The cardinal Archbishop of Naples will cooperate with a corruption investigation, the Vatican has said, after the Church was dragged into the biggest scandal facing Italy in years.
Police investigating the "Great Works" probe are looking into the property and other financial dealings of Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe while he led the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, known as Propaganda Fide, from 2001 until 2006.
Investigators are looking into allegations that the cardinal sold property below market value to a government minister who then allocated public funds for work on the Vatican building housing the congregation. There are also questions about how the cardinal helped a government official - now also under investigation - find a flat in one of Rome's most exclusive districts.
