Francesco Miccichè
Francesco Miccichè (born June 16, 1943 in San Giuseppe Jato , Province of Palermo , Italy ) is Bishop Emeritus of Trapani .
Life
Francesco Miccichè was ordained a priest on June 28, 1967 .
On December 23, 1988 appointed him Pope John Paul II. To the titular of Chusira and auxiliary bishop in Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela . He received his episcopal ordination on January 24, 1989. On January 24, 1998, John Paul II called him Bishop of Trapani . The official inauguration took place on March 18 of the same year in the Cathedral of Trapani .
Pope Benedict XVI Released Miccichè on May 19, 2012 from the leadership of the diocese and installed the Archbishop Emeritus of Pisa , Alessandro Plotti , as Apostolic Administrator . This was preceded by the allegation of financial irregularities in the merger of two foundations. In a pastoral letter on the occasion of his dismissal, however, Miccichè denied being responsible.
In October 2017, investigations by the Sicilian public prosecutor revealed that Miccichè was accused of embezzling a total of three million euros in diocesan funds for private purposes . Particularly spectacular was the accusation that in 2008 he misappropriated around half a million euros in donations that belonged to a diocesan organization for mentally ill children in order to finance the purchase of an 800,000 euros apartment in Rome , which he passed off as diocesan property but only used privately . The scandal came to the fore at the same time that Benedict XVI's former Secretary of State , Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone , was on the verge of similar financial irregularities after the Vatican judiciary dealt with the case and sentenced a Bertone employee to one year probation.
In 2015 there had already been judicial investigations and proceedings against the ex-bishop, the subject of which, in addition to property crimes, also included the allegation of defamation of his former administrator, on whom he had tried to pass on the irregularities in public. During a search of his house in the course of the investigation, works of art , precious crucifixes , cash and jewelry worth around two million euros were seized by the Italian financial police , which was declared lawful by the criminal division of the Italian Court of Cassation . Also in 2015 it became known that he had unsuccessfully sought a position in the service of the Roman Curia with Pope Francis , which would have been linked to the granting of citizenship of the Vatican City and thereby protected him from criminal prosecution by the Italian judiciary.
In the Sicilian Episcopal Conference , Francesco Miccichè was a delegate for leisure, tourism and sport.
Web links
- Entry on Francesco Miccichè on catholic-hierarchy.org
- Francesco Miccichè on the official website of the Diocese of Trapani (in Italian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Suspension report on South Tyrol online ( Memento from April 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Pastoral letter on the homepage of the diocese
- ^ Ex-bishop is said to have embezzled church money. In: ORF , October 19, 2017, accessed on October 20, 2017.
- ^ Vatican: imprisonment for ex-head of Vatican foundation. In: ORF , October 14, 2017, accessed on October 20, 2017.
- ↑ Alessandra Ziniti: Ville e bed & breakfast con i soldi dell'8 per mille: l'ex vescovo di Trapani nella bufera. In: La Repubblica , December 15, 2015, accessed October 20, 2017.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Domenico Amoroso |
Bishop of Trapani 1998–2012 |
Pietro Maria Fragnelli |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Miccichè, Francesco |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian clergyman, Bishop of Trapani |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 16, 1943 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Giuseppe Jato |