Francesco Miccichè

Francesco Miccichè (born 16 June 1943) is an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Trapani from 1998 to 2012.

Biography Miccichè was born into a family of modest means

When Miccichè faced charges of financial mismanagement and embezzlement in 2011, the Vatican ordered an investigation conducted by Bishop Domenico Mogavero between June and December of that year. Pope Benedict XVI removed him on 19 May 2012 and appointed Archbishop Alessandro Plotti of Pisa as Apostolic Administrator of Trapani. The formal basis for his removal was "alienation of property" that endangered the diocese, He said he accepted Benedict's action "in a spirit of obedience", but attributed the charges against him to the enemies he made in denouncing the Mafia and Masonry.

He remains a bishop and holds the title Bishop emeritus of Trapani.

Plotti confirmed that Miccichè had purchased a large penthouse apartment in the center of Rome using funds meant for charity. He said that when questioned about the source of some of the funds used for the real estate transaction, Miccichè replied: "I found them in a drawer." In December 2015, civil authorities announced that they had seized works of art and jewelry valued at two million Euros from Miccichè's apartment, items they said belonged to churches in the Trapani diocese. La Repubblica had reported the previous day that Miccichè had on several occasions requested a Vatican appointment that would remove him from Italian jurisdiction.

The legal proceedings against Miccichè and two other diocesan officials were still under way in June 2018. The Vatican announced that Pope Francis met with him privately on 18 January 2019.