The American wants to understand how the Papal Foundation, an American charity, could have been embezzled of 13 million euros to bail out a hospital's coffers, which had been emptied by fraudsters. He harshly criticizes the Vatican's financial scandals and becomes enraged: "Go see Pope Francis, confess what you've done, and ask for forgiveness! Five years in prison is nothing compared to eternal damnation!" Before leaving, John mentions the rumors surrounding the death of Australian George Pell. Seeing the Italian cardinal's lack of reaction, our American looks at him with contempt and then accuses him: "I know you killed him." Pell murdered? The rumor circulated before dying down on its own, like all the others that have successively targeted the most controversial figure of Pope Francis's pontificate.
The story begins in 2013. The new pontiff chooses the Australian cardinal to fight corruption. A tough battle. But the "rugby player" has broad shoulders and knows how to jump into the fray. George Pell brings his deputy, Danny Casey, from Australia; appoints a Frenchman, Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, to head the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), known as the "Vatican bank," and relies on the expertise of several consultants. Their work will last two years, except in the case of the Frenchman, who remains at the head of the IOR, but whose term is about to end.
"It was obvious that the money was going to disappear."
In September 2016, Danny Casey awoke in the middle of the night to a car explosion outside his home in Rome. The message was clear: Casey was returning to Australia. At the time, he was investigating a dubious €50 million transaction carried out by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA). This behemoth, notorious for its opacity—and still so today—manages the real estate and financial assets of the Holy See. The operation was intended to save a failing hospital: the Istituto Dermatologico dell'Immacolata, whose directors had allegedly embezzled more than €80 million through Panama, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and the Isle of Man. To cover the deficit, APSA reportedly diverted funds from another hospital's budget.
"It was obvious that the money was going to disappear."
In September 2016, Danny Casey awoke in the middle of the night to a car explosion outside his home in Rome. The message was clear: Casey was returning to Australia. At the time, he was investigating a dubious €50 million transaction carried out by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA). This behemoth, notorious for its opacity—and still so today—manages the real estate and financial assets of the Holy See. The operation was intended to save a failing hospital: the Istituto Dermatologico dell'Immacolata, whose directors had allegedly embezzled more than €80 million through Panama, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and the Isle of Man. To cover the deficit, APSA reportedly diverted funds from another hospital's budget.
As Pell would write in his prison notebooks, "Clean money finances dirty money." He and his team ask the Pope to stop this shady operation. They make him understand that he risks having Italian justice on his heels. He makes the right decision. But the money still needs to be found. The Holy See turns to the Papal Foundation. "Their funding plan was completely nonsensical," explains a former administrator.
"It was obvious the money was going to disappear." Bingo! By the time the Americans, including the famous John, realize their mistake, they've already lost 13 million euros.
George Pell is still unaware of the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been or will be wasted on other matters. For the moment, he is trying to prevent the acquisition of a building on Kensington High Street in London. Apparently, the president of APSA, Domenico Calcagno, proposed that the Vatican pension fund join in this risky investment. The building belongs to a trust based in Jersey. George Pell doesn't know who is behind it, and he never will.
"It was obvious the money was going to disappear." Bingo! By the time the Americans, including the famous John, realize their mistake, they've already lost 13 million euros.
George Pell is still unaware of the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been or will be wasted on other matters. For the moment, he is trying to prevent the acquisition of a building on Kensington High Street in London. Apparently, the president of APSA, Domenico Calcagno, proposed that the Vatican pension fund join in this risky investment. The building belongs to a trust based in Jersey. George Pell doesn't know who is behind it, and he never will.
But the scant evidence he had led him to warn the Pope about the risks of money laundering and loss. This time, the Pope allowed himself to be persuaded by the "old guard" and decided in favor of the acquisition. A decision that would have cost tens of millions of euros and a matter that remains unresolved. The Pope paid closer attention when George Pell and auditor Libero Milone explained that they had discovered APSA accounts at Banca Svizzera Italiana (BSI) and Julius Baer in Lugano. Accounts totaling around one hundred million euros. This time, Pell obtained the Pope's authorization to investigate.
Accused and booed, Cardinal Pell proclaims his innocence, but media harassment turns him into the ideal scapegoat.
Unfortunately, neither he nor anyone else will ever know how the story ends. The BSI was dissolved in 2017 for violating anti-money laundering laws. That same year, Libero Milone was accused of espionage and forcibly dismissed, and his office was raided. George Pell complained of "brutal" and "fascist" methods before being summoned to court in Melbourne, Australia, to answer charges of child sex offenses brought by a former altar boy. Pell proclaimed his innocence, but media harassment made him the perfect scapegoat. He was convicted, booed, and forced to register his name on the Victorian state sex offenders register. On February 27, 2019, he entered prison. He would spend 404 days in solitary confinement in a high-security wing. Meanwhile, in Rome, the Pope refused to vacate Pell's apartment until his conviction was final. Sometimes, Vatican gendarmes come by to seize files. "They seemed to know what they were looking for," murmurs a close associate. But before leaving Rome, the cardinal put the documents in a safe place.
Accused and booed, Cardinal Pell proclaims his innocence, but media harassment turns him into the ideal scapegoat.
Unfortunately, neither he nor anyone else will ever know how the story ends. The BSI was dissolved in 2017 for violating anti-money laundering laws. That same year, Libero Milone was accused of espionage and forcibly dismissed, and his office was raided. George Pell complained of "brutal" and "fascist" methods before being summoned to court in Melbourne, Australia, to answer charges of child sex offenses brought by a former altar boy. Pell proclaimed his innocence, but media harassment made him the perfect scapegoat. He was convicted, booed, and forced to register his name on the Victorian state sex offenders register. On February 27, 2019, he entered prison. He would spend 404 days in solitary confinement in a high-security wing. Meanwhile, in Rome, the Pope refused to vacate Pell's apartment until his conviction was final. Sometimes, Vatican gendarmes come by to seize files. "They seemed to know what they were looking for," murmurs a close associate. But before leaving Rome, the cardinal put the documents in a safe place.
After a long legal battle, Pell was finally acquitted. A judge of the Victoria Court of Appeal pointed out "inconsistencies" in the charges. This observation was echoed by the Supreme Court: "There is a high probability that an innocent man has been convicted," the seven justices of Australia's highest court unanimously declared. Pell returned to Rome, determined to settle the score. He was convinced that those who had helped Danny Casey flee also conspired to hasten his downfall. "We tried to dissuade him from returning to Rome," a close associate confessed, "but he was determined."
The Pope, for his part, is pleased about it. He lavishes praise on his reformer… but does nothing to answer his questions. Cardinal Pell wants, for example, to understand why 2 million Australian dollars were paid to a Melbourne-based company whose main activity is espionage. He believes he knows that part of the funds were subsequently transferred to an account in Dubai. None of the explanations provided seem credible to him. An initial hypothesis, based on witness statements, was published by La Repubblica in October 2020: the funds transferred to Australia were allegedly used to “fuel a media campaign [against Pell] and buy witnesses.” This explosive statement is currently being challenged. The only certainty is that no investigation has been opened, either in the Vatican or in Australia, into the mysterious fate of those infamous funds.
The Pope, for his part, is pleased about it. He lavishes praise on his reformer… but does nothing to answer his questions. Cardinal Pell wants, for example, to understand why 2 million Australian dollars were paid to a Melbourne-based company whose main activity is espionage. He believes he knows that part of the funds were subsequently transferred to an account in Dubai. None of the explanations provided seem credible to him. An initial hypothesis, based on witness statements, was published by La Repubblica in October 2020: the funds transferred to Australia were allegedly used to “fuel a media campaign [against Pell] and buy witnesses.” This explosive statement is currently being challenged. The only certainty is that no investigation has been opened, either in the Vatican or in Australia, into the mysterious fate of those infamous funds.
He died of a heart attack in the hospital… But the autopsy report was reportedly “deficient.”
Pell's departure has clearly benefited the "old guard." "Today," comments one financier, "APSA is still not controlled by ASIF, the Vatican regulator. The Holy See's financiers have never reported on any adaptation to international standards, and APSA remains opaque." An annual report has been published, but no independent entity would have validated it: "another victory for the old guard." Why has Pope Francis allowed this? "Why hasn't he completed the financial reforms he started?" asks another reformer, who believes the Argentine pope has only finished 70% of his reforms. "What is certain," adds an associate, "is that Pell never understood Francis's game. The Pope was very enthusiastic at the beginning, effusive at the end; but in between, during the battle, he wasn't with us. Instead of removing the corrupt individuals Pell had already identified in 2014, he protected them."
Pell's departure has clearly benefited the "old guard." "Today," comments one financier, "APSA is still not controlled by ASIF, the Vatican regulator. The Holy See's financiers have never reported on any adaptation to international standards, and APSA remains opaque." An annual report has been published, but no independent entity would have validated it: "another victory for the old guard." Why has Pope Francis allowed this? "Why hasn't he completed the financial reforms he started?" asks another reformer, who believes the Argentine pope has only finished 70% of his reforms. "What is certain," adds an associate, "is that Pell never understood Francis's game. The Pope was very enthusiastic at the beginning, effusive at the end; but in between, during the battle, he wasn't with us. Instead of removing the corrupt individuals Pell had already identified in 2014, he protected them."
The most enigmatic part is yet to come. “In January 2023, I had lunch with Pell,” recounts an American financier. “He was due for hip surgery, a mere formality.” Several close associates advised him to have the operation in the United States. “The day after the surgery,” our source continues, “I was told he was joking with the nuns, which reassured me.” But that same day, Pell died of cardiac arrest. Some claim that suspicious events occurred shortly before his death, specifically a power outage at the hospital. Meanwhile, the autopsy report is said to be “deficient.” The deceased’s family denies this. According to them, the report is categorical: it was a natural death. “The cardinal was over 80 years old and had a fragile heart,” states a close associate. However, some of his associates continue to point to the neglected state of the body, whose nose was found broken for reasons that remain unclear. Some of his close associates still consider his death suspicious.
After being treated like a criminal, George Pell is now considered a saint by some in the United States. On March 2, 2025, a Catholic couple from Phoenix, Arizona, the Robinsons, found their 14-month-old baby drowned in their swimming pool. At the hospital, doctors gave him no chance of survival. But after his heart stopped for 52 minutes, the little boy's heart began to beat again. Apparently, he has no lasting effects. "His parents prayed a great deal during this ordeal for the intercession of Cardinal Pell, whom they had met in 2021," explained the Archbishop of Sydney, Monsignor Anthony Fisher. He declared a miracle and attributed it to Pell. One more miracle would be needed, and they would have to wait five years before a dossier could be submitted to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. And thus, the decision would be sent... to the Vatican.
Source: Paris Match
Source: Paris Match
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