Profiti: Necrology for a Victim of Vatican Justice
• Profiti, a manager of hospitals and public health systems, had a reputation for efficient leadership and sound financial management.
• Benedict XVI’s secretary of state Bertone called him to Rome in 2008 to run the Vatican's Bambino Gesù hospital where he achieved impressive results.
• On Bertone's orders, Profiti diverted €500K of hospital funds to finance the renovation of Bertone’s 372-square-metre Vatican apartment with the intention of using it also for the hospital's fundraising events.
• To carry out the renovations, Bertone bypassed the Vatican's tendering system and hired a company owned by a friend.
• In 2017, the deal came under scrutiny and Profiti, not Bertone, was charged.
• Profiti was found “guilty” of “abuse of office” and given a suspended prison sentence. Bertone, the sole beneficiary of the deal, wasn’t even called to testify.
• Vatican prosecutors never disputed the investment motive for the expenses, and there was no evidence that Profiti profited from the deal.
• Bertone eventually paid back €150K which was a de facto admission of responsibility.
• Despite his “conviction”, Profiti was immediately hired as the president of a major heart centre in Italy.
• CruxNews calls Profiti, a “scapegoat”, and one Italian news outlet wrote that Profiti “had the misfortune to work for the Holy See.”
• CruxNews compares Profiti's fate with that of Cardinal Becciu, who was charged to protect Cardinal Parolin.
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