Sardinia charity linked to ousted Vatican cardinal searched

Italian police have searched the offices of a Sardinian charity and diocese as part of a Vatican investigation into a once-powerful cardinal accused of embezzling Holy See funds

ROME -- Italian police searched the offices of a Sardinian charity and diocese on Wednesday on behalf of Vatican prosecutors who are investigating a once-powerful cardinal on alleged embezzlement charges. Lawyers for Cardinal Angelo Becciu said in a statement that any and all documentation seized would only serve to “confirm the absolute correctness of the behavior” of Becciu, the charity and the diocese of Ozieri. Pope Francis sacked Becciu as head of the Vatican’s saint-making office and stripped him of his rights and privileges as a cardinal in September, amid a crackdown on financial mismanagement and corruption in the Holy See. Becciu told reporters that the pope had cited documentation the Vatican had received from Italy’s financial police indicating Becciu had embezzled some 100,000 euros ($122,000) in Holy See funds by donating the money to a charity run by his brother.