"Death, however sudden, cannot erase seven years of very close collaboration, of sharing the highest ecclesial and pastoral decisions of the universal Church, of friendship and consolidated customs." Monsignor Angelo Becciu received the news of the death of Pope Francis in "his" Pattada where, as per family tradition, he spent a short period of rest on the occasion of the Easter holidays. Vacation immediately interrupted to fly to Rome, where he arrived late yesterday evening, to share together with the entire College of Cardinals, this very delicate moment of transition for the Catholic world.
The dismay
"Like everyone, I was shocked, deeply shocked by the news that came so suddenly, also because - having seen him in St. Peter's Square on Sunday morning, even if in poor condition - nothing made one think of such a sudden death." Having reached Olbia, the flight in the evening to Rome where all the cardinals scattered across the different continents recalled to the Holy See to ensure continuity in the leadership of the Church are expected in these hours.
The Vatican Bulletin
What has created some doubts about the name of Cardinal Angelo Becciu has been a list released by the Vatican Press Office which includes all the cardinals "over 80" who, therefore, will not participate in the election of their successor, and all the other "non-elector" cardinals, including the Sardinian prelate. "Referring to the last Consistory (the one in which Arrigo Miglio, former archbishop of Cagliari and who welcomed Bergoglio on his historic visit in September 2013, became cardinal), the Pope has recognized my cardinal prerogatives as intact since there was no explicit will to exclude me from the Conclave nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing. The list published by the Press Office has no legal value and should be taken for what it is."
The support
Seven years of very close, confidential collaboration, first - for five years - as Substitute at the Secretariat of State, effectively the number 3 in the Vatican hierarchy after the Pope and the Secretary of State, another two years as Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints: "This death is a great sorrow, in light of a relationship that was always frank, serene, marked by the utmost respect even in the face of natural, human differences of opinion: the Pope accepted my opinions and together we shared all the choices, even the most painful ones."
The legal affair
A bond suddenly torn apart by the well-known legal affair: «It was also an immense pain to see the Pope suddenly change his opinion of me so radically. A pain that I accepted as a test of my faith and of my choice - confirmed the moment I received the cardinal's hat from his hands - to give my life for the Pope and for the Church of Christ». For years Monsignor Becciu has been fighting to shed clear light on that entire intricate and disturbing affair. «Now the Pope is in the light of the Risen One, having passed away precisely during the Easter days, and this certainty comforts me: now Francis sees the truth of the facts, without doubts and without shadows».
Paul Matta
