Cardinal Becciu bows out of Vatican conclave after Pope's letter
An Italian cardinal convicted for his role in a scandal involving Vatican spies and property investments in Chelsea has bowed out of the conclave to elect a new pope after reportedly being shown a request signed by Pope Francis before he died.
Cardinal Angelo Becciu backtracked on Tuesday on his earlier insistence that he would be voting in the conclave, stating: '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.'
The reports of letters left by Francis asking a cardinal not to vote recall the plot of the recent film Conclave, in which the dean of the college of cardinals played by Ralph Fiennes searches for a
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Libyan Express
10-05-2025
- Libyan Express
Libya faces growing information crisis
Libya's Truth Crisis: How a Collapsing Information Ecosystem Threatens Democratic Recovery By Mohammed Kashada, Senior Analysis Editor Libya faces a crisis beyond its fractured governance and economic challenges: a profound deterioration in societal awareness that undermines the possibility of democratic progress. This deficit in critical information processing has created conditions where authoritarian figures operate with functional impunity despite documented abuses. Evidence of this phenomenon emerged starkly last week when footage surfaced showing parliamentarian Ibrahim al-Darsi in captivity after his year-long disappearance. The recording depicted the elected official in restraints, visibly distressed, appealing to Khalifa Haftar and his son for release—material consistent with reports from human rights organisations about detention practices in eastern Libya. Officials from Haftar's government quickly issued strong denials, claiming the video was an 'artificial intelligence manipulation.' This explanation, though technically questionable, spread widely across Libya's fragmented media landscape and social platforms. According to our sources, the denial gained significant support despite offering no concrete evidence. This pattern repeated days later when an Italian military aircraft landed at Misurata Air College as part of established bilateral cooperation agreements. Pro-Haftar media outlets rapidly characterised this routine diplomatic exchange as the arrival of 'unauthorised migrants from the United States'—a narrative demonstrably false yet widely circulated through social media networks. These events reveal a troubling trend in Libya after the conflict: information manipulation has become a refined tool for controlling the population. As public understanding declines, advances in communication technology—which should make things more transparent—are instead twisted into channels for artificial storylines crafted to strengthen the grip of those in power. Security specialists studying the region believe these information campaigns do more than just divert attention. By deliberately destroying any shared understanding of facts, those in power make it practically impossible to hold anyone accountable, no matter what political system is supposedly guiding Libya's transition. Foreign partners trying to help stabilize Libya need to understand that lasting solutions must tackle this basic problem of distorted awareness. Even the best-designed voting systems and government reforms can't work properly when large segments of voters are living in completely different versions of reality. Fixing Libya's information landscape might be the most ignored but crucial part of getting proper government working again. If we don't address this, the country will keep going in circles where dreams of democracy stay forever out of reach—not because people openly reject democracy, but through something more insidious: a carefully engineered version of reality.
Libyan Express
09-05-2025
- Libyan Express
Italian defence officials land in Misurata
BY Libyan Express May 09, 2025 - 06:03 The delegation travelled on an Italian government C-130 transport aircraft A senior Italian military contingent touched down at Misurata's Air Force Academy early Wednesday. The visiting party comprised key officials including the chairman of the Libyan-Italian Relations Committee alongside the Training Department Director. The government information platform 'Hokoometna' revealed via its Facebook channel that this formal visit seeks to enhance bilateral defence collaboration in both academic and technical spheres. According to the platform, the delegation travelled on an Italian government C-130 transport aircraft that departed from Sicily's Sigonella Naval Air Base, operating as a standard flight within established military partnership protocols. The platform deliberately disclosed details about the aircraft and passengers to counter social media speculation regarding the flight's purpose, emphasising its exclusively technical and educational nature. 'Hokoometna' described the visit as representative of expanding bilateral cooperation in training and logistical support, further cementing joint efforts to strengthen Libya's national defence capabilities. Coincidentally, the Italian delegation's arrival occurred amid US media speculation that President Trump's administration might consider deporting undocumented migrants from America to Libya. Notably, both Libya's Government of National Unity and the parallel administration have categorically dismissed any discussions with US officials on this matter and expressed strong opposition to such proposals. The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express. How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@ Please include 'Op-Ed' in the subject line.
Tatler Asia
08-05-2025
- Tatler Asia
Pope Francis dies at 88: How the first Latin American pontiff impacted the Catholic Church
Laudato si' Above Laudato si' cover (Photo: Courtesy of National Catholic Register) Pope Francis issued in May 2015 the influential document Laudato si' , which addressed the climate crisis and denounced wasteful consumption. This also strengthened the Catholic Church's advocacy towards upholding the rights of Indigenous peoples, which extends to the continuity of ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. Pope Francis makes a historic visit to Iraq Above People celebrate and wave flags after the completion of a mass conducted by Pope Francis at the Franso Hariri Stadium on March 07, 2021 in Erbil, Iraq. Pope Francis arrived in Erbil, the final stop of his historic four-day visit, the first ever papal visit to Iraq (Photo by) Pope Francis had significant meetings with various leaders of governments and other faiths, particularly visiting places torn by socio-political and religious conflicts. Two of which were Iraq and Mongolia, making him the first Pope to visit these countries. Moreover, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I and Pope Francis' meeting in February 2016 marked the first time for the leaders of the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches to be together. His other significant pastoral visits also include the Philippines in 2015, where he celebrated Mass with survivors of the 2013 typhoon Haiyan in Leyte, among other itineraries. Read more: Pope Francis makes a historic visit to Iraq, the cradle of the Abrahamic religions Public apologies to survivors of sexual abuse by the clergy and other radical efforts to change the Church Above The Pope: Answers trailer In July 2022, he made a 'penitential pilgrimage' to Canada, where he met with survivors of the country's religious-run residential schools, which had notorious records of physical and sexual abuses. He even joined a 2019 summit on paedophilia, sexual abuse, and homosexuality. Since then, Pope Francis has been known for expressing his wisdom towards these matters and has called for bringing the abusers to justice. In 2023, Hulu and Disney Plus released the documentary The Pope: Answers , where Pope Francis had an honest conversation with ten Spanish-speaking young people from various cultural and gender backgrounds to talk about pressing issues like feminism, the role of women in the Church, reproductive rights, loss of faith, the migration crisis, LGBTQIA+ rights, abuse within the Church, racism, and mental health. One of the most recent groundbreaking acts of Pope Francis was his formal approval of allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples. Though not to be confused with the ritual of marriage, the said blessing sparked criticisms from various fronts. Read more: 10 Critical films that tackle crises on faith and the Catholic Church Pope's special Urbi et Orbi during the COVID-19 pandemic Photo 1 of 2 Pope Francis prays on the sagrato of St. Peter's Square to deliver a special Urbi et Orbi Blessing to the world, on March 27, 2020 in Vatican City, Vatican (Photo by Vatican Pool - Corbis/Getty Images) Photo 2 of 2 Pope Francis attends an extraordinary moment of prayer in time of pandemic, the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and delivers an extraordinary 'Urbi Et Orbi' (to the City of Rome and to the World) Blessing in front of an empty Square from the sagrato of St. Peter's Basilica on March 27, 2020 in Vatican City, Vatican (Photo by) One of the most iconic photographs taken of Pope Francis was when he delivered an extraordinary blessing of Urbi et Orbi from the steps of St Peter's Basilica on March 27. Though the blessing was reserved for Christmas Day and Easter Sunday, the Supreme Pontiff delivered it while the rest of the world had shut its doors due to the wrath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alone and rain-soaked in the usually jampacked St Peter's Square, he held high the Blessed Sacrament for adoration and imparted his Apostolic Blessing, offering everyone the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence. Read more: The Catholic Church and social media during the Lenten season and COVID-19 pandemic Pope Francis requested that the funeral rites be simplified Above Pope Francis attends an audience with President of Iraq Barham Ahmed Salih at the Apostolic Palace on November 24, 2018 in Vatican City, Vatican (Photo by) Having lived a life well-lived, Pope Francis will always be remembered as the Pope who made the Catholic Church strip its pomp and grandeur to tread the 21st century with humility and genuine concern for others. In April 2024, he approved an updated edition of the liturgical book for papal funeral rites, re-focusing the Supreme Pontiff as a pastor and disciple of Christ and not as a globally powerful person. 'The second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis introduces several new elements, including how the Pope's mortal remains are to be handled after death,' Devin Watkins of Vatican News reported. 'The ascertainment of death takes place in the chapel, rather than in the room where he died, and his body is immediately placed inside the coffin.' NOW READ Fast Facts: Cardinal Chito Tagle 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines: The influence of Catholicism on Philippine art Holy Week 2025: Here are 5 churches and sanctuaries that tell a story
