A Vatican official said on Friday it would be a “grave sin” to be forced to hand over text messages and emails to a London inquiry into a property sale in the British capital – a Vatican representative underscored in the court case. WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram or email messages between an archbishop and a cardinal are protected by “pontifical secrecy”.
Roman Catholic priest and lawyer Carlos Fernando Díaz Bañagua testified in a London court that “violating the secret of the Pope is considered a grave sin.
Apostolic See Heritage Management announced in July 2022 that it would sell building number 60 Sloane Avenue in London to Bain Capital for €215 million – a ‘scramble’ for electronic resources that marks a wider test. A multi-national dispute over the Vatican’s €350m investment in the Harrods warehouse in the Chelsea district – 10 people, including an Italian cardinal, are on trial in Vatican City over the deal.
Raphael Minchione, a defendant in the Vatican case, sought refuge in British courts and sued the church for damages, his reputation tarnished by the Vatican’s allegations. At the London trial, Minchione’s lawyers asked to see communications between two senior Vatican officials, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Argentine Archbishop Edgar Pena Barra.
The Vatican argued that both Barolin and Pena Barra dealt with “high-level” political issues, meaning their messages on WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, as well as notes and documents from meetings, should be considered state secrets. As the Pontifical Church.
Senior officials of the Catholic Church take “a firm oath” not to disclose matters under pontifical secrecy — a breach of which could lead to suspension or dismissal; For priests, the implications are more serious, Diaz Paniagua said.
The Vatican has insisted that more than 30,000 documents that are part of the investigation have been handed over to Minchione’s lawyers, and that papal secrets are tantamount to state secrets.
Controversy arose in 2018 when the Vatican’s secretary of state – the equivalent of the prime minister’s office – claimed he had been cheated by Minchione after he sold the former Harrods warehouse at an inflated price. The Vatican asserted that the planned development of luxury apartments could have caused losses of up to 169.6 million euros.
The investigation led to the prosecution of 10 people, including financial brokers, Vatican officials and a lawyer.
The Papal Secret, also known as the Papal Secret, was created to protect confidential information such as communications between the Vatican and papal embassies. It has also been used in court cases over the years to protect the privacy of victims and the identities of the accused.