Vatican City, Jun 21, 2010 / 17:02 pm
Stating that he has acted with “maximum transparency,” Archbishop of Naples Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe has said he will cooperate with authorities after being accused of corruption in a property deal. A Vatican spokesman has expressed “solidarity” with the prelate, saying he hopes the situation will be “rapidly clarified.”
The cardinal, who previously headed the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, is accused of colluding with former Italian transport minister Pietro Lunardi to offer cut-price property deals, the BBC reports.
Lunardi bought a building in Rome from Cardinal Sepe’s Congregation in 2004, allegedly at a price noticeably below market value.
Cardinal Sepe said he will cooperate with the investigation despite his immunity as a Vatican diplomatic passport holder.