Prosecutors ask four year prison term for alleged bishop embezzlement

ROME -The Trapani prosecutor’s office has requested a prison sentence of four and a half years for alleged embezzlement for Francesco Maccichè. The former Sicilian bishop has been alleged to have “redirected 400,000 euros from the Catholic Church’s otto per mille funds into a Diocese bank account,” which he accessed without the need to provide financial accountability. The incidents in question are alleged to have taken place between 2007 and 2012, as reported by Giornale di Sicilia.
In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI removed Miccichè from his position as bishop of Trapani. This removal followed an investigation by an "apostolic visitor," then Bishop Domenico Mogavero of Mazara del Vallo. The Vatican’s inquiry ran in parallel with an investigation by Italy’s Financial Police. It was investigating reports made by a local magazine, L’Isola, that initially shed light on the Diocese’s financial management, drawing the attention of investigators.
After a lengthy judicial process, the former bishop was sent to trial in 2020, though some of the charges brought by the prosecution have since expired due to the statute of limitations. The trial will resume on Dec. 16 with closing arguments from Miccichè’s defence attorney, Mario Caputo. The verdict could be handed down the same day. The Diocese of Trapani, represented by attorney Umberto Coppola, has joined the case as a civil party.
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