Cardinal Angelo Becciu — a former power player before his involvement in a Vatican financial scandal led him to resign his positions and renounce some of the privileges of being a cardinal — said on Tuesday that he would sit this one out. For the good of the church, he said in a statement sent by his lawyer, he vowed to obey “the will of Pope Francis to not enter into the conclave, even though I remain convinced of my innocence.”
Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s status has dominated discussions in the days after Pope Francis’ death amid questions about whether he would participate in the conclave to elect Francis’ successor.
A cardinal who was found guilty of financial crimes will not vote in next week’s conclave after letters by the late Pope Francis emerged showing that he did not want Angelo Becciu participating in choosing his successor. The Italian cardinal up until last week was defiant that he could still vote in conclave but on Tuesday he withdrew after he was presented with two letters – written by Pope Francis before his death – saying he should not participate.
