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Article: Cardinal's acquittal met with cynicism.(Cardinal Michele Giordano of Naples acquitted following charges of usury)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- January 5, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 National Catholic Reporter. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Christmas was undoubtedly merry this year for Cardinal Michele Giordano of Naples, finally out from under a three-year criminal investigation and trial for alleged complicity in a loan-sharking ring.
Giordano, who according to prosecutors had sustained a scam run by his brother with money from diocesan coffers, was acquitted Dec. 22, 2000. The verdict brings to an apparent end one of the most convulsive episodes in recent church history, the first time a cardinal has faced jail time for such a criminal offense.
The trial was a running embarrassment for the Vatican, given that John Paul II has so often preached against usury, and given that Giordano was ...