Cardinal Angelo Becciu has refused to answer the question, posed by Cardinal George Pell, about why he sent more than $2 million in Vatican funds to Australia at a time when Cardinal Pell was facing prosecution there.

The purpose of the financial transfers has never been explained, and Cardinal Pell has challenged Cardinal Becciu: “Will he just tell us what the money was sent for?”

In a reluctant public response, Cardinal Becciu said that the question was “offensive to my personal dignity,” and insisted that the purpose of the transfer was “certainly confidential.” However he said that at an “appropriate time” he would answer the many questions that have been raised about his handling of Vatican financial affairs.

Cardinal Becciu, the former sostituto as deputy Secretary of State, is the lead defendant in a current Vatican trial involving unauthorized investments.