Convicted Italian Cardinal Becciu Opts Out Of Conclave For Pope Election

A cardinal who was convicted of financial crimes by the Vatican, Giovanni Angelo Becciu, on Tuesday, said that he will not take part in the secret conclave to elect the new Pope.

Becciu, formerly one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican, was ordered by Pope Francis in 2020 to resign the “rights and privileges” of a cardinal after he became embroiled in a Vatican financial scandal.

In 2023, the Vatican’s criminal court convicted him of embezzlement and fraud and sentenced him to five and a half years in jail. He is the first cardinal to be convicted.

But the cardinal, who has always maintained his innocence, launched an appeal that is currently under consideration. He can continue living in a Vatican apartment while the process was underway.

Following Pope Francis’ death last week, Becciu launched an appeal supporting his right to be in the conclave. However, on Tuesday, he issued a statement announcing that he was formally pulling out.

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“I have decided to obey, as I have always done, Pope Francis’ will not to enter the Conclave while remaining convinced of my innocence,” he said.

LEADERSHIP reports that the Vatican announced Monday that the Cardinals have chosen May 7 to start the conclave and elect a new leader for the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.

Becciu decided to withdraw from the conclave just seven days after he told a Sardinian newspaper that “there was no explicit will to exclude me from the conclave nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing.”

The Sardinian cardinal previously held the position of “Sostituto” (substitute) in the Holy See’s Secretariat of State – a papal chief of staff equivalent.

The role offered Becciu walk-in privileges to see the Pope, and he commanded huge authority across the church’s central government. He was later moved to a position running the Vatican’s saint-making department.