As late Pope Francis’ body lies in state, drawing tens of thousands of faithful to the Vatican ahead of Saturday’s funeral, the political wheels are in motion for the upcoming conclave that will choose the next spiritual leader of the Catholic Church – and there’s already drama going on.
A cardinal convicted of fraud and embezzlement is demanding to participate in the choosing of the next pontiff, even though he has been designated as a ‘non-elector’.
New York Post reported:
“Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, 76, was investigated for taking part in an investment scheme involving a property in London, which wound up costing the church tens of millions of dollars.
Upon his conviction by a Vatican tribunal of judges, he was ordered to serve a five-and-a-half-year jail sentence, and personally ordered by the late Pope Francis to resign the ‘rights and privileges’ of his position in 2020, according to CNN.”
Powerful Becciu, the Holy See’s Secretariat of State has become the first cardinal ever to be convicted by the Vatican’s own criminal court.
He is also accused – with robust evidence – of a crime that is even worse than fraud.
“After his conviction, Becciu was also accused of using Vatican funds to bribe witnesses in the sex-abuse trial of his rival, Cardinal George Pell, whose conviction was overturned in 2020 after spending 13 months in prison in Australia.”
Prosecutors accuse Becciu of wiring over $800,000 to tamper with the testimony against Pell.
“Although the Holy See’s press office now designates him as a ‘non-elector’, Becciu claimed ‘there was no explicit will to exclude me from the conclave nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing’ in an interview with a Sardinian newspaper, the outlet writes.”
Francis’ funeral will be held on Saturday at 10am local time (4am ET) in St. Peter’s Square, after which he will be interred at the basilica of St. Mary Major near the Vatican.
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