Pope approved payment for kidnapped nun’s release, trial witness says
March 20, 2023
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CWN Editor's Note: Pope Francis approved a payment for the released of a kidnapped nun, Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra testified during the Vatican’s financial trial. But serious questions remain about where the payment went.
Archbishop Pena Parra, the deputy Secretary of State, said that €575,000 ($616,000) was wired to a firm headed by Cecilia Marogna, a security consultant, to be used to facilitate the release of Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez, who had been seized by an Al Qaida group. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who had preceded Archbishop Pena Parra in his post at the Secretariat of State, had earlier made the same claim that Pope Francis approved the payment.
However, Vatican prosecutors say that a double payment was made, with another €575,000 going to Marogna’s account. Both Marogna and Cardinal Becciu are charged with misappropriation of funds.
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