One day after his sudden, surprising dismissal by Pope Francis, Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, a powerful Vatican official, confirmed at a news conference in Rome on Friday that the pope disciplined him over allegations of corruption. But the cardinal declared that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. “My conscience tells me I am not corrupt,” Cardinal Becciu said when reporters peppered him with questions about embezzlement allegations. He said he was “a bit dazed,” and still grappling with what he described as a “surreal” situation. But he also emerged in recent years as a major character in conspiracies about alleged attempts to undercut financial reforms promoted by Cardinal George Pell, who headed the Vatican’s economic arm until he had to return to Australia to face accusations of sexual abuse.

Source: New York Times September 25, 2020 21:02 UTC