Cleric taped call with Pope to ‘cover his back’ on nun deal

A DISGRACED Vatican cleric secretly recorded a conversation he had with Pope Francis in an attempt to cover his back just days before being put on trial for fraud and embezzlement.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu tried to coerce the Pope into vouching for him in relation to a secret deal to free a nun kidnapped in west Africa, an audio recording obtained by an Italian news agency revealed.

The agreement, which was allegedly overseen by the cardinal, entailed €575,000 (about £495,000) of Vatican money being made available to secure the release of the nun, who was being held by jihadists in Mali.

Instead of being used to liberate her it is claimed the money was squandered on handbags and holidays by Cecilia Marogna, a self-styled intelligence analyst and confidante of Cardinal Becciu.

The cleric allegedly made the telephone call in July last year, 10 days after the 85-year-old Pope had been released from hospital after undergoing colon surgery, and three days before the cardinal was due to go on trial in a Vatican court. During the five-minute recording, Francis sounds a little perplexed by the cardinal’s requests. “Did you or not give me authorisation to start the operation to free the nun?” the cardinal asked the Pope.

“For the ransom we had decided on €500,000, we said no more because it seemed immoral to give more money which would go into the pockets of the terrorists. I think I had informed you about all this. Do you remember? The magistrates accuse me of duping you, which is not true.”

The Pope said that he “vaguely” recalled the initiative but asked him to put everything in writing.

The cardinal and nine other defendants, including Ms Marogna, were put on trial in July last year. All deny a string of charges.

In a spectacular fall from grace Cardinal Becciu was forced to resign by the Pope in September 2020 amid allegations that he had mishandled the Vatican’s purchase of a former Harrods car showroom in Chelsea, west London.

The Pope stripped him of his rights as a cardinal, although he allowed him to keep the title.