Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, once a key figure in the Vatican’s power circles, has officially withdrawn from the upcoming conclave that will elect the next pope.

The decision follows his conviction in 2023 for financial misconduct, a case that has significantly shaken the Church’s internal affairs.

In a statement released Tuesday, April 29, Becciu confirmed he would not participate in the conclave, saying, “I have decided to obey Pope Francis’ wishes, as I have always done, not to enter the Conclave even though I remain fully convinced of my innocence.”

A complicated fall from grace

Becciu’s journey from influence to infamy has been dramatic. Once the “sostituto” or substitute in the Vatican’s powerful Secretariat of State, he held a chief-of-staff-like role that gave him direct access to Pope Francis and significant control over Church governance.

Later, he was reassigned to oversee the Vatican’s saint-making department.

However, in 2020, Pope Francis asked him to resign from all rights and privileges as a cardinal amid a sprawling financial scandal involving questionable investments.

His eventual conviction for embezzlement and abuse of office marked a historic first: no other cardinal had ever been tried and sentenced by the Vatican’s own criminal court.

Quiet exit before the conclave

Just last week, Becciu appeared to suggest he still intended to attend the secret papal election process, noting in a Sardinian newspaper interview that no explicit order had barred him.

However, with the conclave now officially set for May 7, the cardinal reversed his position.

Church officials did not publicly pressure him, but Vatican observers say the decision was likely encouraged behind closed doors to protect the integrity of the papal transition.

Despite the five-and-a-half-year sentence, Becciu remains out of prison while his appeal is under review. He continues to live in a Vatican-owned apartment, pending the final verdict.

“I still believe in the justice of the Church and have confidence that my name will be cleared,” he noted in his statement.

As cardinals prepare to elect a new spiritual leader for over 1.4 billion Catholics, Becciu’s absence removes a potentially divisive figure from the process, but also raises fresh questions about transparency and reform in the heart of the Church.