VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis accepted the resignation of high ranking-prelate Cardinal Angelo Becciu from his role as the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, along with the rights of Becciu’s cardinal’s title, on Thursday (Sept. 24).
The Vatican informed journalists with a statement late on Thursday, providing no further details.
The cardinal, formerly a right-hand man of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, was made secretary of state by Benedict in 2013 and held the position until 2017, when Pope Francis moved him to his more marginal job in the department that oversees the progress of candidacies for sainthood.
Becciu is the third cardinal in recent memory to lose the privileges of the red hat, which include the right to attend the conclave that elects the pope. Known sexual predators Theodore McCarrick and Keith O’Brien were also prohibited from exercising their role as cardinals.
“I prefer silence,” Becciu said with a “broken voice,” speaking to local news outlet Il Messaggero after news of his resignation became public.
Known as an astute diplomat and an avid gun collector, Becciu has recently seen his name mentioned in connection with an array of scandals concerning the Vatican’s financial dealings. In 2019, the Institute for Religious Works, also known as the Vatican bank, flagged suspicious activities at the Secretariat of State…
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