Cardinal Becciu, at trial, challenges Vatican cop over hostage payments (AP)

“The Vatican’s fraud and corruption trial took a dramatic twist,” the AP reported, “when a once-powerful cardinal challenged the Vatican’s police commissioner on the stand about one of the more peculiar tangents of the case: the Vatican’s half-million euro payments to a self-styled security analyst who, with Pope Francis’ blessing, helped arrange negotiations for the release of a nun held hostage by Islamic militants.”