Vatican prosecutors suffer embarrassing loss as tribunal says their appeal is inadmissible

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican appeals tribunal put an end Thursday to prosecutors’ efforts to salvage their claims of massive fraud in the Holy See’s “Trial of the Century,” in which a once-powerful cardinal and nine others were accused of fleecing tens of millions of euros from the church.

The tribunal declared the prosecutor’s appeal in the case was inadmissible, meaning the court refused to admit prosecutors' requests to overturn acquittals on more than two-dozen charges. The court said prosecutors had failed on a basic procedural point: to provide specific reasons for their appeal within the right timeframe.

The decision, a stunning and embarrassing blow to prosecutors, means the appeals process goes forward but only for the defense efforts to overturn the 2023 convictions or reduce the