Last month, Italian prosecutors moved to indict Bishop Corrado Melis and Antonio “Tonino” Becciu for embezzlement. While Becciu is not a catholic official, his brother, a cardinal, was convicted of financial crimes last year. The suspects allegedly siphoned off money from an Italian program that allows taxpayers to donate a portion of their income tax return to religious organizations. The pair will be tried in April along with several other defendants.
The scandal concerns Italy’s “8 per mille” fund. This elective program allows taxpayers to allocate .8% of their income tax return to a church or charity group. Prosecutors allege the scam cost the government 2 million euros. In response to the charges, Bishop Melis said this was “one of the most painful and delicate pages in the history of our diocesan Church.”
“These are days of trial, of questions, of pain for those who love this community and have dedicated their lives to it,” he wrote in an open letter. “As with Jesus, my prayer does not doubt God’s love,” he added. “On that night of Gethsemane, indeed, in the great solitude of that night, the only certain thing about Jesus is the love of the Father: ‘Father, if this cup cannot pass from me without my drinking, your will be done.’”
Commentators were quick to pounce on the Bishop for his dramatics.” I would just like to take a moment to recognize that Bishop Melis just compared this situation [being indicted of a blatant financial crime] to our Lord and Savior’s Passion,” one reader said. Another humorously reacted, ” I blinked out loud at that one. It seems like a poor time to be adding more millstones.”
Defending himself, he said, “As a citizen and a man of faith, I cannot keep quiet about the pain of injustice, made even stronger by the perception that …there is someone who has the power to make life impossible.” He continued, “This attitude is a cause of great bitterness for my life and many others involved.” While the Bishop has continually referenced a conspiracy against him, no proof has been provided.
The embattled bishop is famous for his defense of other church officials involved in financial crimes. He publicly supported Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who is serving a five-year sentence for mishandling church funds. At the time, Bishop Melis said the trial was a moment of “bitterness and disorientation. I am truly astonished and struck dumb by such harshness.”
In his trial, Cardinal Becciu said he “never wanted a euro, not even a cent, that [he] had managed or even just knew about, to be diverted, misused or destined to purposes that were not exclusively institutional.” However, the court found he had transferred over 130,000 euros to personal accounts. He argued that this was an ordinary practice and not suspicious at all.
Watch this Video of Becciu’s Original Trial:
The disgraced Cardinal recorded a personal call with Pope Francis where he attempted to trick the Pontiff into pardoning his crimes. In the trial, prosecutors discovered the Becicu had paid Cecilia Marogna, a “private spy, more than half a million euros. Despite all of the damning evidence, the cardinal maintains his innocence. Becciu says he transferred the money because he was “excited by the opportunity for a charity that made him “blush, as a priest.
Featured Image From Embedded Video