Disgraced Cardinal Becciu formally withdraws from participation in conclave to elect pope

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Italian cardinal astatine the bosom of the Vatican’s “trial of the century” announced Tuesday helium was withdrawing from participating successful the upcoming conclave to elite a caller pope for “the bully of the church.”

Cardinal Angelo Becciu’ s presumption has dominated discussions successful the days aft Pope Francis’ decease amid questions astir whether helium would enactment successful the conclave to elite his successor.

After his 2020 downfall, Becciu had said helium would not enactment successful immoderate aboriginal conclave. But successful caller days helium had asserted helium had a close to participate the Sistine Chapel with different cardinals connected May 7.

On Tuesday, the 76-year-old Italian issued a connection done his lawyers that said: “Having astatine bosom the bully of the church, which I person served and volition proceed to service with fidelity and love, arsenic good arsenic to lend to the communion and serenity of the conclave, I person decided to obey arsenic I person ever done the volition of Pope Francis not to participate the conclave portion remaining convinced of my innocence.”

Becciu was erstwhile an influential Vatican main of unit who was a starring papal contender himself. But helium fell from grace successful 2020 erstwhile Francis forced him to resign his occupation arsenic caput of the Vatican’s saint-making bureau and his rights arsenic a cardinal due to the fact that of allegations of fiscal misconduct.

Becciu denied wrongdoing but was enactment connected proceedings successful the Vatican transgression tribunal and convicted of finance-related charges successful December 2023. He is appealing the condemnation and 5 1/2-year situation condemnation and had participated successful the pre-conclave meetings, including connected Monday.

Becciu roseate to prominence and powerfulness nether blimpish Pope Benedict XVI and is precise overmuch affiliated with the blimpish Vatican aged guard. While helium initially became a adjacent advisor to Pope Francis, Becciu’s consequent downfall astatine the hands of Francis mightiness suggest helium would ballot for idiosyncratic keen to undo immoderate of Francis’ reforms.

At 76, Becciu is nether the property bounds of 80 and technically eligible to vote, but the Vatican’s authoritative statistic database him arsenic a “non-elector.”

The Vatican papers regulating a conclave, known by its Latin sanction Universi Dominici Gregis, lays retired the criteria for electors, making wide that 80 cardinals nether 80 person the close to elite the pope, but those who person been “canonically deposed oregon who with the consent of the Roman Pontiff person renounced the cardinalate.” It adds that aft a pope has died, “the College of Cardinals cannot readmit oregon rehabilitate them.”

There has ne'er been immoderate clarity connected what precisely Becciu renounced oregon how: The one-line connection issued by the Vatican property bureau connected Sept. 24, 2020, said simply that Francis had accepted Becciu’s resignation arsenic prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints “and his rights connected to the cardinalate.” There is nary denotation helium has been sanctioned canonically.

After helium forced Becciu’s resignation, Francis visited Becciu connected occasions and allowed him to enactment successful the beingness of the Vatican. But Francis besides changed Vatican instrumentality to let the metropolis state’s transgression tribunal to prosecute him.

Italian regular Domani reported past week that during the archetypal pre-conclave discussions, Becciu was presented with 2 letters signed by Francis earlier helium died indicating helium should not enactment successful the conclave. Becciu's notation of Francis' volition successful his connection Tuesday suggests that the letters were the tipping constituent that convinced him to retreat from the vote.

Questions, meanwhile, person continued to swirl astir the integrity of the proceedings that convicted Becciu and 8 others. During the proceedings, the tribunal heard that Francis intervened connected respective occasions connected behalf of the prosecutors and that the prosecution’s premier witnesser against Becciu was coached and manipulated by outsiders.

The entreaty is scheduled to statesman successful September.

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