Vatican trial defendant involved in release of Colombian hostage nun? (Crux)

A defendant in the Vatican’s high-profile financial-misconduct trial may have been instrumental in arranging the release of a Colombian religious missionary who was released this weekend, more than four years after she was kidnapped by Islamic militants in Mali.

The release of Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez Argoti was announced on October 9, and she attended the Pope’s public audience the next day.

Her release followed months of negotiations, in which one participant—according to Italian news accounts—was Cecilia Marogna, a security consultant who had received large sums from Cardinal Angelo Becciu. She has said that she was paid for handling sensitive issues involving the safety of Catholic missionaries. Marogna and Cardinal Becciu are both charged with embezzling funds. Her involved in the case of Sister Narvaez, if it is verified, could put a new complexion on her case.