愛污传媒

World

    • 2nd Vatican official says pope OK'd ransom payments for nun

    Pope Francis leaves after he presided over a mass celebrated on the occasion of the '24 hours for the Lord' event for an 'open churches initiative,' at the Santa Maria delle Grazie parish church, in Rome, Friday, March 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Pope Francis leaves after he presided over a mass celebrated on the occasion of the '24 hours for the Lord' event for an 'open churches initiative,' at the Santa Maria delle Grazie parish church, in Rome, Friday, March 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
    Share
    VATICAN CITY -

    A second high-ranking Holy See official told a Vatican court on Friday that Pope Francis had authorized spending hundreds of thousands of euros in ransom payments to try to free a nun who was kidnapped by al-Qaida-linked militants in Mali.

    Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, the Holy See's No. 3, told the Vatican tribunal that he had sought, and received Francis' approval to wire the money soon after he took up his duties as the "substitute" in the secretariat of state in late 2018.

    Pena Parra was answering questions for a second day Friday after being called by defence attorneys representing the 10 people on trial for a host of alleged financial crimes.

    One tangent of the Vatican trial concerns 575,000 euros wired from the Vatican's Swiss Bank account to a Slovenian-based front company owned by Cecilia Marogna, a self-styled security analyst who was hired in 2016 by Pena Parra's predecessor, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, as an outside consultant.

    Becciu told the court last year that he had sought Marogna's advice in 2017 following the kidnapping of Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which has bankrolled its insurgency by kidnapping Westerners. During her captivity in Mali, the group periodically showed Narvaez on video asking for the Vatican's help.

    Becciu told the court that Francis had authorized spending up to 1 million euros to free the Colombian nun. Becciu said he and Marogna had travelled to London to meet with, and subsequently hire, the British security firm Inkerman to find Narvaez and secure her freedom. She was ultimately released in October 2021.

    In their indictment request, prosecutors alleged a double payment: They said some 500,000 British pounds, or the then-equivalent of 575,000 euros, had been sent to Inkerman's Barklays Bank account for the operation. Separately, they listed nine payments from the Vatican's Swiss Bank account totaling 575,000 euros sent to Marogna's Logsic DOO company from Dec. 20, 2018 to July 8, 2019. Citing Slovenian bank records, prosecutors allege that Marogna used the money to buy high-end luxury items and go on vacation.

    Both Becciu and Marogna are accused of embezzlement, charges they both deny.

    Pena Parra, who replaced Becciu as "substitute," told the court that he was confronted with the request for payment to the Slovenian account by his deputy, Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, who had been asked by Becciu to process the wire transfer. But Pena Parra said he couldn't proceed without first securing the pope's approval.

    "I went to the pope. I asked for an audience and the Holy Father confirmed to me the destination of this money, which was for the question of the possible freedom of the Colombian nun kidnapped in Mali," Pena Parra said under questioning by the tribunal president, Judge Giuseppe Pignatone.

    Becciu, for his part, insisted in a spontaneous declaration to the court on Friday that Francis had approved the operation and was prepared to write a statement for Becciu's defense to that effect when they spoke by telephone on July 19, 2021, days before the trial opened.

    Prosecutors recently produced an exchange of letters between Becciu and Francis in the following days in which Francis refused to provide the statement. Becciu produced a letter Friday indicating Francis himself had asked Becciu to provide a draft statement, and the cardinal suggested that his subsequent refusal to sign off on it appeared to have been coached.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

    A veteran Ottawa journalist is firing back against what he says are "entirely false" claims by a former Conservative cabinet minister that he acted as a Russian agent.

    Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

    The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

    Canada

    • The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

    • Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

    • The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) has uploaded dozens of dashboard camera videos from the 1970s to their YouTube channel.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    • The final count of ballots in the 2024 B.C. election begins Saturday, with more than 66,000 mail-in and absentee votes potentially yet to be counted across the province's 93 electoral districts.

    • Canfor Corp. says it had a net loss of $350.1 million in its last quarter as it took writedowns and impairment charges related to mill closures in a slumping lumber market.

    • Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

    • Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

    • A man has been hospitalized after being shot in Mississauga.

    • Mr. Steam got its online business listing back.

    • More than 100 volunteers gathered Saturday morning to set up 3,605 crosses in a field along Memorial Drive, each representing the life of a southern Alberta soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

    • Former Chicago Blackhawks star and Hall of Fame hockey executive Bill Hay, who was also a past president and CEO of the Calgary Flames, has died. He was 88.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say a 16-year-old person has been charged with second-degree murder after a 15-year-old was found dead at a home in Perth, Ont. Friday afternoon.

    • A former CTV Ottawa broadcaster is headlining an art gallery with landscape paintings this weekend.

    • A veteran Ottawa journalist is firing back against what he says are "entirely false" claims by a former Conservative cabinet minister that he acted as a Russian agent.

    • Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating an alleged case of voyeurism on the metro involving an 18-year-old woman, with video footage of the incident now circulating on social media

    • Steve Begin is back at school, speaking to students. A place the former Montreal Canadien says was difficult for him growing up.

    • The Quebec Liberal Party is calling for an investigation after reports that some French-language training courses for newcomers have been cancelled.

    • RCMP are looking for a man they believe is armed and dangerous in the Lac La Biche area.

    • Data from Alberta Health suggests the province鈥檚 syphilis outbreak response is finally having an impact.

    • A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.

    • The GoFundMe page for the family of an employee found dead at a Halifax Walmart last weekend has paused donations after almost $200,000 was raised in roughly 24 hours.

    • RCMP in Nova Scotia arrested and charged a 17-year-old youth with several charges, including robbery on Friday.

    • Halifax police have arrested a fourth person in a homicide case involving a 16-year-old boy who went missing two years ago.

    • Winnipeg police have arrested and charged a man believed to be connected with an assault at a University of Manitoba dorm room.

    • The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

    • Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were busy Friday and early Saturday morning, battling three separate fires believed to be caused by accident.

    • Saturday will mark the end of the CFL regular season, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will have their eyes on Winnipeg鈥檚 matchup versus Montreal to know if they have a chance of clinching the West Division.

    • With mere days until votes are counted up 鈥 the provincial party leaders have entered the final phase of campaigning and are looking to appeal to undecided voters for support.

    • With an attempt to address the shortage of housing available in the community, the City of Yorkton has started a housing incentive program where new builders will receive a 50 per cent rebate on residential lots, and a full tax exemption for five years.

    • Fire crews responded to a fire at a Waterloo waste management site Friday evening.

    • Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, the man who stabbed three people in a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo, says he 鈥榓cted dumb鈥.

    • All the evidence has now been called at the trial of Erick Buhr, who has pleaded not guilty to second degree murder in the death of his grandmother, Viola Erb.

    • Saskatoon fire crews responded to a major house fire on the 400 block of 24th Street West on Friday evening.

    • A Saskatchewan woman is worried her child might die before receiving life-saving surgery and tests as he sits on the province's surgical waitlist.

    • The Saskatchewan RCMP is releasing the names of two suspects arrested on Thursday for a violent vehicle theft that triggered a widespread police search.

    • Huntsville OPP and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) are conducting a homicide investigation after three individuals were found dead in a Huntsville neighbourhood Friday evening.

    • Highway 144 is closed in Chelmsford at Edward Street, Sudbury police said Saturday afternoon.

    • The Town of Cochrane plans to roll out its $10-lot program in a month or two.

    • Cornelius Woelke and his two boys, who were badly burned in a fire in Springfield, Ont., are continuing their recovery in hospital.

    • In case you missed it, 愛污传媒 London has gathered all of the top local stories from this week into one video for your convenience.

    • Huntsville OPP and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) are conducting a homicide investigation after three individuals were found dead in a Huntsville neighbourhood Friday evening.

    • A commercial truck driver was stopped for allegedly travelling nearly twice the speed limit through a community safe zone in Caledon Saturday morning.

    • Several students have been banned from being spectators at school sporting events, and others suspended from school, after verbal and physical exchanges at a high school soccer game.

    • Windsor police say the death of a 69-year-old man has been ruled a homicide.

    • A U.S. citizen was arrested by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Gorder Howe International Bridge on Oct. 18 for an active warrant for possession of synthetic drugs.

    • Witches and dinosaurs walked the Downtown Windsor Farmers鈥 Market Saturday morning in search of an early Halloween treat.

    • The final count of ballots in the 2024 B.C. election begins Saturday, with more than 66,000 mail-in and absentee votes potentially yet to be counted across the province's 93 electoral districts.

    • There were tense moments at a ferry terminal outside Victoria, B.C., on Friday after the lion鈥檚 share of standby spots on an early sailing were claimed by 鈥渁ssured loading鈥 passengers 鈥 leaving regular customers who had been waiting for hours out of luck.

    • Hulitan Early Years Centre is a brand new, 48-seat childhood learning centre in Colwood. It was built to support Indigenous children throughout the capital region.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • The Hurricanes will be happy to be back home in Lethbridge Saturday night after losing their third in a row on the road Friday night, a 4-1 decision to the Broncos in Swift Current.

    • About 15,000 students are enrolled at Lethbridge鈥檚 post-secondary schools, and now the city is working with those schools to try to find ways to get them s to stick around a while.

    • With Halloween less than a week away, organizations in Lethbridge are preparing to get in on the trick-or-treating fun.

    • Ontario Provincial Police have been cleared in the case of a woman who crashed her vehicle intentionally while she was high on drugs and fled into the woods earlier this year.

    • The union that represents hospital workers across the province is used a symbol from Greek mythology Friday in Espanola to drive home its campaign about the perils of privatization in health care.

    • CTV's Coats for Kids is nearing the end of its donation window, with the need as strong as it鈥檚 ever been.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒