Agencies Vatican City

The Italian cardinal at the heart of the Vatican's "trial of the century" announced on Tuesday he was withdrawing from participating in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope for "the good of the church".

Cardinal Angelo Becciu's status has dominated discussions in the days after Pope Francis' death amid questions about whether he would participate in the conclave to elect his successor.After his 2020 downfall, Becciu had said he would not participate in any future conclave. But in recent days he had asserted he had a right to enter the Sistine Chapel with other cardinals on May 7.

On Tuesday, the 76-year-old Italian issued a statement through his lawyers that said: "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." 

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, once a powerful Vatican official, has formally withdrawn from participating in the conclave to elect a new pope.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.