Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was convicted of embezzlement and fraud, has withdrawn from the conclave to elect a new pope after being shown a request from Pope Francis asking him not to participate.

Becciu, 76, officially stepped back from the process on Tuesday, April 29, despite having previously insisted he had the right to vote. He stated, “I have decided to obey the will of Pope Francis, as I have always done, and not enter the conclave, despite remaining convinced of my innocence.”

In December 2023, the Vatican’s criminal court sentenced Becciu to five and a half years in prison for his involvement in a scandal surrounding Vatican spies and investments in property in Chelsea. Becciu maintains his innocence and is free while he appeals the conviction.

Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88, had removed Becciu from a senior Vatican position in 2020, prior to his trial. However, Francis allowed Becciu to retain his ecclesiastical title and Vatican apartment, leading to uncertainty about whether he could participate in the conclave.

The situation calls to mind the plot of the film Conclave, in which a cardinal, played by Ralph Fiennes, searches for a note from a late pope requesting another cardinal’s resignation.

Becciu’s withdrawal could potentially affect the candidacy of Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a senior Vatican official and a prominent contender to succeed Francis.

A total of 135 cardinals under the age of 80 from around the world are eligible to vote for the next pope. However, the Vatican confirmed on Tuesday that two cardinals are unable to participate due to health reasons, reducing the number of electors to 133, the largest group in history.

The cardinals will need to decide whether to continue the reformist path advocated by Pope Francis or shift toward a more traditional approach.

Father Donato Ogliari, in a sermon to cardinals on Tuesday, expressed support for continuing the Pope’s dialogue-driven approach: “I believe that the path of dialogue, in which the Church has long been engaged and which Pope Francis has intensified on all fronts, should be pursued without fear.”

While the conclaves of 2005 and 2013 were completed in just two days, some speculate that the process might take longer this time. Many of the cardinals appointed by Francis come from diverse backgrounds and may not have met before, with Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni noting that some have started wearing name tags to facilitate introductions.

Despite these challenges, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez of El Salvador suggested on Tuesday that the conclave might conclude quickly. “I have the impression that the conclave will be short, two or three days. This is the feeling we have inside the room,” he told reporters.