Vatican Declares Mistrial in Becciu Financial Case

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican appeals tribunal declared a mistrial on Tuesday in the high-profile financial misconduct case against Cardinal Angelo Becciu and eight other defendants, citing procedural errors by prosecutors and unpublished decrees from the late Pope Francis that undermined the original indictment. The court ordered a new trial to begin on June 22, marking a significant reversal for the Vatican's efforts to address internal financial irregularities.

The ruling, detailed in a 16-page document, found that prosecutors failed to provide the full case files to the defense, including unredacted documents, cellphone records from a key witness and relevant text messages. Officials had justified the redactions as necessary to safeguard ongoing investigations. Additionally, the court invalidated one of Francis's four secret decrees, which expanded prosecutors' investigative powers without requiring oversight from a preliminary judge. The tribunal determined that the decree functioned as a law but lacked legal effect because it was never published, leaving defendants unaware of it until shortly before the original trial started in 2021.

Becciu, a former high-ranking official in...