The Vatican Court has appointed an expert in commercial law to reinforce the work of its two other prosecutors.
His name is Gianluca Perone, and he's a professor at a university in Rome.
The appointment comes just days after the pope asked Card. Angelo Becciu to resign from his rights and duties as cardinal.
Most likely, the new prosecutor is trying to clarify the incident regarding the use of funds from the Secretariat of State. The Vatican has been questioning six employees for months, including Card. Becciu's former secretary.
There are still no defendants in this case. Nor has the Vatican said whether the cardinal is being investigated, and thus underlines the presumption of innocence.
However, precisely this year, when the pope opened the judicial year, he asked the court to deal with “suspicious financial situations that, apart from their possible illegality, are not reconciled with the nature and purpose of the Church and that have caused confusion and restlessness among the faithful.”
It's a clue of where this story could go.
Javier Martínez-Brocal
Translation: CT
