As feared, the case of Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu has begun to stir unrest in the lead-up to the next conclave. In 2020, Pope Francis stripped him of his cardinal privileges — including the right to vote for a new pope — after financial fraud allegations. A Vatican court later sentenced him to five and a half years in prison. Yet Becciu is determined to take part in the conclave and has been attending the general congregations, despite the ongoing appeals process.
Becciu argues there is no formal decree banning him — and technically, he’s right. The Vatican only issued a press release at the time, which holds no canonical weight. However, the situation has taken on the feel of a Vatican thriller.
According to Italian media reports, tensions surfaced the Monday after the Pope’s death, when Becciu showed up at the first meetings of cardinals. The drama peaked on Thursday with a major plot twist: Pope Francis had, apparently, issued verbal and written instructions to exclude him from the conclave. Two documents have now surfaced, both signed with the letter “F” — one dated 2023 and the other from this past March, likely written while the Pope was hospitalized.
The revelation underscores a common criticism of Francis: a tendency to act impulsively and bypass canonical procedure. “The Pope made a mess,” said historian Alberto Melloni, an expert on conclaves, in comments to El País.
Initially, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, allowed Becciu to attend the meetings, stating he had received no written instruction to the contrary. Becciu himself maintained that there was “no explicit intention” to exclude him and that the Pope had even told him in January, “I believe I’ve found the solution.” Yet the Pope never disclosed what that solution was.
Everything changed when Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo and the other authority during the sede vacante, pulled Re aside to report that the Pope had verbally instructed him to bar Becciu. Still, the cardinal remained defiant — until Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin produced the two written documents. The moment carried extra weight, as Parolin and Becciu were once close collaborators. Becciu had even been considered papabile before his fall from grace.
The incident took a slightly absurd turn. Sources say that during Thursday’s session, Cardinal Re began criticizing Becciu, unaware he was actually in the room. Becciu eventually raised his hand to make his presence known, surprising the audience of 113 cardinals.
Not long ago, Becciu was one of the Vatican’s most powerful figures. As the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, he managed secret funds — one of which was used in a controversial purchase of a luxury building in central London. The deal, riddled with shady characters, left a €139 million hole in the Holy See’s already fragile finances. Other scandals involved an attempted oil investment in Angola and Vatican funds allegedly used to rescue a kidnapped nun in Mali — money that ended up financing luxury purchases by a close acquaintance of Becciu’s posing as a secret agent. One expert at the trial summed it up memorably: “Millions in the Vatican flew around like Panini stickers.”
When the Pope found out, he summoned Becciu, scolded him, and dismissed him on the spot — a move seen by some as rash and lacking in procedural finesse. That moment has now come back to haunt the Church.
For now, Becciu’s role in the conclave remains uncertain. Reached by El País, he declined to comment. The Vatican press office has stated that he, like the other 232 cardinals, has the right to attend the general congregations — but whether he can vote will be decided later. The cardinals may vote on the matter once more participants arrive in Rome. Any formal defect in the election process could be grounds to challenge the result in the future. As Becciu told Reuters on Thursday night: “My brother cardinals will be the ones to decide.”
