Amid Scandal, Cardinal Becciu Bows Out of Papal Conclave

Once one of the most powerful voices in the Vatican, Cardinal Angelo Becciu has stepped back from the Vatican's most secretive election after a recent criminal conviction. Becciu made his decision on Tuesday after being presented with two letters written by Pope Francis before his death that said Becciu shouldn't take part, even though Becciu is 76 and below the age limit of 80 for conclave voters, making him technically eligible, per the AP. "Having at heart the good of the church, which I have served and will continue to serve with fidelity and love, as well as to contribute to the communion and serenity of the conclave, I have decided to obey as I have always done the will of Pope Francis not to enter the conclave while remaining convinced of my innocence," he said in a statement, per Vatican News.

The Vatican's official statistics confirm that Becciu is no longer an elector for the proceedings beginning May 7. Per the New York Times, Becciu seemed to acknowledge in 2020, after Pope Francis had yanked "his rights connected to the cardinalate," that he wasn't eligible to help elect a new pope in the future. However, last week Becciu did a 180 and said that Francis had since "recognized my cardinal privileges as intact" in private meetings and that there was no proof in writing on any kind of revocation of his voting rights. That's when "the Vatican apparently scrambled to produce some evidence," per the Times, apparently via the two letters from Francis.

Becciu was convicted in 2023 by the Vatican's criminal court following what's been called the "trial of the century" on charges of embezzlement and other financial crimes. The charges were tied to the Holy See's nearly $400 million investment in a luxury property in London. Vatican prosecutors alleged that brokers and monsignors took tens of millions of dollars in fees and commissions, with $16.5 million paid in an alleged extortion to regain control of the property. Prosecutors also accused Becciu of sending $140,000 or so in Vatican cash to a diocesan charity in Sardinia managed by his brother, and of paying a Sardinian woman approximately $655,000 for intel services, with prosecutors saying the money was routed through the woman's Slovenian firm and spent on luxury goods. Becciu and seven others are appealing their convictions. More here on his defense. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)