Giovanni Angelo Becciu

Early years

Becciu was born in 1948 in Pattada (Sassari), Sardinia, Italy. After completing his studies in theology and philosophy he was ordained to the priesthood on 27 August 1972. He attended the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, where he earned a doctoral degree in canon law.

In diplomatic service

He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 May 1984. He worked at the Pontifical Representations in Central African Republic, Sudan, New Zealand, Liberia, United Kingdom, France and the United States. Becciu knows the French, English, Spanish and Portuguese languages.

On 15 October 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Angola, at the same time as was customary elevating him as Titular Archbishop of Rusellae. On 15 November of the same year he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to São Tomé and Principe as well. He received his episcopal consecration on 1 December 2001 from Cardinal Angelo Sodano with co-consecrators Archbishop Paolo Romeo, a Vatican diplomat, and Bishop Sebastiano Sanguinetti from his native diocese in Sardinia. While Nuncio to Angola, in advance of Pope Benedict's arrival there in 2009, he defended the pope's rejection of condoms as a means of preventing the spread of AIDS. He said: "It's too easy and it's very cheap to say the solution of AIDS is the condom, you don't have the solution there.... So what the Pope is saying is that we must surpass this, because AIDS means there is a lack of understanding of the concept of true love between men and women.... Because of that, many times we are not of the same thinking as NGOs." As he left Angola for his next assignment, Becciu denounced popular belief in witchcraft that led to children being accused as sorcerers and abused: "the charges are a frequent practice on the African continent and they must be eliminated".

On 23 July 2009 Pope Benedict named him Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba. Cuban President Raul Castro praised his work on behalf of improved relations between Cuba and the Holy See. In January 2015, after Cuba and the United States announced mutual efforts to improve their relationship, he supported an end to the U.S. embargo, citing "the right of peoples not to be deprived of daily economic and social subsistence". He credited the thaw in relations to Pope Francis, "the true protagonist, silent but effective". He said he expected the Cuban government to introduced a less centralized economic system and commented: "There will be contradictions, but it will be up to their masterful capabilities to solve them."

Secretariate of State

On 10 May 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed named Becciu Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, replacing Fernando Filoni. The Substitute for General Affairs reports to the Cardinal Secretary of State. He usually meets with the Pope each day to handle the business of the Roman Curia, and his position is comparable to chief of staff. It had been described as "the most complex job in the Roman Curia" and a key to "the administrative success or failure of a papacy". Though Becciu was viewed as "a genial and effective diplomat", his appointment was unusual in that he lacked experience in the Curia.

During the conclave that followed the resignation of Benedict XVI, Becciu was responsible for directing the Vatican personnel who ensured the security and secrecy of its proceedings. A few months after his election as pope, Pope Francis named a new Secretary of State and confirmed Becciu's appointment as Substitute.

In his role as Substitute, he periodically speaks on behalf of the Vatican, addressing specific events in the news while allowing the pope to avoid becoming involved in public debates. When stolen documents about Vatican finances were leaked to the press, Becciu minimized the fact that they demonstrated sharp disagreements between Curial officials. He wrote in 2012 that some "criticize the monarchic and absolutist nature of the church's central government" but then pretend to be "scandalized because someone writing to the pope expresses ideas or even complaints about how that government is organized. Many of the published documents do not reveal power struggles or vendettas, but the freedom of thought which the church is criticized for not allowing." In January 2014, when the retired Commander of the Swiss Guard Elmar Mäder told the Swiss weekly Sonntag that a gay network existed in the Roman Curia, Becciu challenged him to provide specifics: "When he was in service, did he have any suspects? Are these suspects still present? … Okay then, come here and tell us exactly to whom it relates." He condemned "generic accusations" and said careless talk could easily become slander. In January 2016, discussing books that charged the Vatican with financial mismanagement, Becciu defended Vatican employees: "The Vatican is not a den of thieves. To represent it as such constitutes an absolute falsehood. I find it extremely unjust that our employees, proudly carrying out a service for the pope and the church, have gotten to the point, for some time now, of being ashamed to tell people they work here." In December 2016, discussing reactions to Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia on the pastoral care of Catholics in irregular marriages, he said: "I will not go into the controversies but I do wish to reiterate the principles I have always been taught by the healthy tradition of the Church: as the Pope's humble collaborator, I feel I have a duty to loyally tell him what I think when a decision is being taken. Once it is taken, I obey the Holy Father fully."

When a Catholic radio station broadcast a Dominican friar's statement that the enactment of same-sex civil unions had caused recent earthquakes, Becciu said "They are offensive statements for believers and scandalous for those who do not believe." Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump's order restricting immigration in January 2017, he said: "Certainly there is concern because we are messengers of another culture, that of openness,... The pope insists on the capacity for integration,... the capacity to integrate those who arrive in our society and culture.... We are builders of bridges, not of walls. Christians must be strong in reaffirming this message."

Temporary delegate

On 2 February 2017, Pope Francis named him papal delegate to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, following a public dispute between the pope and the Grand Master of the Order, Matthew Festing. In a letter dated April 15, Becciu instructed Festing not to travel to Rome for the election of his successor at the end of April. He wrote that many members of the Order felt his presence would "reopen wounds" and prevent a return to harmony.