The papal conclave's 'banned' cardinal

A cardinal who was stripped of his rights and privileges by Pope Francis after being convicted of embezzlement has abandoned his fight to be admitted to next week's papal conclave.

Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu was the second highest ranking Vatican official until he was forced to resign after being charged with multiple counts of fraud in 2020. However, he had insisted that he should be able to take part in the conclave, despite resigning his rights and privileges.

In a twist worthy of the film and novel "Conclave", the Vatican's secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin "allegedly had" two letters, signed "F" by Pope Francis, apparently indicating that "Becciu could not participate" in the election of his successor, according to Catholic news site The Pillar.

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On Monday, following days of uncertainty over his putative participation, the 76-year-old Becciu "withdrew from the conclave during the cardinals' morning general congregation", said Jesuit magazine America.

'Deprived of all rights'

In 2021, Becciu became the first cardinal to be tried by the Vatican's criminal court. He was accused of funnelling Vatican funds to members of his family and losing hundreds of millions of euros, some of it intended for charitable works, in a London property deal.

At a "stormy meeting" after the charges were filed, Pope Francis is said to have "sacked" Becciu from his Vatican office and "deprived him of all rights connected to the role of cardinal", leaving him a cardinal in name only, said The Times.

Becciu was convicted in 2023 on counts of embezzlement, aggravated fraud and abuse of office, and barred from holding public office. His jail sentence of five years and six months is pending an appeal hearing and he is allowed to remain living in a Vatican apartment while the process continues. Becciu strongly maintains his innocence and claims he was the victim of a conspiracy.

A test of strength

Becciu's decision to withdraw ends a "dramatic, if distracting, event on the sidelines of the upcoming papal conclave", said America.

The Italian-born cardinal had argued that his inclusion in a 2022 consistory – a gathering of cardinals – indicated that Pope Francis wanted to reinstate him. The decision to include him was described at the time as a "private act of pastoral mercy". Last week, he told a Sardinian newspaper that there had never been an "explicit will to exclude me from the conclave nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing".

Opinions among Becciu's fellow cardinals on his eligibility were "mixed", said America. A source close to the case said his argument was "ridiculous", said the National Catholic Register. Italian investigative journalist Maria Antoinetta Calabro said in HuffPost that Becciu "never raised the issue" while the Pope was alive, "perhaps because it would have triggered a public stance by Pope Francis" that would not have gone in his favour.