VATICAN CITY—It has been nearly a year since proceedings in the financial scandal trial commenced within the walls of the Holy See. On Friday, May 6th, the senior-most defendant took the stand in his defense.
The Vatican police in October 2019 conducted the first of a series of raids on the offices connected to the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. The raids targeted financial organizations linked to failed investment funds and a large property in London. As media reports began to surface, additional questionable financial expenditures were discovered, including payments made to an alleged intelligence operative and entities in Australia. Pope Francis issued a series of orders making way for the first-of-its-kind trial now underway.
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