Pope Leo XIV has met with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was barred from being part of the recent conclave due to his conviction for embezzlement.
The private audience, which took place on 27th May, was closely watched by many Catholics. Becciu, once Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, was asked by Pope Francis to resign in 2020, following allegations of financial misconduct. Though he retained the title of cardinal, he was stripped of related privileges and later convicted by the Vatican’s civil tribunal on multiple counts of financial fraud and corruption.
The trial revolved around the purchase of a London property by the Secretariat of State. The Vatican sold the building in 2022, taking an estimated loss of about 140 million euros. It subsequently accused several employees and two outside brokers of extortion.
In 2023, Becciu received a sentence of five and a half years in prison and is currently appealing the decision, with hearings scheduled to begin on 22nd September.
Becciu is the most senior Catholic Church official ever to stand trial before a Vatican criminal court. His case has been divisive among some cardinals, prompting questions of judicial fairness within Vatican City.
During discussions ahead of the recent papal conclave, several cardinals voiced concerns that Becciu had not received a fair hearing, and some supported his initial wish to remain an elector in the conclave.
After ultimately withdrawing from the process, Becciu received an endorsement from his peers, and the General Congregation expressed “appreciation for the gesture he’s taken”, adding hope that “the competent organs of justice can definitively ascertain the facts”.
The Vatican's lack of separation of powers in the justice system, where the Pope serves as chief executive, legislator, and judge, remains a contentious issue for Pope Leo's papacy.