Monsignor Alberto Perlasca
"Gave incomplete or partial information"
"Gave incomplete or partial information"
Just when you thought the Vatican financial scandals couldn't get any murkier, we have news that someone is sending Pope Francis death threats, presumably to try to intimidate him into dropping the charges against former cardinal, Angelo Becciu and his shady cronies in the dodgy London property deal and money-laundering operation. Meanwhile the Vatican is degenerating into mutual back-stabbing and finger-pointing.
Readers may recall how Becciu was summarily sacked and stripped of his rank as cardinal last September. He had been replaced by Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, as sostituto (effectively, Pope Francis' Chief of Staff), in 2018.
The Mafioso-style death threat, in the form of an envelope containing three 9mm bullets and a letter referring to Vatican financial mismanagement, addressed to "Pope Francis — Vatican City — St. Peter’s Square in Rome", was sent from France. According to this report, Vatican police believe they know the person who sent it.
It’s a mechanism that puts the superior under pressure, pushing him to act quickly and outlining catastrophic scenarios.
In my daily meetings with Monsignor Perlasca, when I asked for explanations, he would give me incomplete or partial information that were limited to an effort to justify the operations that were taking place.
The stakes are enormous as the trial of the 10 accused, including Becciu, involves the alleged misappopriation of $400 million of Vatican funds, much of it from the slush fund known as Peter's Pence - intended by donors to be used for charitable purposes, and nominally at the Pope's disposal but in practice, administered by his Secretary of State. The scandal involves outright corruption including fraud and embezzlement, facilitated by chaotic financial management and the naked greed of those charged with managing the finances.In my daily meetings with Monsignor Perlasca, when I asked for explanations, he would give me incomplete or partial information that were limited to an effort to justify the operations that were taking place.
Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, sostituto
Peter's Pence was one of a number of such slush funds uncovered by Cardinal Pell when he was put in charge of sorting out the Vatican's finances. He discovered that there were multiple secret accounts under the personal control of heads of departments, for which there were no accounts. At the time, the Vatican was pleading poverty and claiming to be nearing bankruptcy. Pell made some powerful enemies when he transferred these secret accounts to the Vatican and tried to regularise the accounting methods, some of which measures were immediately reversed by Becciu as soon as Pell was returned to Australia to face the child abuse charges for which he was convicted, then later cleared on a technicality by Australia's highest court.
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Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, sostituto
Pointing the finger at Monsignor Alberto Perlasca
Pointing the finger at Monsignor Alberto Perlasca
Readers may remember how Torzi, who had been arrested in London with a view to returning him to Rome to face fraud charges, under an extradition treaty with the Vatican City, was released by Judge Tony Baumgartner at Southwark Crown Court, London, who cited the court filings from the Vatican Promoter of Justice that he said were "riddled with non-disclosures and misrepresentations", as the grounds for Torzi's release. In other words, the Vatican's Promoter of Justice had born false witness to the UK court and so had blown its attempt to have Torzi extradited to face justice in the Vatican!
In his memorandum, Archbishop Para claims that he was rushed into signing the two contracts under the pretext that "there was no alternative", that it was "just a formality" and there was a "risk of losing a lot of money" if he did not sign there and then. He points the finger of blame at Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, head of the Vatican administrative office, whom he claims used this 'modus operandi' [sic] to orchestrate the signing of these contracts, and Becciu's former personal secretary, Fabrizio Tirabassi. Tirabassi is one of the ten facing charges. Para also accuses Perlasca of obstructing him by remaining silent when asked probing questions or promising, but never delivering, answers later.
Archbishop Para also alleges that Perlasca was present when the two contracts were drawn up at a meeting on November 22, 2018 and signed the contracts himself, before seeking the approval of the Secretary of State or the Pope.
Clearly, Pope Francis, like his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, is presiding over a hopelessly corrupt and mismanaged back-stabbing Curia, comprised of individuals with an eye on the main chance and no compunction but to help themselves whenever the chance arises, and each manoeuvring to remain teflon-coated and in a position to finger someone else for their greed and self-aggrandizement. A stinking cesspit of corruption that will get far worse as Francis ages and begins to lose what little grip he has, just as Pope John-Paul II did.
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