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VATICAN CITY, Jan. 14 (AP) – Pope Francis’ own role in the Holy See’s investigation of financial misconduct came into focus Friday in a Vatican courtroom as witnesses said he encouraged a prime suspect to cooperate with prosecutors and encouraged One of the lead defendants accused him of interfering with the trial.
Friday’s hearing was one of the most anticipated in the Vatican’s “trial of the century,” as it featured testimony from one of the more colorful figures in the Vatican’s recent history, Francesca Chaouqui.
The public relations expert was subpoenaed after it emerged late last year that she played a behind-the-scenes role in convincing a key suspect-turned-star witness to change his story and implicate his former boss, Cardinal Angelo Becker.
But the day-long hearing ended with an unexpected bombshell, as Becciu responded to Chaouqui’s testimony by reading aloud his correspondence with the pope, suggesting that Francis himself continued to cast a shadow, even if unintentionally, over the trial.
The trial of the city-state criminal court originated when the Holy See invested 350 million euros in a residence in London. Prosecutors have indicted 10 people, accusing Vatican bishops and brokers of extorting tens of millions of euros in fees and commissions from the Holy See and then extorting 15 million euros from the Holy See to gain full control of the property.
Monsignor Alberto Perlasca was initially one of the prime suspects, but he changed his tune in August 2020 and began cooperating with prosecutors, blaming Becciu, then the second-in-command to the secretary of state, for the London investment and other questionable spending.
When he was questioned in November, Perlasca revealed that he changed his account after getting advice through a family friend from what he believed to be a retired magistrate who had been in contact with Vatican investigators, prosecutors officials and the Pope himself worked closely.
Soon the retired magistrate was Chaouqui, widely known in Vatican circles for her role in the 2015-2016 “Vatileaks” scandal in which she was convicted of conspiring to hand over classified documents to journalists .
Chaouqui has long held a grudge against Becciu, accusing him of being behind the arrest and prosecution of her “Vatileaks.” Her meddling in the new trial, and her interest in getting Perlasca to change his story, was widely seen as an attempt to settle accounts with Becciu.
Chaouqui told the court on Friday that she directed Perlasca not to help the prosecution but to help Pope Francis understand “what was going on behind his back.”
Chaouqui testified that, through a family friend, she suggested that Perlasca record a podcast of a series of questionable transactions he knew about for the pope to hear, prompting Perlasca that he could answer. “It seemed like the best way for me to let him know about these things,” Chaouqui said, suggesting she regularly meets with the pope and provides him with a steady stream of information.
Francis and Perlasca’s parents also encouraged Perlasca to cooperate with prosecutors, family friend Genoveffa Ciferri told the court. Francis and Perlasca stayed at the same Vatican hotel and had known each other since Perlasca worked at the Vatican embassy in Argentina from 2006 to 2008.
“He was encouraged by the Pope,” Ciferri said.
Francis’ name also came up at the end of the day’s testimony, when Becciu expressed doubts about Chaouqui’s claim to have more direct access to the Pope than he did as the No. 2 secretary of state. He read aloud a letter he had written to Francis on August 19, 2022, after seeing a photo of Chaouqui that Francis had received the previous day in front of a general audience.
Becciu recalled that as early as 2017, after Vatileaks trial, Francis told Becciu “you must never mention this woman’s name again” and reiterated her ban on Vatican territory.
“Your gesture yesterday, Holy Father, broke the promise of neutrality that you declared in your trial,” Becciu wrote the pope. “By hosting her, you show your solidarity with her and indirectly support her arguments against me. In procedural terms, your actions will not be seen as coming from the Pope, but from the first judge of the Vatican’s national legal system, Therefore as an interference with the trial.”
That same day, Francis sent Bechue an apology letter in which he said he had only agreed to host her when he was asked to.
He said he had “almost forgotten” Chaouqui’s past and was unaware of her involvement in the current trial.
“If this offended and hurt you, I ask for your forgiveness and apology,” Francis wrote. “It’s my fault alone, and my habit of being ungrateful, so forgive me if I offend you.” (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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