Cardinal Angelo Becciu, convicted of embezzlement and fraud, has withdrawn from the conclave to elect a new pope after reportedly being shown a letter from the late Pope Francis requesting he not participate.
Becciu, 76, formally stepped aside on Tuesday, April 29, despite previously asserting his right to vote. “I have decided to obey the will of Pope Francis, as I have always done, and not enter the conclave, despite remaining convinced of my innocence,” he said.
Becciu was sentenced in December 2023 to five and a half years in prison for his involvement in a Vatican financial scandal involving secret deals and property investments in London. He denies any wrongdoing and remains free pending appeal.
The late Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88, had removed Becciu from a senior post in 2020 but allowed him to retain his cardinal title and Vatican apartment, creating uncertainty about his eligibility to vote in the conclave.
Reports of a letter left by Francis urging Becciu not to participate have drawn comparisons to the plot of the recent film Conclave, in which a secret papal note influences the election process.
Becciu’s exit could weaken the prospects of Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a prominent Vatican figure and a leading contender to succeed Francis.
A total of 135 cardinals under age 80 are eligible to vote, though the Vatican confirmed that two have withdrawn for health reasons, leaving 133 electors—the largest number ever. The conclave faces a pivotal choice: to continue the reformist, globally inclusive vision of Francis or return to a more traditional path.
Father Donato Ogliari, addressing the cardinals in a sermon Tuesday, urged them to continue Francis’s legacy of openness and dialogue. Meanwhile, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez of El Salvador expressed optimism that the conclave could conclude within two or three days, as in 2005 and 2013.
Some cardinals, especially those newly appointed by Francis from previously unrepresented countries, are meeting one another for the first time, even wearing name tags to help break the ice, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni noted.
