Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu has renounced his participation in the next conclave.
According to Pick up News in ItalianCardinal Becciu published a statement, in which it reads: “Having in the heart the good of the Church, to which I have served and I will continue to serve with fidelity and love, as well as contribute to communion and the serenity of the conclave, I have decided to obey how I have always done it at the will of Pope Francis not to enter the concolave remaining convinced of my innocence.”
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The statement confirms recent reports from Italian media, which pointed out that the former substitute for the Vatican Secretariat of State had decided to retire as a cardinal voter, despite having insisted last week that he had to vote. Then he had affirmed not having any formal impediment to participate in the conclave.
On Monday the word of the general congregation was given to the cardinals experts in canon law, and Mons. Giuseppe Sciacca, a canonist expert who, during the last conclave, had been called to the Sistine Chapel by the Camarlengo to explain the rules of voting to the cardinals.
Shortly before the meeting this morning, Cardinal Becciu met first with the Dean of the College, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and then with the former Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The Italian publication Open reported That “once the congregation began its work, it was immediately clear that it was not necessary for the cardinals to discuss and reach a vote, because it was Becciu himself who spoke.”
Open continued to say that Cardinal first “defended himself extensively” of the accusations for which the Vatican court condemned him. “But then he announced with great sadness, with the voice broken by emotion, which had recognized ‘the will of Pope Francis’ and, therefore, decided to retire’ for the good of the Church,” according to the report.
In 2020, Cardinal Becciu resigned from his cardinal privileges after being accused of financial crimes. In December 2023, he was convicted of embezzlement, aggravated fraud and abuse of power, and perpetually disabled to exercise public office. The cardinal has always maintained his innocence and is currently appealing his sentence.
The news followed a report in the Spanish magazine Nueva Vida that reported that the Sacred College was prepared to “vote on whether Becciu had to participate or not in the conclave”, but only once everyone, or most of the cardinals had reached Rome.
El Corriere della Sera confirmed that the “explanatory meeting” took place today at the Holy See during the General Congregation in the Classroom Pablo VI. The meeting served to convince Cardinal Becciu to “no longer feed the controversy,” said the newspaper.
The dispute over his ability to vote threatened to undermine the integrity and legitimacy of the conclave.
Several cardinals, including former Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said Cardinal Becciu could not vote because he resigned from his cardinal privileges in 2020 after being accused of financial crimes. Meanwhile, Italian media have informed about the alleged and not confirmed existence of A couple of cards of Pope Francis, the first after Becciu’s conviction in 2023 and the second of last month, confirming the Cardinal’s disqualification to vote in the papal elections.
At a press conference on Monday, the Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declared that the matter had not deliberated in the morning session of the general congregation, so no decision had been made in this regard. Nor could he specify how it would be decided.
Until Monday afternoon in Rome, Cardinal Becciu had not issued a statement confirming his decision not to participate. The Vatican is not expected to issue any statement, at least not until the cardinal does it, since for them the issue never existed, since the Pope’s letters had excluded him a priori.
The cardinal was simply invited to participate in the general congregations, as is the right of all the cardinals, even those of the oldest. “Cardinal’s resignation is meaningless for the Vatican, and does not have the obligation to announce the resignation of something that never belonged or corresponded to him,” said a source close to the Vatican to the National Catholic Register. “It was a right that only he claimed, but that could not be taken into consideration.”
The register learned on April 27 that the cardinals were frustrated by the matter and expected it to be resolved rapidly to be able to discuss much more urgent issues related to the future of the Church.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in the National Catholic Register.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 29 at 3:17 am (-5 GMT) to include the statement released by Cardinal Angelo Becciu about his resignation to participate in the next conclave.
Edward Pentin
Edward Pentin is a collaborator of the National Catholic Register and Vaticanist of Ewtn News. He began informing about the Pope and the Vatican on Radio Vaticana before becoming a correspondent in Rome for Ewtn. He has also informed about the Holy See and the Catholic Church for several other publications, including Newsweek, Newsmax, Zenit, The Catholic Herald and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specialized in the Church and the Middle East.