Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu has announced that he will submit to the will of the late Pope Francis, refusing to participate in the new conclave.
UNN reports with reference to VaticanNews and Bild.
Details
Italian Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu published a statement on Tuesday, April 29, announcing that he will not participate in the conclave, which will begin on May 7.
In a statement released on Tuesday through his lawyers, Becciu explained his decision:
Because I care about the good of the Church, which I have served and will continue to serve with fidelity and love, and also to contribute to the unity and peace of the Conclave, I have decided, as always, to submit to the will of Pope Francis not to participate in the Conclave, while I am convinced of my innocence.
Reference
Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, former Deputy for General Affairs and former Prefect for the Affairs of Saints, was sentenced in 2023 to 5 years and 6 months in prison in a case involving embezzlement, abuse of office and bribery of a witness. Earlier, Becciu was accused of using millions of donations for shady real estate deals.
However, officially, Becciu was never deprived of the right to vote - and therefore insisted on his participation until the end, Bild writes.
Shortly before his recall, Becciu was still confident: "There was no explicit desire to exclude me from the conclave, and I was not asked in writing to waive my right to vote." He later added: "It is unfair to exclude me!"
Conclave
On Sunday, the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican was closed to begin preparations for the conclave to elect the next Pope after the death of Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88.
Recall
The decision to start the conclave on May 7 was made at a general meeting of cardinals on April 28 in the Vatican. The Sistine Chapel was closed to prepare for the election of the Pope.