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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 a
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:26 AM

    Just move him to another parish

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    Mute frank griffin
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    Sep 25th 2020, 5:07 PM

    @a: more corrupt than the mafia

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    Mute Dermot N Killian
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    Sep 26th 2020, 2:21 AM

    @a: you mean bank in his case.

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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Sep 27th 2020, 12:17 AM

    @frank griffin: Who do you think the Mafia modelled themselves upon?

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:26 AM

    Keep putting money on the plate, and stop asking questions.

    158
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    Mute Will
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:38 AM

    @John Mulligan: sounds like the EU lol

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    Mute Woolly
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:26 AM

    It would be nice to think that investment was made so the profits could be shared amongst the poor and needy but this is big business religion so unlikely that was the motive

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Sep 25th 2020, 11:08 AM

    @Woolly: yet the poor do without in order to contribute o the church collection

    Farcical

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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Sep 25th 2020, 11:09 AM

    @Woolly: His money and their money must have got mixed up.??

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Sep 25th 2020, 11:09 AM

    @Woolly: and yet the poor do without to contribute to the church collections.

    Farcical

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    Mute PΛÐÐY ЯOOПΣY
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    Sep 25th 2020, 2:03 PM

    @Woolly: Holy Sticky Tape Dispensers make more then just chump change.

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    Mute Seán Dillon
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:49 AM

    “THAT MONEY WAS JUST RESTING IN MY ACCOUNT!!!!!”

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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Sep 27th 2020, 12:18 AM

    @Seán Dillon: WHAT?

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    Mute LangerDan
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:45 AM

    On the first plane to Vegas I reckon. Making up for a life of celibacy.

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:54 AM

    And joining Elvis in the wedding chapel.

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    Mute Snippy
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    Sep 25th 2020, 7:35 PM

    @LangerDan: Celibacy?!!! Hes probably seen more action than Rambo….

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    Mute ÓDuibhír Abú
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:28 AM

    “ The Treasures gained by wickedness will be of no benefit”…

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    Mute Davis Payne
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:35 AM

    @ÓDuibhír Abú: they don’t really believe that auld stuff.

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    Mute Micheál
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    Sep 25th 2020, 11:16 AM

    You can’t run The Church on Hail Marys
    - Archbishop Marcinkus

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    Mute ÓDuibhír Abú
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    Sep 25th 2020, 12:16 PM

    @Micheál: They will have to charge more for; ‘Rosary Beads’!

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    Mute biggybald
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    Sep 25th 2020, 11:07 AM

    No surprise there, the Vatican has always and will always be corrupt.

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    Mute Alex Marquis
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    Sep 25th 2020, 11:49 AM

    Dougal: How’s the son? Ted: He means the son of God, don’t you Dougal?

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    Mute Mary Morrisey
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    Sep 25th 2020, 12:12 PM

    @Alex Marquis: Dougal: Shall we say a mass, Ted? I love a good mass.

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    Mute Giddy
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    Sep 25th 2020, 1:51 PM

    @Mary Morrisey: Dougle wouldn’t say that.

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    Mute Patrick Barrett
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    Sep 25th 2020, 12:55 PM

    One of the Most corrupt organizational in the world, been around a long time.

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    Mute Paul
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    Sep 25th 2020, 11:31 AM

    That church roof in Chelsea must have cost more than expected

    23
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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Sep 25th 2020, 12:03 PM

    Procedures at the Department overseeing Sainthoods and beatifications may need an overhaul.

    Output has been lax lately. We need many more patron saints for all the quare things currently happening in the world .

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    Mute Davis Payne
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    Sep 25th 2020, 10:34 AM

    Yay!

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    Mute David O Brien
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    Sep 25th 2020, 2:18 PM

    The money was just resting in his account

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    Mute Philip Kelly
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    Sep 26th 2020, 12:32 AM

    When you read things like that you just walk away, the Catholic Church has lost its way and in terminal illness, as Catholics around the world have lost faith in them and their actions,
    They need to read about christ and the money lenders in the synagogue as he drove them out,
    I am a Christian i believe in the 10 commandments, I believe in God I believe in equality and social justice for all, which is the basis off the Christian faith, but not the man made church off the Holy see, as they plundered the world and Ireland in particular that is why the churches are almost empty on a Sunday, so jesus is my priest, and my guiding light and I have always tried to live by his teaching and words

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    Mute ÓDuibhír Abú
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    Sep 26th 2020, 11:21 AM

    @Philip Kelly: 10 commandments are a Guide, one of them could not be kept.. So Jesus gave ; “A New Commandment”, at ( John 13:34,35,) this; “New commandment “ by keeping it, you would therefore keep all the others. Hope this helpful.

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    Mute Shay Leonard
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    Sep 25th 2020, 9:00 PM

    Trump is going to name his successor soon.

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    Mute Wolfgang Hanratty
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    Sep 25th 2020, 1:36 PM

    One of the best cardinals of all time imho!

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    Mute ÓDuibhír Abú
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    Sep 26th 2020, 11:10 AM

    @Wolfgang Hanratty: He directed Hundreds of Thousands Of Euros Of the Vatican, and the Italian Church Funds to a Charity controlled by his Brother, but he Denies he did anything wrong. Where would ya be going.”!

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    Mute Chewey Bacca
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    Sep 25th 2020, 2:31 PM

    Sir John Brannox will get this gig

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