All cardinal electors to vote in papal conclave, Becciu opts out

The College of Cardinals has announced that all 133 Cardinal electors participating in the conclave beginning May 7 will have the right to vote for the new Pope, overriding a previous limit of 120 voters.

The decision, detailed in a declaration released by the Holy See Press Office on Wednesday, follows a General Congregation of the Cardinals, reports Vatican News, the official portal of the Holy See.

Citing paragraph 33 of the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, which governs conclave procedures, the Cardinals noted that the late Pope Francis had dispensed with the 120-voter cap by appointing more than 120 Cardinals under the age of 80. 

According to paragraph 36, all Cardinals created and published by the Pope “have acquired the right to elect the Roman Pontiff” from the moment of their appointment. This ensures that all 133 electors can participate in the historic vote.

The declaration also acknowledged Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu’s decision to abstain from the conclave. “The Congregation has taken note that he, having at heart the good of the Church and in order to contribute to the communion and serenity of the conclave, has communicated his decision not to participate,” the statement read. 

The Cardinals expressed hope that “competent juridical bodies may definitively ascertain the facts” in Becciu’s ongoing corruption case.

In 2021, Becciu became the first cardinal tried by the Vatican’s criminal court, which convicted him of fraud involving €500,000 ($570,000) of Vatican funds. 

Some of the money, channelled through a Sardinian woman, was intended to secure the release of a Colombian nun kidnapped by jihadists in Mali but was allegedly used to purchase luxury goods, including Chanel and Prada purses. The woman claimed the items were necessary for her professional activities.

Becciu was also found guilty of embezzlement in two cases: one for a €125,000 donation to a charity run by his brother, partly used to build a bread oven in their Sardinian diocese, and another for a €200 million London real estate investment that led to over €200 million in losses, described by the Vatican as “criminal speculation.”

The Cardinals’ decision to expand voting rights underscores the Vatican’s commitment to inclusivity in the selection of the next Pope, while Becciu’s absence highlights ongoing efforts to address financial accountability within the Church.