Pope Francis' letter bans convicted cardinal from conclave

MANILA, Philippines — The Vatican's Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who presides over the cardinal electors, has reportedly presented letters from Pope Francis to convicted Cardinal Angelo Becciu that effectively ban him from the upcoming conclave.

Italian newspaper Domani, as cited by investigative news outlet The Pillar, reported that Parolin was bearing two typed letters, purportedly signed by the late pope with his initial "F." One letter was from 2023 and another last month while the pontiff was suffering from illness.

Prior to this, Becciu demanded the right to attend and vote at the conclave, where Francis' successor will be elected next month.

“The pope has recognized my cardinal prerogatives as intact, since there was no explicit will to exclude me from the conclave nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing,” Becciu reportedly told L’Unione Sarda newspaper on April 22, the day after the pope's death.

The case. Becciu, who used to be a close adviser to Pope Francis, was convicted in December 2023 to five years in jail for embezzlement, aggravated fraud and abuse of office. He thus became the most senior Church official to ever stand trial before a Vatican criminal court.

He was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, fined €8,000 (approximately P491,344 in December 2023), and given a perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

The conviction centered on Becciu's role in a disastrous Vatican investment in a London property, which resulted in losses exceeding $200 million for the Catholic Church.

Becciu was also found to have funneled Church funds to his family and to Cecilia Marogna, who was accused of misusing those funds.

Is he in prison? Becciu, who has consistently insisted on his innocence, is challenging the verdict and he does not do so while in prison. As of April 2025, he remains free, residing in a Vatican apartment while the process continues.

Non-elector. Since Pope Francis' death, Becciu has contested his status as "non-elector" at the papal conclave, arguing that canon law does not explicitly bar him from the process.

The latest move by Parolin, however, would officially exclude him from voting for the next Roman Pontiff.

What went before. In September 2020, Pope Francis told Becciu, "I no longer have trust in you." He also demanded that Beccui resign from his position as head of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

While Becciu retains his ecclesiastical title and Vatican apartment, he is stripped of rights associated with the cardinalate.

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