RTL Today – Unlorn -Scandal: Convised cardinal confirms that he will suspend the conclave

Angelo Becciu, an Italian cardinal who was convicted and freed his privileges by Pope Francis, confirmed on Tuesday that he will not take part in the conclave to choose a new Catholic leader.

In a statement by his lawyer, Becciu said that he would adhere to the will of the late Pope and end the days of speculation about whether he would connect other cardinal voters in the Sistine Chapel on May 7.

“I decided to obey Pope Francis, as always, not to go into the conclave,” said Becciu, while he continued to protest his innocence.

The 76-year-old said he decided to take a step back to “have the well-being of the church” and “to contribute to the community and serenity of the conclave”.

Becciu, a former advisor of Francis, who was once seen as a papal candidate, was removed from office in September 2020 and deprived of his cardinal rights and privileges.

He was then brought to court with nine others in one case who focused on a catastrophic investment by the Vatican in a luxury building in London.

In 2023 he was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for financial crimes, although he appeals to the conviction.

Becciu, once one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican, had reported that he had to take part in the conclave, even though he was not on the official list of voters.

On Monday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who, as Foreign Minister Francis' number, presented two documents that were signed by the Argentine Pope and the said that he could not, according to Italian media.

The letters of 2023 and last month according to the Domini newspaper.

Becciu was the most high -ranking clergyman in the Catholic Church who faced a Vatican Criminal Court.

His very rare punishment came when Francis put a number of reforms into force to clean up the notoriously cloudy finances of the Vatican.

Becciu was number two in the secretariat of the state from 2011 to 2018, and in most of the time it was slogan his boss.

Severely, many are viewed by many due to its extensive diplomatic experience as the leader for the next Pope.

The Vatican expert John L. Allen Jr. took care last week and questions about his role in the London real estate scandal against him.