Chief prosecutor defends Vatican’s legal system after recent criticism of pope’s absolute power

Associated Press

ROME (AP) — The Vatican’s chief prosecutor has strongly defended the integrity and fairness of the city state’s justice system. Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi has penned an academic essay after recent criticism that Pope Francis’ absolute power and his interventions in last year’s so-called “trial of the century” violated the defendants’ fundamental rights. The essay was published last month in a peer-reviewed Italian journal, “Law and Religion.” The tribunal in December convicted a cardinal and eight others of various financial-related crimes related to the Holy See’s 350 million euro investment in a London property, but hasn’t yet explained its decisions.