“I have decided to obey, as I have always done, Pope Francis’ will not to enter the Conclave while remaining convinced of my innocence,” Becciu said in a formal statement issued Tuesday, CNN reported.

Just a week earlier, Becciu had claimed in a local Sardinian newspaper interview that “there was no explicit will to exclude me from the conclave nor a request for my explicit renunciation in writing.” The Vatican, however, had made its stance clear much earlier. In 2020, Pope Francis forced the cardinal to resign all “rights and privileges” associated with the role, following Becciu’s entanglement in a murky real estate investment scandal.

Becciu’s fall from grace marks a rare public reckoning within the Holy See’s typically opaque bureaucracy. As “sostituto” or “substitute” in the Secretariat of State—a role akin to a papal chief of staff—he once wielded immense authority and had direct walk-in access to the Pope. Later, he was appointed to head the Vatican’s saint-making office.

Despite his conviction, Becciu has been allowed to continue living in his Vatican apartment while his appeal is underway.

With 1.4 billion Catholics watching the direction of the Church’s leadership, the Vatican confirmed that the conclave to elect the new pope will begin on May 7.-Agencies