Vatican Cardinal Resigns

High-ranking Vatican official Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu has unexpectedly resigned but has revealed he was told to do so by Pope Francis.

He said he was suspected of giving Church money to his brothers, and denied any wrongdoing.

Cardinal Becciu was a close aide to the Pope and previously had a key job in the Vatican's Secretariat of State.

He became involved in a controversial deal to invest in a luxury London building with Church funds.

That investment has since been the subject of a financial investigation.
Resignations at this level of the Vatican are extremely rare and the Holy See said little in its communique released late on Thursday.

"The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the office of Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and from the rights connected to the Cardinalate, presented by His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu," a statement said.

But the cardinal, 72, told Italian website Domani he was being forced out because he was suspected of giving Church money to his brothers. "I didn't steal even one euro. I am not under investigation but if they send me to trial, I will defend myself," he was quoted as saying.

Speaking later at a news conference, the cardinal said his removal had come "like a bolt out of the blue". He said the Pope "was suffering" when he delivered the news.

"It's all surreal. Up until yesterday... I felt I was a friend of the Pope, the faithful executor of the Pope.

"Then the Pope told me that he no longer had faith in me because he got a report from magistrates that I committed an act of misappropriation."

Cardinal Becciu insisted there had been "a misunderstanding", adding: "I am ready to explain everything to the Pope. I have not done anything wrong."

It would appear that Catholic Cardinals are no different than ordinary men when it comes to POWER...  GREED...  POSITION...  even though the rest of us make the assumption that MEN OF GOD would not do the same things that ORDINARY MEN do...  and, we would be wrong in that assumption.  Cardinals are no closer to GOD than we are...