Australian Cardinal George Pell has accused Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu of providing "incomplete" information during his testimony and thwarting transparency efforts.

In a May 6 statement, Pell accused Becciu of using his previous role as a top papal aide to block audits of the Vatican Secretariat of State's finances and to intimidate, bully and fire the auditors themselves.

Becciu, along with nine others, is currently on trial for alleged financial crimes centred on a real estate deal in London that lost the Vatican around $200 million.

Becciu served as the sostituto of the Vatican Secretariat of State from 2011-2018. This placed him as a top papal aide, akin to a chief of staff. He oversaw the London deal at its inception and is accused of embezzlement and abuse of office.

Becciu denied the charges against him, insisting: "All of the accusations are totally unfounded."

Cardinal Pell, 80, served until 2017 as head of the Vatican Secretariat of the Economy, created in 2014 at the beginning of Pope Francis's financial reform. At that point, he took leave of his role to respond to allegations of historical sexual abuse of a minor in Australia.

After a hung jury in 2018, Pell was found guilty in a retrial four months later. But, in 2020, he was acquitted on appeal by Australia's High Court, having served a year in jail.

Pell, in his letter, said Becciu, in his testimony, "gave a spirited defence of his blameless subordinate role in the Vatican finances," but that the information provided was "incomplete."

Becciu "did not explain the Secretariat of State's rejection of the papally approved supervisory role of the new Council and Secretariat for the Economy" during his tenure as sostituto, Pell said.

Pell also pointed to the firing of auditing firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and the ousting of the Vatican's General Auditor, Libero Milone, as two unexplained actions for which Becciu was responsible.

The rivalry between Pell and Becciu dates back to nearly the beginning of Pope Francis's papacy, when Pell was personally tapped by the pope to lead the Vatican's financial reform.

Pell has often voiced public suspicion that Becciu had a hand in the sexual allegations against him. He has suggested that money transfers from the Vatican to Australia made on Becciu's watch were used as a payout to worsen his own legal trouble.

Becciu has denied using the money to influence Pell's legal proceedings. Instead, he argued the payments were made to the Australian branch of Neustar, a technology company providing internet information and analytics.

However, Pell wrote that while some of the payments are explained by contractual obligations and routine management, questions remain.

He specifically highlighted four payments made between 2017 and 2018, amounting to the $1.6 million authorised by Becciu, asking "What was the purpose? Where did the money go after Neustar?"

In several interviews, Cardinal Pell had publicly asked Becciu to end the media speculation about the payments. Becciu has refused to do so, calling Pell's questions "offensive to [his] personal dignity" and insisting that the subject was "high, demanding, and certainly confidential."

"Doubts, of course, are removed by facts, by evidence, not assertions," Cardinal Pell said. "Let us see. Truth is the daughter of time," he concluded.

Sources

Crux Now

The Australian

CathNews New Zealand

The anti-corruption agency statement contradicts Italian media speculation that the money might be linked to the overturned convictions of Cardinal George Pell for child sex abuse.

Last month, several Italian newspapers reported unsubstantiated claims that Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu was suspected of wiring €700,000 to Australian banks in 2018.

This money was supposedly used to help secure evidence against Cardinal Pell in his sexual abuse trial.

Federal financial crimes regulator AUSTRAC confirmed it had provided information to both the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Victoria Police.

The AFP said it referred some of the financial intelligence onto Victoria's Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC).

But in a statement on Nov 11, IBAC said there was not enough substance to warrant an investigation.

"IBAC confirms it received information based on media reports which alleged Vatican funds were transferred to individuals in support of the recent case against George Pell," the commission said.

"IBAC has reviewed the information and found the threshold to commence inquiries or an investigation was not met.

"This matter would only be further considered if any additional, credible information is received," the commission said in a statement.

Pell was brought in by Pope Francis to bring accountability and transparency to the Vatican's opaque finances in 2014. Becciu and Pell were known to have clashed over Pell's financial clean-up efforts at the Holy See.

The Italian newspaper speculated that Becciu might have "bought" the testimony of Pell's accuser to get Pell out of the Vatican.

Pell's accuser, who cannot be identified, has denied the allegation.

Becciu was subsequently dismissed over allegations that he wired 100,000 euros in Vatican funds to a charity headed by his brother.

He has denied wrongdoing over those funds and has repeatedly denied involvement in Pell's conviction.

In 2019 Pell was convicted of sexual offences and sentenced to six years imprisonment. The charges were overturned by the High Court of Australia in 2020 and Pell was freed from prison in April.

Sources

ABC News

ABC Net

Archbishop Giovanni Becciu has a longtime custom of inviting priests to join him for lunch on Holy Thursday — a custom that predates his 2011 appointment as deputy secretary of state responsible for the internal affairs of the Roman Curia.

When Pope Francis heard about the meal with the priests, most of whom work with the poor, he said he wanted to attend.

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