Rome, 18 November, 2023 / 12:30 pm (ACI Africa).
After almost two and a half years, the Vatican’s “trial of the century,” in which the disgraced Cardinal Angelo Becciu is a defendant, is winding down.
The Vatican court’s president, Giuseppe Pignatone, has asked defense lawyers to keep their statements to a tight schedule over the next few weeks so that he and the other judges can return a verdict by or around Dec. 16.
If found guilty of any or all of the charges, the 10 defendants will likely lodge appeals, so it may not be the final word in a trial that has seen a cardinal tried by lay judges for the first time.
But the decision, which comes after numerous complaints from defense lawyers about how the yearslong investigation and trial were conducted, could be a key indication of the future direction — and efficacy — of the Vatican’s justice system.
