April 30, 2025 | 11:46 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - After Pope Francis passed away, the Vatican gears up for papal election, with Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu of Italy rising as the most likely candidate to be elected new pope. However, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, he wrote a letter to the Vatican and decided not to participate in the Papal Conclave as a voting or non-voting cardinal.
"Having at heart the good of the Church, which I have served and will continue to serve with faithfulness and love, and in order to contribute to the communion and serenity of the conclave, I have decided to obey—as I have always done—the will of Pope Francis not to enter the conclave, while remaining convinced of my innocence," wrote Cardinal Giovanni as quoted from Vatican News, April 29, 2025.
Cardinal Giovanni's statement is indeed in response to Pope Francis' request following his conviction of financial crimes by Vatican court. He was handed a five-and-a-half-year jail sentence.
Nevertheless, Becciu claims that he is still under investigation, not a suspect, meaning that he would still be shadowed by legal issues if he continued to join the conclave.
Becciu himself was not the main actor in the embezzlement, but he was accused of abusing power as the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. Quoting from Vatican News, through his lawyer, Becciu stated, "I am a victim of an organized plot hatched against me." Cardinal Becciu himself claims that there will come a time to clarify the falsehood of the allegations against him.
In line with his claim of innocence, during the investigation of this case, Becciu also filed an appeal against the ruling.
This appeal apparently allowed him to remain in the cardinal's apartment in the Vatican. However, he still relinquished all his positions and powers due to the scandal that befell him through a letter of resignation received by Pope Francis on Thursday, September 24, 2020.
Beccui was consequently asked by Pope Francis not to participate as a voter, let alone become a candidate for the new pope in the conclave scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Beccui mentioned that he would respect the request of the late Pope and continue to ensure the tranquility and sanctity of the conclave.
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