A court in Vatican City has set a date for hearing the lawsuit filed by the former auditor general Libero Milone, and set a deadline for lawyers to make written submissions before judges hear their oral arguments.

Milone, the first-ever person to hold the office of auditor general for the Holy See, has argued he was forced from office by senior Vatican officials because he found evidence of widespread corruption, including among serving cardinals. He was originally joined in the suit by his former deputy, Ferrucio Panicco, who died last month of cancer, after blaming Vatican officials for seizing personal medical records which delayed his treatment. 

The eventual day in court could prove pivotal: Milone has submitted to the court hundreds of pages of documents he claims prove financial corruption by senior cardinals, which he has threatened to release publicly in the event he determines he cannot get a fair…