Becciu Trial: Pope Francis Guilty on All Counts
- Vik van Brantegem writes on Korazym.org that he experienced a "spontaneous feeling" of "profound disgust" when he heard the verdict of the president of the Vatican Tribunal, Giuseppe Pignatone, against Cardinal Becciu.
- Brantegem calls the verdict "an indelible stain on the history of the Church" that represents neither justice nor truth, an "injustice perpetrated by the Vatican court against an innocent man".
- For Brantegem the Holy See's judicial system is unreliable and dangerous.
- He recalls 1 April 2021, when Francis went to Becciu's private home to preside at the Eucharist with him. But in the light of yesterday's verdict, this alleged "testimony of esteem for a brother" appears to be imbued with a "hideous dishonesty" and can be compared to the visit of an executioner who offers the condemned man a last cigarette before execution.
- A similar incident happened on 22 August 2022 when Francis deceived Becciu by inviting him to the consistory and gave him the impression of "moral support".
- Brantgem stresses that Francis, as head of the Vatican judicial system, influenced and manipulated the process with his Rescripta.
- He quotes Fari Pad who explains how Francis proceeds: he slowly roasts his victim on the grill, occasionally offers him some drops of water to prolong the suffering, and finally gives him the coup de grace.
- Il Messaggero believes that Cardinal Becciu would refuse a proposal for a pardon from Francis because "it would mean that I am guilty, whereas I am innocent".
- Mario Becciu, the cardinal's brother, noted that the court was forced to follow Francis' lead who had already condemned Becciu in advance.
- Paolo Maninchedda writes on Sardegna e libertà that in a state of law Francis himself - who knew and approved everything - would have been accused and convicted himself, or at least Francis would have had to provide the very difficult proof that he was the injured party.
- Maninchedda writes that Francis is "cleaning house" in the Curia in his own way, often making mistakes when choosing his collaborators and then blaming his mistakes on others.
- IlSismografo writes that Francis' excesses and arbitrariness have reached intolerable dimensions, damaging the credibility and authority of the Holy See.
- Like all popes, Francis has made many mistakes during his pontificate, but the methods he uses have trapped him in very serious errors such as a lack of transparency, authoritarian opacity and a careless relationship with the truth, writes IlSismografo.
- For IlSismografo, Francis' successor must be "a man of the law", capable of looking at the world with the eyes of faith - and not the other way round.
Picture: Angelo Becciu © Mazur, CC BY-NC-ND, #newsXsqlphlbli