VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinal Angelo Becciu, once a powerful Vatican official, has formally withdrawn from participating in the conclave to elect a new pope.
The Vatican's criminal court convicted Becciu in 2023 of embezzlement and other finance-related charges at the end of the so-called “trial of the century.” But in recent days, he insisted he was still entitled to vote in the conclave. He withdrew on Tuesday, apparently after he was presented with two letters, written by Pope Francis before his death, saying he shouldn't participate.
Becciu, 76, was once a leading papal contender. A longtime Vatican diplomat, he served in embassies in Angola, Cuba and elsewhere before taking up one of the most powerful jobs as “substitute” in the Vatican secretariat of state. Francis made him the head of the Vatican's saint-making office and promoted him to a cardinal in 2018, but later forced his resignation over allegations of financial mismanagement.
The Sardinian native rose to prominence under conservative Pope Benedict XVI and is closely affiliated with the conservative Vatican old guard. While he initially became a close adviser to Francis, Becciu owes his downfall to him.
Francis forced Becciu's resignation as head of the Vatican's saint-making office and forced him to renounce the rights of the cardinalate on Sept. 24, 2020, after receiving allegations that Becciu sent Vatican money to his brother in Sardinia.
Becciu told journalists that his downfall was “surreal,” but that he had a clear conscience. He said he remained loyal to Francis and was ready to die for him.
The Vatican in its official statistics said he was no longer an elector in the conclave.
At 76, Becciu is under the age limit of 80 and technically eligible to vote.
After days of controversy about his participation in the conclave, Becciu released a statement through his lawyer, Fabio Viglione, renouncing his participation.
“Having at heart the good of the church, which I have served and will continue to serve with fidelity and love, as well as to contribute to the communion and serenity of the conclave, I have decided to obey as I have always done the will of Pope Francis not to enter the conclave while remaining convinced of my innocence,” it said.
It was not clear what the letters from Francis said.
Vatican prosecutors in 2021 issued a 487-page indictment accusing Becciu and nine others of numerous financial crimes including fraud, embezzlement, extortion, corruption, money laundering and abuse of office.
The main focus involved the Holy See’s 350-million-euro investment in a luxury London property. Prosecutors allege brokers and Vatican monsignors fleeced the Holy See of tens of millions of euros in fees and commissions, then extorted the Holy See for 15 million euros ($16.5 million) to cede control of the property.
The London investigation spawned two tangents that involved the star defendant, Becciu, including the Sardinia allegations.
Prosecutors accused him of embezzlement because he sent 125,000 euros in Vatican money to a diocesan charity in Sardinia that was run by his brother. Becciu argued that the local bishop requested the money for a bakery to employ at-risk youths, and that the money remained in the diocesan coffers.
Becciu was also accused of paying a Sardinian woman, Cecilia Marogna, for her intelligence services. Prosecutors traced some 575,000 euros in transfers from the Vatican to Marogna's Slovenian front company, then expenditures for high-end luxury goods.
Becciu said he thought the money was going to be used to pay a British security firm to negotiate the release of a Colombian nun who had been taken hostage by Islamic militants in Mali in 2017.
Becciu, Marogna and seven others were convicted of various finance-related charges and all are appealing.
Questions continue about the integrity of the trial. During the proceedings, the court heard that Francis intervened on several occasions on behalf of the prosecutors, and that the prosecution’s prime witness against Becciu was coached and manipulated by outsiders.
Defense lawyers discovered that the pope had secretly issued four decrees during the investigation to benefit prosecutors, allowing them to conduct intercepts and detain suspects without a judge’s warrant.
Lawyers argued such interference by an absolute monarch in a legal system where the pope exercises supreme legislative, executive and judicial power violated their clients’ fundamental rights and robbed them of a fair trial.
The tribunal rejected their objections, but in recent weeks more evidence has emerged about the outside manipulation of the witness and apparent collusion with Vatican prosecutors and gendarmes to target Becciu.
The appeal is scheduled to begin in September.
The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, declined to speak about the new evidence reported by Domani newspaper about the efforts to target Becciu, saying he would only speak about the conclave.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
FILE - Mons. Angelo Becciu presides over an eucharistic liturgy, at the St. John in Latheran Basilica, in Rome, Feb. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File )
After a frenetic few months of congressional redistricting efforts, President Donald Trump’s plan to reshape voting districts for partisan advantage ahead of this year’s midterm elections stands at an important juncture.
Will Republican- and Democratic-led states ramp up their remapping of U.S. House districts as new legislative sessions get underway? Or will the mid-decade redistricting frenzy fade away following Indiana’s resounding rejection of Trump’s pressure-packaged campaign?
“We’re at a crossroads to see if the mid-decade redistricting movement gains more speed or was simply an attempt by Donald Trump to impact elections that in many states fizzled,” said Jeffrey Wice, director of the Elections, Census and Redistricting Institute at New York Law School.
Virginia and Florida are two key states to watch. Democrats who lead Virginia and Republicans who lead Florida could try to swing multiple seats in their party’s favor by an aggressive redistricting. Virginia’s legislative session begins Wednesday. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to call a special session in April on congressional redistricting.
What happens next in Democratic-led Illinois and Maryland and in Kansas' Republican-led Legislature also could affect the GOP’s ability to maintain a narrow House majority in the face of political headwinds that typically favor the party out of power in midterm elections. Key lawmakers in all three of those states remain opposed to redistricting.
Trump kick-started an unusual redistricting plan in July by calling on Texas Republicans to redraw their congressional map to create more favorable districts for the party — even though there was no new census data to base it upon. That triggered a mid-decade redistricting battle the likes of which has not been common since the late 1800s.
Texas, Missouri and North Carolina all approved new Republican-friendly House districts. Ohio, which had to redistrict because of its state constitution, used the opportunity to enact a more favorable House map for Republicans.
But Ohio’s action on Oct. 31 marked a turning point. That same day, Virginia’s Democratic-led legislature took a first step toward redistricting. Then in November, California voters approved new House districts helping Democrats, Kansas Republicans dropped plans for a special session on redistricting, and a Utah judge adopted a new House map that benefits Democrats.
Trump suffered a stunning setback Dec. 11, when Indiana’s Republican-led Senate defeated a redistricting plan that could have helped the GOP win all nine of the state’s U.S. House seats, up from their current seven.
The net result from the 2025 jockeying could be three additional seats for Republicans. But even that is in question, because legal challenges remain in some states, and there is no guarantee that parties will win the districts they redrew.
When the Virginia General Assembly begins its annual session, the agenda will include a proposed constitutional amendment allowing mid-decade redistricting in response to other states.
The amendment, which received first-round approval in the fall, would also need to pass a statewide vote before the new districts could be implemented. Quick action would be necessary to get all that accomplished in time for candidates to run in redrawn districts later this year.
Democrats, who currently hold six of the state’s 11 U.S. House seats, have not unveiled what those new districts would look like. But some have talked of trying to gain as many as four additional seats.
Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger has embraced the redistricting effort but has not committed to a particular plan.
“I will look at any map that is kind of reasonable and keeping communities compact and together,” Spanberger, a Democrat, told The Associated Press. “But ultimately, it’s up to the people of Virginia to choose whether or not to move forward with the referendum.”
Republicans currently hold 20 of Florida’s 28 U.S. House seats. That advantage could grow if districts are reshaped during a special session.
Although Florida’s regular legislative session starts Tuesday, DeSantis said he is waiting until April to call a special redistricting session to allow time for a possible U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act. If the court rules in a Louisiana case that race cannot be the predominant factor in creating voting districts, it could open the way for several Republican-led states to redraw districts represented by Black or Hispanic lawmakers who are Democrats.
DeSantis said the high court's ruling could affect “at least one or two” Florida districts.
But any redistricting that aids Republicans could face a court challenge. A voter-approved Florida constitutional provision prohibits drawing district boundaries to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.
Some Democrats seeking to counter Trump have urged lawmakers in Illinois and Maryland to redraw their already heavily Democratic districts to try to gain one additional seat in each state. But the plans appear to lack traction as legislative sessions begin this week in both states.
Illinois House Speaker Pro Tem Kam Buckner said “there is no active push” for congressional redistricting.
“There is no appetite to reopen something that will consume enormous time, energy and, frankly, political capital without a compelling justification,” Buckner, a Democrat, told the AP.
Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has created a special commission to recommend a new congressional map. But Democratic Senate President Bill Ferguson remains opposed and insists that a majority of residents also do not want new districts.
In Kansas, some Republicans want to redraw U.S. House districts to try to gain an additional seat. But House Republicans have failed to gain the two-thirds support needed to override a likely veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins told reporters that he has no plans to hold a vote on congressional redistricting during the annual legislative session that starts Monday.
“I do not have the votes,” Hawkins said.
Associated Press reporters Olivia Diaz, John Hanna, Mike Schneider and Brian Witte contributed to this story.
President Donald Trump points to the crowd as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
FILE - Opponents of Missouri's Republican-backed congressional redistricting plan display a banner in protest at the State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)
FILE - ndiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith announces the results of a vote to redistrict the state's congressional map, Dec. 11, 2025, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
FILE - This photo taken from video shows organizers rallying outside of the Ohio Statehouse to protest gerrymandering and advocate for lawmakers to draw fair maps in Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos, File)
