The condemned Becciu between Osservatore Romano and Avvenire
How L'Osservatore Romano and Avvenire broke the news of Cardinal Becciu's conviction
To us, poor and hardened guarantors – fortunately escaped from the clutches of Pier Carmillo Davigo when he was still serving in the Italian judiciary and belittled the few acquittals he decided, or to which he contributed, practically insulting the interested parties who had simply or damnedly gotten away with it – all that remains now is to ask for political asylum beyond the Walls, in the Vatican City. It is useless for us to wait any longer for the guarantee-type justice reforms promised to us for a long time, not even that of the Keeper of the Seals Carlo Nordio who ended up – I believe, without his knowledge or surprise – in a government and in a majority with variable priorities. The so-called premiership, although contested, has surpassed, for example, the separation of careers between prosecutors and judges in the speed of parliamentary progress.
DOES THE ROMAN OBSERVER NOT SEE BECCIU'S CONVICTION?
Beyond the Walls it can happen, as we have just seen, that a cardinal is sentenced for the first time in history by the court of His Holiness for embezzlement and fraud to 5 and a half years in prison and perpetual disqualification from holding public office without ending up on the first page of the only daily newspaper printed in the Vatican, the legendary Osservatore Romano . Where he can perhaps count on seeing the news of the appellate remedial sentence published instead, of which his defense lawyers, friends and admirers are convinced. Who in the meantime will be able to continue to call him by his double name of Giovanni Angelo Becciu. That Angel, good God, can't erase him from the registry, I'm not talking about Giuseppe Pignatone, the former head of the Rome Prosecutor's Office who presides over the tribunal of the Holy, or rather Most Holy, See, but not even the Pope himself. Who can change his name when elected by the cardinals with the help of the Holy Spirit, but not that of others.
THE CHOICE TO HAPPEN
However, the secular and external Avvenire , the daily newspaper of the Italian Episcopal Conference, i.e. of the bishops, did not consider adhering to the most holy guaranteeism, or to the most holy discretion of the Osservatore Romano. Which, while mercifully not making it the opening headline, dedicated instead to the "prisoners of war" in Gaza, without however forgetting those in Ukraine, placed the news of the "over five years" imposed on Cardinal Becciu and of the 37 distributed among the other eight convicted defendants, only one having been acquitted, who was also already secretary of the Eminence.
The pleasantly Sardinian cardinal – I am sure – will also pray for my colleagues at Avvenire so that they do not forget to reserve equal space for the possible, hopefully for him, sentence of acquittal in an appeal process which is hopefully simpler and quicker than that of first degree. Which required 86 hearings, almost like an Italian court.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/condanna-becciu-avvenire-osservatore-romano/ on Sun, 17 Dec 2023 07:31:24 +0000.