Pope Francis authorised spending up to €1m (£850,000) to free a Colombian nun kidnapped by al-Qaida-linked militants in Mali, a cardinal has testified, revealing previously secret papal approval to hire a British security firm to find the nun and secure her freedom. Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s testimony could pose serious security implications for the Vatican and the Catholic church, since he provided evidence that the pope was apparently willing to pay ransom to Islamist militants. Ransom payment are rarely if ever confirmed, to dissuade future kidnappings, and it is not known how much – if any – Vatican money ended up in the hands of the militants. Becciu, who was once one of Francis’s top advisers as the No 2 in the Vatican secretariat of state, had withheld his testimony from the Vatican tribunal for nearly two years as a matter of state and pontifical secret. But he spoke freely on Thursday in his own defence after Francis released him from the confidentiality requirement. Becciu is one of 10 people accused in the Vatican’s sprawling financial fraud trial, which originated in the Holy See’s €350m investment in a London property and expanded to cover other alleged crimes. Prosecutors have accused the defendants of a host of crimes in allegedly fleecing the Holy See of millions of euros in fees, commissions and bad investments. Becciu, the lone cardinal on trial, is accused of embezzlement, abuse of office and witness tampering, all of which he denies. On Thursday his testimony covered the charges concerning his relationship with Cecilia Marogna, an Italian self-styled intelligence specialist who is also on trial on embezzlement charges. Vatican prosecutors accuse Marogna of embezzling €500,000, citing bank records from her Slovenian holding company that show wire transfers from the Vatican for unspecified humanitarian ends, and expenditures out of the account for high-end luxury goods. Becciu testified on Thursday that he hired Marogna as an external security consultant, impressed by her grasp of geopolitical affairs and the trust she enjoyed of two of Italy’s top secret service officials, who accompanied her to a meeting in the Vatican. Becciu said he turned to Marogna for help after the February 2017 kidnapping of a Colombian nun, Sister Gloria Cecilia Narváez, in Mali. She had been taken by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which has bankrolled its insurgency by kidnapping westerners. During her captivity, the group periodically showed Narváez on video asking for the Vatican’s help. Becciu said he brought the matter to Francis as well as Marogna, who he said advised him that she could work with a British intelligence firm, The Inkerman Group, to secure the nun’s release. He testified that Francis authorised him to proceed with the Inkerman operation, and forbade him from telling anyone else about it, including the Vatican’s police chief. Francis was concerned about the security and reputational implications if the news leaked, Becciu said. Becciu said he and Marogna met Inkerman officials at their London office in mid-January 2018. Inkerman officials said there were no assurances of success and that the total expenditure could reach €1m, Becciu said. Because the Vatican wanted to remain external to any operation, Marogna became the key intermediary and the one to receive periodic payments from the Vatican secretariat of state for the operation, Becciu testified. Becciu said he told Francis about the London meeting in January 2018, while the pope was en route to Peru. “He listened to me and confirmed my intention to proceed,” Becciu testified. At a subsequent meeting in Rome, Becciu said the fee could total “about €1m, part to pay for the creation of a network of contacts, and part for the effective liberation of the nun.” Becciu testified: “I pointed out that we shouldn’t have gone beyond that figure. He approved. I must say that every step of this operation was agreed with the Holy Father.” Narváez was released in October 2021 after more than four years in captivity. Soon afterwards, she met Francis at the Vatican.