Defense lawyers in the Vatican’s “trial of the century” argued Tuesday that Pope Francis inadvertently violated the fundamental rights of their clients by issuing four secret decrees that gave prosecutors “surreal carte blanche” to investigate in ways reminiscent of a “fascist” state where laws aren’t published.
The tone of argument in the frescoed Vatican tribunal was so charged Tuesday, as the appeals trial resumed after a three-month break, that at one point the tribunal president asked defense lawyers to refrain from citing Francis by name.
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The request by Archbishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo underscored how Francis’ problematic role in the big financial trial poses something of an existential dilemma for the Holy See. On the one hand, popes can only be judged by God. On the other, Francis stands accused of issuing decrees that violated the God-given rights of the defendants.
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