Giovanni Angelo Becciu

Giovanni Angelo Becciu (Italian: [dʒoˈvanni ˈandʒelo ˈbɛttʃu], Sardinian: [ˈbetʃu]; born 2 June 1948) is a Sardinian Catholic prelate and convicted felon who was prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints from 2018 until his resignation under duress in 2020. Pope Francis had made him a cardinal in 2018. On 24 September 2020, Becciu resigned the rights associated with the cardinalate while retaining the title of cardinal. In July 2021, a Vatican judge ordered Becciu and nine others to stand trial on charges of embezzlement, abuse of office and subornation. On 16 December 2023, the Vatican announced that he had been found guilty and sentenced to five years and six months imprisonment, permanent disqualification from public office, and a fine of €8,000. An archbishop since 2001, he held several appointments in the diplomatic service of the Holy See between 1984 and 2011, including those of Apostolic Nuncio to Angola and to Cuba. From 2011 to 2018 he was Substitute for General Affairs in the Secretariat of State, a key position in the Roman Curia. He was head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints from 2018 to 2020, when he resigned after being implicated in a financial corruption scandal. In 2021, he was charged with embezzlement, abuse of office and subornation in connection with an investment in London real estate. Becciu said he was innocent and "the victim of a conspiracy". Becciu's trial was the first criminal trial of a cardinal in a Vatican court. He was convicted in the Vatican in December 2023 and sentenced to 5+1⁄2 years in prison.