Embattled Cardinal Becciu Bows Out Of Pope Election Amid Ongoing Legal Battle

Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, once one of the Vatican’s most influential figures, announced Tuesday that he will not participate in the upcoming secret conclave to elect a new pope.

Becciu’s decision follows years of scandal and a high-profile conviction for financial crimes. In 2020, Pope Francis ordered him to resign his “rights and privileges” as a cardinal after his name surfaced in a major Vatican financial scandal.

Following the pope’s death last week, Becciu initially launched an appeal to assert his right to vote in the conclave. However, in a surprising reversal, he issued a statement Tuesday formally stepping aside.

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

The Vatican announced Monday that the conclave to elect a new pope for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics will begin on May 7.

Becciu’s withdrawal comes just a week after he told a Sardinian newspaper that there had been “no explicit will to exclude me from the conclave, nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing.”

A native of Sardinia, Becciu once held the powerful role of sostituto (substitute) in the Holy See’s Secretariat of State, essentially serving as the Pope’s chief of staff. The role gave him walk-in access to the pope and sweeping authority over the Vatican’s internal operations. He was later reassigned to lead the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the department responsible for declaring new saints.

In 2023, Becciu became the first cardinal ever convicted by the Vatican’s criminal court. He was found guilty of embezzlement and fraud and sentenced to five and a half years in prison. Despite the conviction, Becciu continues to insist on his innocence and has filed an appeal, which is still pending.

Until the legal process concludes, Becciu is permitted to remain in his Vatican apartment.