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Angelo Becciu Vandeville Eric/ABACA via PA Images

Vatican announces surprise resignation of top cardinal Angelo Becciu

The 72-year-old was named as a cardinal in summer 2018.

ONE OF THE most influential Vatican cardinals, Angelo Becciu from Italy, has resigned his position unexpectedly, the Holy See announced without explanation.

“The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the office of Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and from the rights connected to the Cardinalate, presented by His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu,” a one-line statement last night said.

After a career as a Vatican emissary, Becciu has worked for the last six years as the Substitute for General Affairs, a role akin as chief of staff which means he sees Pope Francis daily and is one of his most trusted aides.

The 72-year-old was named as a cardinal in summer 2018 and has also had responsibility for the department that oversees beatifications and sainthoods.

His surprise resignation could be a sanction.

He has been linked in the past to an investigation underway within the Vatican over the last year into a property development in the exclusive Chelsea area of London which was paid for with offshore funds and companies.

The process to invest in the scheme to build luxury apartments began in 2014 when Becciu was in the Vatican secretariat, the central bureaucracy of the Holy See.

The Vatican’s police force raided the offices of the secretariat last year to seize financial documents and computers, while five members of staff were suspended.

Becciu defended the purchase at the beginning of the year during an interview.

© – AFP 2020

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    Mute David Fenton
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    Jan 29th 2014, 4:29 PM

    John Henry Pepper wasn’t a magician, as you state in your article, he was a scientist and inventor. Though he did charge the public to see his ‘ghost’ while the illusion was on permanent display at the Royal Polytechnic in London.

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    Mute Trudy Taaffe
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    Jan 29th 2014, 2:25 PM

    Thats pretty cool but surprised the Turkish government has done this considering the economy is in the doldrums and this projection is expensive.

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Jan 29th 2014, 2:30 PM

    Probably worried about his safety.

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    Mute Pinel G
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    Jan 29th 2014, 3:20 PM

    Newsflash this is not a hologram, it’s a fancy reflection technique called “Pepper’s Ghost”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography#Things_often_confused_with_holograms

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    Mute Stephen McMahon
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    Jan 29th 2014, 3:42 PM

    That’s exactly what it says in the article. Doh

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    Mute Pinel G
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    Jan 30th 2014, 10:29 AM

    Well Doh… i didn’t ready the article before posting, already knew it wasn’t a hologram!

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    Mute Malcolm Fairbrother
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    Jan 29th 2014, 5:50 PM

    Jaysus, Marty Whelan has let himself go.

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    Mute random
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    Jan 30th 2014, 12:10 AM

    They should have gone to fiverr.com, they could have gotten that Tupac thing done cheap as chips.

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    Mute Francis Joseph Malone
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    Jan 30th 2014, 3:59 AM

    If it is good enough for smoke dogg. Its good enough fir me

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