Disgraced cardinal bows out of conclave after Pope’s letter

In an echo of the movie Conclave, convicted fraudster Cardinal Becciu was reportedly shown letters signed by Francis asking he abstain from voting for a new pope.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu was shown a letter by Pope Francis asking him not to take part in the conclave.

The Italian cardinal at the heart of the Vatican’s “trial of the century” has announced he will withdraw from the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope for “the good of the church,” after reportedly being shown a request he abstain that was signed by Pope Francis before he died.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s status has dominated discussions in the days after Francis’ death amid questions about whether he would participate in the conclave to elect the pontiff’s successor or not.

After his 2020 downfall, Becciu 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 for the conclave which starts 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.”

The reports of letters left by Francis asking a cardinal not to vote recall the plot of the film Conclave, in which the dean of the College of Cardinals played by Ralph Fiennes searches for a letter left by a late pope demanding a cardinal should resign.

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.

However the Italian newspaper Domani reports that he was shown letters signed by Francis asking him to stand down. One letter, signed ‘F’, was reportedly written by Francis on March 24 after his release from hospital last month and before his death on Easter Monday.

The letters were reportedly shown to Becciu by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state and by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals, who oversees 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.

Becciu's withdrawal doesn't affect the Vatican's official statistics about the conclave because internally it never considered him eligible to vote.

There remain 135 cardinal electors, though Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed Tuesday that two had formally announced they weren't coming due to health reasons, bringing the number of electors down to 133.

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.” 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.

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.

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.

AP