VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican’s ” trial of the century ” had it all: part Dan Brown thriller, part John Grisham legal drama, part low-brow Shakespeare tragicomedy.

The financial whodunnit about the Holy See’s bungled 350 million euro investment in a London property was notable for its surreal cast of characters and exposure of Vatican vendettas, espionage and even papal ransom payments to Islamic militants.

The appeals trial opening Monday could be just as explosive.

WHY THIS MATTERS: The hearings could expose even more unwanted revelations about the Vatican’s inner workings, including details about Pope Francis’ hands-on role in the whole, sordid affair. That’s because thousands of pages of private text messages among the players recently became public.

The original trial opened in

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