Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was convicted of embezzlement and fraud, announced on Tuesday that he will not participate in the upcoming secret conclave to elect the new pope.
Becciu, the highest-ranking Catholic Church official ever tried in a Vatican criminal court, was sentenced in December 2023 to five-and-a-half years in prison. He has consistently maintained his innocence and remains free pending an appeal.
“Having at heart the good of the Church… I have decided to obey, as I always have, the will of Pope Francis and to not enter the conclave, still remaining convinced of my innocence,” Becciu said in a statement.
The decision comes amid ongoing scrutiny following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. The late pontiff dismissed Becciu from a top Vatican role in 2020 amid allegations of financial misconduct. While Becciu was allowed to retain his ecclesiastical title and Vatican apartment, the Pope stripped him of “the rights associated with the Cardinalate” — a move that sparked uncertainty over whether he could still vote in a papal election.
As Catholic cardinals from around the world gather in Rome to address the Church’s future and prepare for the conclave, Becciu’s absence resolves one of the more contentious questions facing the assembly.
The conclave to elect the next pope is scheduled to begin on May 7.