The lawyers also requested that in future proceedings, all witnesses be called on the same day in order to avoid influence and pressure from the media, which was agreed on by everyone.
Finally, at the request of the witnesses, a letter that in some way involves Cardinal Bertone was added to the trial documents.
Although the nature and contents of the letter are unknown, Ottaviani held that it was essential to the trial process, asking the tribunal permission to quote it as a testimony of the emeritus Secretary of State. Milano agreed, saying, "if needed, it will be discussed."
The hearing closed by setting the dates for the next one: Sept. 7-9.
Among those present at the hearing from the public was Jeffrey Lena, legal adviser to the Holy See.
The Vatican reported it was conducting an investigation into this matter in 2016 after documents published in the "Vatileaks 2" scandal implicated there may have been an illicit transfer of funds from the hospital's foundation.
Earlier this month, the Vatican held a press conference on the hospital to confirm that though it has had problems in the past, the Vatican has worked to resolve them.
The operations of the Bambino Gesù Hospital had come under scrutiny after a report by the Associated Press, which examined the hospital's operations under its 2008-2015 administration, finding among other things that the Vatican-owned hospital had shifted its focus from its patients to profits and had subpar standards of care.
In 2014, the Vatican conducted its own report on the hospital after fielding several complaints, and found many of the same things, including a focus on profits and breaches in accepted medical protocols including the reuse of disposable equipment, early awakening from surgery, and risk of infection due to overcrowding.
After the report, a widespread overhaul of the hospital staff and administration was conducted, and a 2015 report found that many of the previous issues had been resolved.
"For what regards the problems that were found, there was serious attention and effort to resolve them," Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, said at the July 4 press conference.
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The Bambino Gesù was founded in Rome in 1869 as the first pediatric hospital in Italy. In 1924 it was donated to the Holy See and became the "Pope's Hospital." While it receives funding from the Italian government, it does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Italian government's health authorities.
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.