Defense in Vatican ‘trial of the century’ asks prosecutor to recuse himself for questionable conduct

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Defense lawyers in the Holy See’s “trial of the century” asked the Vatican prosecutor to recuse himself from the appeals trial Monday, arguing he was implicated in questionable behavior according to years of private WhatsApp messages that have shaken the proceedings.

Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi has a conflict of interest that should preclude him from heading the prosecution, the lawyers said in separate motions on the opening day of the appeals trial.

The tribunal president, Archbishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo, accepted the motions and ordered Diddi to respond within three days, underscoring how the chats have shifted the ground under the Vatican’s most ambitious and high-profile prosecution of alleged financial misconduct.

The trial concerning the Vatican’s 350 mi