Unraveling the Enigma of the Cardinal's Participation in the Sacred Assembly
Cardinal Becciu Excluded from Papal Election Amidst Scandal
Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, embroiled in a financial scandal, aspires to join the conclave to elect the new pope, yet Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin stands firm against this. Reports suggest that two letters, purportedly penned by Pope Francis, point to Becciu's exclusion from the conclave. Italian media outlets have backed this claim The Daily Vatican.
- Crowds Gather at Late Pope Francis's Grave
- Front-Runner for the New Pope Revealed?
Cardinal Parolin reportedly shared typewritten letters, sealed with the Pope's F insignia, that ban Becciu from entering the Sistine Chapel. The letters, dated 2023 and March 2025, surfaced during Pope Francis's final, severe illness Just Vatican.
A Long-time Confidant of Pope Francis
At 76, Becciu served as Pope Francis's close confidant for seven years as the number two in the Vatican's Secretariat of State. The Pope himself made him a cardinal. However, in September 2020, following a confidential conversation, Francis effectively dismissed him The Guardian.
Following the meeting with the Pope, Becciu lost his cardinalatial privileges. Yet, the prelate asserts his right to participate in the conclave, claiming "there is no legal or formal obstacle to my participation in the conclave" Italian Press.
Designated a "Non-elector"
On a Vatican list of cardinals, Becciu is listed as a "non-elector." The Pope revoked the rights associated with the cardinalate from Becciu in 2020, connected to the major fraud scandal.
Becciu's precise status since then has been unclear. The cardinal argues that the Vatican's list "has no legal value" Italian Press. In 2022, however, Francis invited Becciu to the consistory, the meeting of cardinals, which Becciu interprets as a form of rehabilitation after the revocation of his cardinalatial rights. To date, there are no official statements from the Vatican on this matter.
By the end of 2023, Becciu became the first cardinal in the Catholic Church's history to be sentenced to a five-year and six-month prison term by a Vatican court. The trial revolved around suspicious real estate deals, implicating him in a scandal The Washington Post.
- The revocation of Cardinal Becciu's cardinalatial rights, stemming from a major fraud scandal, has made headlines in general-news and crime-and-justice segments.
- Despite being designated a "non-elector" by the Vatican, Cardinal Becciu maintains his aspiration to join the conclave and elect the new pope, asserting that there is no legal obstacle to his participation.
- In 2023, Becciu became the first cardinal in the Catholic Church's history to be sentenced to a prison term, provoking a stir in Italian media outlets.
- The supposed interpretation of the Pope's letters by Cardinal Parolin, discussed in various Italian media outlets, indicates Becciu's exclusion from the Sistine Chapel where the election of the new pope takes place.
