The Tribunal of the Vatican City State has sentenced Nicola Giampaolo to three years and six months in prison, in addition to disqualification from public office, for the crime of defamation against Cardinal Angelo Becciu, Father Bogusław Turek (C.S.M.A.), and the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints, represented by its prefect, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro.
The sentence, issued on October 29, 2025, recognizes the accused’s responsibility for spreading false accusations that gravely damaged the reputation of the individuals involved and of the Dicastery itself. The tribunal also ordered the payment of court costs and compensation of 20,000 euros to Father Turek, in addition to 15,000 euros to Cardinal Becciu and another 15,000 euros to the Dicastery.
An unfounded defamation
Giampaolo’s defamations were related to an alleged beatification cause for the Italian politician Aldo Moro, a victim of terrorism in 1978. Giampaolo, who falsely presented himself as the postulator, allegedly claimed that money was being requested in the Vatican to promote the beatification process, directly pointing to Father Turek and Cardinal Becciu.
Read also: The Vatican: no money was ever requested for Aldo Moro’s beatification cause
However, the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints categorically denied these claims as early as April 2021. In that statement, it clarified that “there is no beatification cause concerning the Honorable Aldo Moro” and that Nicola Giampaolo was never appointed postulator. “No money was requested or received, because no such cause exists,” the official note stated at the time.
Truth, justice, and transparency
The sentence represents a moral and legal reparation for those who were unjustly defamed. But it also has a deeper meaning: the recognition that defamation cannot go unpunished, especially when it is used to tarnish the reputation of those who serve the Church.
The Vatican tribunal’s ruling, in addition to condemning the responsible party, restores the truth and reaffirms the seriousness of pontifical justice, which does not hesitate to act even within its own structures when honor and truth are at stake.
A call to prudence and charity
The Giampaolo case closes an episode that for years fueled suspicions and insinuations. But it leaves open a necessary reflection: the credibility of the Church is defended not only with words, but with truth, transparency, and justice.
In a world that applauds defamation and despises honor, the Church shows another path: that of reparation, prudence, and charity. Because—as the Gospel teaches—“the truth will set you free”.