The Vatican appeals tribunal has declared a mistrial in the Holy See’s “trial of the century,” a stunning blow to both Pope Francis’ legacy and Vatican prosecutors who had put a cardinal and several other people on trial over alleged financial crimes. In a 16-page ruling, the appeals court said Francis and Vatican prosecutors both made procedural errors that nullified the original indictment against Cardinal Angelo Becciu and the others and required a new trial. The court set June 22 as the date for the new trial to begin. Defense lawyers said such a ruling was enormously significant if not historic, since it amounted to a Vatican court declaring that an act of the pope had no effect. The decision was issued just days after Pope Leo XIV opened the Vatican’s judicial year.
