Vatican cardinal pushes back after pope fires him in scandal

A powerful Vatican cardinal who was sacked by Pope Francis in an astonishing twist to Vatican's latest financial scandal pushed back Friday against allegations he embezzled Holy See money and denied he did anything wrong. Cardinal Angelo Becciu presided over an extraordinary news conference a day after Francis fired him and yanked his rights and privileges as a cardinal. 72-year-old Becciu, a onetime papal contender, said his downfall was “surreal,” but that he had a clear conscience, remained loyal to Francis and was ready to die for him.

Becciu said Francis had asked him to step down as prefect of Vatican’s saint-making office during a “troubled” 20-minute meeting Thursday evening in which pope said he “ longer had confidence in me.”

Becciu had gone to pope’s residence for a previously scheduled meeting to go over possible sainthood candidates when pope told him that documents from Italian financial police alleged he had embezzled 100,000 euros of Holy See money and sent it to a charitable fund run by his bror.

cardinal's name had previously been caught up in a whirlwind financial scandal involving Holy See's investment in a London real estate venture. But Becciu said London investment didn't even come up Thursday; instead, he said issue that forced his removal was allegation of embezzlement, which was first reported by L'Espresso news magazine Friday.

Becciu, former . 2 in Vatican’s secretariat of state, admitted he sent money from office's asset fund in 2017 to his home diocese in Ozieri, Sardinia, for its charitable work. Becciu’s bror, Toni Becciu, is legal representative of diocese's operational charitable arm, Spes Cooperative.

But bishop of Ozieri, Corrado Melis, issued a statement Friday saying money was never used and remains in diocesan coffers for a future project. And Becciu family said in its own statement that Spes never saw a dime of money.

Becciu said such donations were fully in line with directives that secretariat of state’s off--books fund be destined toward charity, and that it was only time in his seven years that he had approved a donation for his native Sardinia.

“Certainly, one could say it would have been better if I hadn't given it. But I wanted to help diocese, t my bror, and that 100,000 euros was for diocese."

Becciu said he also recommended Italian bishops’ conference donate 300,000 euros to same charitable fund years earlier to help set it up, but insisted that too was legitimate because it was conference’s decision to do so. cooperative is a n-profit that runs a bakery and some vineyards that Becciu said employs around 60 young people who orwise wouldn't have jobs.

“I don’t think I’ve committed any crime,” Becciu said during news conference, sitting in front of a giant silver crucifix in a religious institute just off St. Peter's Square. Becciu, long considered a possible papal contender himself, said in giving up his rights as a cardinal he obviously could t vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. But he ackwledged that he can w also be judged by ors, including Vatican magistrates, and t just pope since he longer had a cardinal's privileges.

“If y want me to clarify, I’ll clarify,” Becciu said of Vatican prosecutors. “I’m a citizen like everyone else, and if y call me, I’m ready."

In its report, L'Espresso also reported or allegations of conflicts of interest involving Becciu and his brors: That when he was ambassador to Angola and Cuba, his bror did carpentry work for Vatican's embassies, and that he also promoted ar bror's beer business.

Becciu denied having anything to do with beer business. But his response was also an indication of a general acceptance in Italian-dominated Holy See of favors and displays of nepotism that are anama to many Anglo-Saxon corporate cultures, where even appearance of such conflicts are forbidden.

Becciu admitted he gave work to his carpenter bror when he was revating embassies, but justified it saying Vatican secretariat of state had approved work and that in Cuba at least, it was impossible to obtain building materials locally.

“What was I supposed to do, go around Italy calling up carpenters to avoid let's say a conflict of interest?" he asked.

Becciu was long kwn to have clashed with Francis' first ecomic czar, Cardinal George Pell, who was brought in to reform Vatican's opaque finances and impose international accounting standards across Curia, or bureaucracy.

Pell greatly irritated Vatican's old guard, Becciu included, and he issued a statement Friday congratulating Francis for finally taking action.

“He plays a long game and is to be thanked and congratulated on recent developments," Pell said in statement. “I hope cleaning of stables continues in both Vatican and Victoria."

Asked about Pell's statement, Becciu readily admitted two had professional differences. He recalled that he lost his temper when Pell accused him once in a meeting of being “dishonest."

But Becciu said when Pell left Vatican to face trial in his native Australia for historic sexual abuse charges for which he was eventually absolved, Becciu sent him a handwritten te expressing his solidarity and assurances of his incence.

“If he still considers me corrupt, re's thing I can do," Becciu said. “My conscience tells me I'm t corrupt." Despite his bitterness, Becciu said he remained loyal to pope and pledged again his obedience even to point of death. “I promised him loyalty until end, and when I became a cardinal I promised I'd give my life for church and pope," he said. “I will never betray him."