 2018. In that capacity he was involved in a failed London property deal that has become an international cause celebre for Vatican financial mismanagement, and there are allegations that in other dealing he diverted papal charitable funds to investments controlled by his family members. 

However, Cardinal Becciu claims that he was fired — rather summarily, in fact — by Pope Francis over another matter, a transfer of Vatican charitable funds (100,000 euros) to a Catholic charity run by his brother. Cardinal Becciu maintains that all was above board and welcomes the investigation.

But Cardinal Becciu was not only sacked from his Curial post. Pope Francis also relieved him of the “rights associated with the Cardinalate,” meaning that he will not vote in a future conclave and may indeed disappear from public ministry. That almost certainly means that a crime — canonical or civil or both — was committed, though neither the Vatican nor Cardinal Becciu have indicated as such. Nor has any charge been made. 

The removal of his cardinalatial rights may relate to a future prosecution. A cardinal is entitled only to be judged by the pope alone. That’s why, for example, the Archdiocese of New York had to be specifically authorized by Pope Francis to investigate former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Without his cardinalatial rights, Cardinal Becciu will be able to face any possible charges by Vatican magistrates in the normal fashion.

The congratulatory statement from Cardinal Pell — itself highly unusual — indicates the background to this dramatic development. 

Continue reading at the National Catholic Register.