Pope 'Hurt' by Jailed Prelate Case

Gazzetta Del Sud
July 29, 2013

http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/55968/Pope--hurt--by-jailed-prelate-case.html


Rome, July 29 - Pope Francis said Monday that he was pained by the case of a Vatican prelate arrested for alleged involvement in a failed bid to bring 20 million euros into Italy illegally. Mons. Nunzio Scarano, who until recently led a key Vatican accounting unit, was arrested in June in a probe over allegations he conspired with a former Italian spy and a financial broker to try to secretly repatriate the cash, allegedly the fruit of tax evasion by a family close to the prelate. Scarano recently wrote to the pope to say he was innocent and had documents that "prove my honesty and my battles against the abuse of my secular superiors, covered up by some cardinals". Francis said he was alarmed at the affair. "We have this monsignor who has gone to prison," Francis told reporters on his flight back from his week-long visit to Brazil for World Youth Day. "Do you think he was to prison because he was like Blessed Imelda (Lambertini)? "It's a scandal, something that hurts".