Disgraced Cardinal Becciu formally withdraws from participation in
conclave to elect pope
[April 29, 2025]
By NICOLE WINFIELD
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Italian cardinal at the heart of the Vatican’s
“trial of the century” announced Tuesday he was withdrawing from
participating in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope for “the good
of the church.”
Cardinal Angelo Becciu’ s status has dominated discussions in the days
after Pope Francis’ death amid questions about whether he would
participate in the conclave to elect Francis' successor.
After his 2020 downfall, Becciu had said he would not participate in any
future conclave. But in recent days he had asserted he had a right to
enter the Sistine Chapel with other cardinals on May 7.
On Tuesday, the 76-year-old Italian issued a statement through his
lawyers that said: “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.”
Becciu was once an influential Vatican chief of staff who was a leading
papal contender himself. But he fell from grace in 2020 when Francis
forced him to resign his job as head of the Vatican’s saint-making
office and his rights as a cardinal because of allegations of financial
misconduct.
Becciu denied wrongdoing but was put on trial in the Vatican criminal
court and convicted of finance-related charges in December 2023. He is
appealing the conviction and 5 1/2-year prison sentence and had
participated in the pre-conclave meetings, including on Monday.
Becciu rose to prominence and power under conservative Pope Benedict XVI
and is very much affiliated with the conservative Vatican old guard.
While he initially became a close adviser to Pope Francis, Becciu’s
subsequent downfall at the hands of Francis might suggest he would have
voted for someone keen to undo some of Francis’ reforms.
At 76, Becciu is under the age limit of 80 and technically eligible to
vote, but the Vatican’s official statistics list him as a “non-elector.”
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Mons. Angelo Becciu presides over an eucharistic liturgy, at the St.
John in Latheran Basilica, in Rome, Feb. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Gregorio
Borgia, File )
The Vatican document regulating a conclave, known by its Latin name
Universi Dominici Gregis, lays out the criteria for electors, making
clear that cardinals under 80 have the right to elect the pope,
except those who have been “canonically deposed or who with the
consent of the Roman Pontiff have renounced the cardinalate.” It
adds that after a pope has died, “the College of Cardinals cannot
readmit or rehabilitate them.”
There has never been any clarity on what exactly Becciu renounced or
how: The one-line statement issued by the Vatican press office on
Sept. 24, 2020, said merely that Francis had accepted Becciu’s
resignation as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
“and his rights connected to the cardinalate.” There is no
indication he has been sanctioned canonically.
Italian daily Domani reported last week that during the initial
pre-conclave discussions, Becciu was presented with two letters
signed by Francis before he died saying he should not participate in
the conclave. Becciu's reference to Francis' will in his statement
Tuesday suggests that the letters were the tipping point that
convinced him to withdraw from the vote.
After he forced Becciu’s resignation, Francis visited Becciu on
occasions and allowed him to participate in the life of the Vatican.
But Francis also changed Vatican law to allow the city state’s
criminal tribunal to prosecute him.
Questions, meanwhile, have continued to swirl about the integrity of
the trial that convicted Becciu and eight others. During the
proceedings, the court heard that Francis intervened on several
occasions on behalf of the prosecutors and that the prosecution’s
prime witness against Becciu was coached and manipulated by
outsiders.
The appeal is scheduled to begin in September.
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