London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 15, 2025

Cardinal On Trial For Misuse Of Church Funds Taped Call With Pope Francis

Cardinal On Trial For Misuse Of Church Funds Taped Call With Pope Francis

Cardinal Becciu was removed from office and stripped of his cardinal privileges amid a scandal over the Vatican's loss-making purchase of a luxury London property and misuse of Church funds.
A senior cardinal on trial for fraud secretly taped a conversation with Pope Francis where he asked the pontiff to confirm he had approved some secret financial transactions, it emerged Friday.

The existence of the recording, made in July 2021, just days before the trial of Cardinal Angelo Becciu began, emerged at a hearing on Thursday and a transcript was later published by Italian media.

Cardinal Becciu, once a close advisor to Pope Francis, was removed from office and stripped of his cardinal privileges in September 2020 amid a scandal over the Vatican's loss-making purchase of a luxury London property and misuse of Church funds.

Cardinal Becciu, together with nine other defendants, went on trial in July last year facing charges ranging from fraud to money laundering and extortion. Angelo Becciu strongly denies wrongdoing.

Among the defendants is a woman Angelo Becciu hired as a security consultant, Cecilia Marogna, accused of misspending 575,000 euros ($667,000) she received from the Vatican, allegedly earmarked for freeing captive priests and nuns abroad.

In the call with the pope on July 24, 2021 -- 10 days after Francis left hospital following colon surgery -- the cardinal asked the pontiff to confirm that he had approved a plan to release funds to free a Colombian nun held in Mali.

"Did you or not give me the authorisation to start the operations to free the nun?" Angelo Becciu asks in the call, according to the transcript published by Italian media.

"For the ransom we had fixed 500,000, we said no more because it seemed immoral to give more money... that would go into the pockets of the terrorists... I think I had informed you about all this... do you remember?"

According to the transcript, the pope said he "vaguely" remembered but asked Angelo Becciu to put his request in writing.

The call was recorded in Cardinal Becciu's apartment by one of his relatives, on a speakerphone, the court heard.

The nun, who had been taken hostage in 2017 by al-Qaeda-linked jihadists, was freed in Mali in October 2021.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
×