As the late Pope Francis lies in state at the Vatican, drawing tens of thousands of mourners ahead of his historic funeral this Saturday, a political and moral crisis is already engulfing the Catholic Church: a disgraced cardinal convicted of financial crimes is now demanding the right to help select the next pontiff.
Convicted Cardinal Becciu Sparks Conclave Chaos
At the center of the brewing scandal is Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, 76, the first cardinal in Church history to be convicted by a Vatican criminal court. Once one of the most powerful men in the Holy See as a senior figure in the Secretariat of State, Becciu was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for fraud and embezzlement linked to a scandalous real estate deal in London that cost the Church tens of millions.
In 2020, Pope Francis himself stripped Becciu of his rights and privileges, effectively exiling him from Church leadership—yet now, just days after the Pope’s death, Becciu is publicly asserting his right to vote in the upcoming conclave, the sacred assembly tasked with electing Francis’ successor.
Becciu told a Sardinian newspaper:
“There was no explicit will to exclude me from the conclave nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing.”
The Vatican, meanwhile, designates him as a “non-elector”, a title typically reserved for cardinals over the age of 80 or those otherwise disqualified.
More Than Financial Fraud: Allegations of Witness Tampering in a Sex Abuse Trial
Even more explosive than the financial scandal are allegations that Becciu used Vatican funds to bribe witnesses in the sex abuse trial of his rival, Cardinal George Pell, who was wrongfully convicted in Australia in 2018 before being exonerated by the High Court in 2020.
While Becciu has denied wrongdoing, the evidence is said to be compelling, and the timing of his reassertion of power—just as the Vatican prepares to elect a new Pope—raises deep concerns about moral rot and unchecked corruption at the highest levels of the Catholic Church.
Historic Funeral Amid Unholy Political Maneuvering
Pope Francis’ funeral is scheduled for Saturday at 10 AM local time in St. Peter’s Square, where the late pontiff will be remembered as a reformer and a global voice for the marginalized. He will be laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, a place of deep personal significance for Francis.
Yet even as millions mourn the death of a beloved spiritual leader, the conclave he leaves behind is already tainted by political scheming and unresolved criminality.
The Church at a Crossroads
This scandal highlights a deep crisis of governance and morality within the Vatican. Will the College of Cardinals stand firm and uphold the integrity of the Church’s holiest election process, or will power games and backdoor influence allow a convicted felon to cast a vote for the next pope?
The world will be watching as the conclave convenes in the coming days. The fate of the Catholic Church’s credibility may well hang in the balance.