Pope Francis appoints extra prosecutor to Vatican City court

September 28, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs 0 Print

Vatican City, Sep 28, 2020 / 06:30 am (CNA).- Pope Francis Monday named an Italian lawyer and professor of commercial law to work as an additional prosecutor in the Vatican City State’s court.

Gianluca Perone teaches commercial law at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. His expertise includes commercial and corporate banking and contract law.

He was named an “applied” promoter of justice — a position similar to prosecutor — of the Vatican City tribunal, a position lasting three years created by Pope Francis in a law promulgated in March.

Law CCCLI, signed by Pope Francis on March 13, reformed the judicial system of Vatican City, providing enhanced safeguards for the independence of judges and prosecutors in the city state to better address economic, financial, and criminal cases in the sovereign territory.

The law established that the pope, “in the face of specific needs,” may nominate one or more “applied promoters of justice” for a period of three years.

After Cardinal Angelo Becciu resigned from his position in the Roman Curia and from the rights of cardinals Sept. 24, multiple Vatican sources told CNA that both Vatican prosecutors and the Italian Guardia di Finanza were expected to lay criminal charges against him. 

Several of Becciu’s employees and closest collaborators have also come under investigation by Vatican prosecutors, CNA has reported, and according to Italian daily La Repubblica, an additional six people are expected to be criminally charged alongside Becciu.   

In the preamble to Law CCCLI, Pope Francis explained that the new legislation was part of an ongoing process of legal renewal to replace the original 1929 laws of Vatican City, which began with the adoption of a new fundamental law for the city state in 2000.

Francis said the changes were aimed at adapting the Vatican courts to better enforce the law, and to ensure the city state’s compliance with international commitments.

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Pope Francis sends condolences for death of Cardinal O’Brien

March 20, 2018 CNA Daily News 0

Vatican City, Mar 20, 2018 / 07:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday Pope Francis offered his condolences for the death of Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien, the disgraced former archbishop of Edinburgh, who died Monday at the age of 80 in a hospital in northern England.

The Pope’s March 20 message was addressed to Archbishop Leo Cushley, who was appointed to head the archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh in 2013 after O’Brien stepped down following his acknowledgment that he participated in inappropriate sexual conduct during his ministry.

In the brief message, Francis said he was saddened to hear of O’Brien’s death and offered his heartfelt condolences to his family and those who mourn him.

“Commending his soul to the merciful love of God our Father, and with the assurance of my prayers for the Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and consolation in our Lord Jesus Christ,” he wrote.

The funeral and burial arrangements for the cardinal are still being determined. Scottish newspaper The Herald reported March 20 that the Holy See will be a participant in the decision, as well as Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who the Pope appointed to manage the O’Brien scandal in 2013.

According to The Herald, an archdiocesan spokesperson said O’Brien’s funeral arrangements “will be decided in the days to come.”

“There will be consultation between the Holy See – the Holy Father will have an input – and Keith O’Brien’s family as to where his requiem Mass takes place and when and where he is buried.”
 
Born in Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland in 1938, O’Brien was named archbishop of St. Andrews & Edinburgh by St. John Paul II in 1985.

From 2002-2012, O’Brien served as President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. He was made a cardinal by John Paul II in 2003 and participated in the 2005 conclave that elected Benedict XVI.

He stepped down as Archbishop of St. Andrews & Edinburgh in 2013 at the age of 74 after allegations went public that he had participated in inappropriate sexual behavior with other men in the 1980s.

After the claims surfaced that February, the cardinal’s request for retirement – originally submitted to Benedict XVI in November 2012 for reasons due to age and health – was accepted immediately by Benedict, going into effect Feb. 25, 2013.

O’Brien did not participate in the March 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, and in May 2013, after speaking with the newly-elected Pope, he left Scotland for a time of prayer, penance and reflection.

Two years later, Francis accepted his resignation of the rights and privileges of cardinal – a rare circumstance which can only be approved by the pope.

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