In the midst of the scandal the powerful Vatican cardinal Besiu resigned

ROME (AP) – Cardinal Angelo Pescio, the powerful head of the Vatican’s Office of Monastic Production, abruptly resigned from his post on Thursday and relinquished his rights as a cardinal amid a financial fraud.

The Vatican did not provide details on why Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Pescio in a statement late Thursday. In a statement, Holy See said Francis accepted Becky’s resignation as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Saints, adding that “his rights are linked to the cardinal.”

PC, a former No. 2 in the Vatican’s secretariat, is said to be embroiled in a financial scandal involving the Vatican’s investment in the London real estate deal, which has cost Holy See millions of euros in fees paid to intermediaries.

Vatican attorney has questioned a number of Vatican officials and mediators, but not the PCU. Becky defended the excellent nature of the original investment and denied any wrongdoing, and it is unclear whether the scandal was behind his resignation or prompted a separate investigation.

But the belated news of his resignation, the intensity with which he apparently allowed it, the tight release of the Vatican and the unexpected fall of one of the most powerful Vatican officials suggested a shocking new chapter in this scandal that provoked the Vatican last year.

The rights of a cardinal were finally revoked when American Theodore McGregor relinquished his rights and privileges as a cardinal in July 2018 in the midst of a sexual abuse investigation. He was then completely fired by Francis last year for sexually abusing adults and children.

Before him, the late Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien relinquished his rights and privileges of becoming a cardinal in 2015 after being accused of sexually abusing unidentified priests. However, O’Brien was allowed to retain the title of Cardinal, and he died a member of the College of Cardinals, an elite group of church staff who chose a pope.

In the Vatican statement, he identified Holy See Becky as “his famous cardinal Angelo Pescio”, making it clear that he was a cardinal but had no rights.

At the age of 72, Besiu was able to attend a future conference to select Francis’ successor. Cardinals over the age of 80 cannot vote. But by relinquishing his rights as a cardinal, Peggy relinquished his rights to participate.

From 2011-2018, Francis transferred him to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a cardinal, and from 2011-2018 Becky was a senior deputy in the “alternative” or state secretariat. He was named after Pope Benedict XVI and was entrusted mainly to run the bureaucracy of Curia or the Vatican, which gave him great influence and power.

Financial problems since 2014 when the Vatican embarked on a real estate venture by investing $ 200 million in funds run by an Italian businessman. The deal was awarded to Holy See, 45% of the luxury building at 60 Sloan Away in the Chelsea neighborhood of London.

The money came from the Secretariat of the State Property Department, which uses donations from Catholics around the world to pay for Pope’s charity and the Vatican.

Holy See decided in November 2018 to leave the Bequie State Secretariat, get out of the fund, end the relationship with the businessman and buy the rest of the building. It did so after the heir of the PEC decided that the mortgage was too severe and that the businessman was losing funds to the Vatican in some other investment.

However, the purchase deal cost Holy See several million euros more and sparked a Vatican inquiry, which has so far attracted half a dozen Vatican employees.

Besiu insisted that he was not in power during the 2018 purchase agreement and would always act in the sole interests of Holy See. In the Vatican attorney’s initial warrant, PCU was not named, and it is unclear whether his role in managing the state’s vast property department secretariat was linked to the resignation.

His former boss, Foreign Secretary Pietro Parolin, has said the whole thing is “opaque” and needs to be clarified. Francis, for his part, has vowed to get to the bottom of what he says is evidence of corruption in the Holy See.

In the role of head of the canonical preparation office he meets regularly with Francis Pequeau in the role of Italian because every month or two he presents lists of candidates for the possibilities or nominations that Francis can approve.

In addition, since Francis began his bona fide, he has had an annual luncheon at the residence of Bessie with 10 priests going up to Easter on Holy Week Thursday. On the day of the celebration of the institution of ecclesiastical priesthood, the Vatican has always said that it is an opportunity to chat informally with Pope Peggy and his diocesan priests.

Lunch did not take place this year amid the Vatican’s corona virus lockout.