A 75-year-old former adviser to Pope Francis, Angelo Becciu, faced a historic trial in a Vatican criminal court and was sentenced to five years and six months in jail for financial crimes.

Becciu, once considered a potential pope, is the highest-ranking clergyman in the Catholic Church to be convicted in a Vatican criminal court.

His lawyer, Fabio Viglione, announced that they would appeal the sentence, maintaining Becciu’s innocence.

Becciu was accused of embezzlement, abuse of office, and witness tampering, among other charges, in connection with a problematic investment by the Vatican in a luxury building in London.

The trial involved ten defendants, including financiers, lawyers, and former Vatican employees, most of whom were found guilty.

Becciu’s former secretary Mauro Carlino was the only defendant acquitted.

The sentences, ranging from fines to more than seven years in jail, were pronounced more than two and a half years after the trial began.

The court also ordered the confiscation of 166 million euros from the convicted individuals and mandated compensation of over 200 million euros to the civil parties.

The focus of the trial was the Vatican’s investment of $200 million in 2013-2014 into a fund managed by financier Raffaele Mincione, leading to losses in a London property deal.

Becciu was found guilty of embezzlement related to this investment, which the judges deemed highly risky.

The trial shed light on the opaque finances of the Holy See, prompting Pope Francis to address financial reforms within the Catholic Church.

The Vatican, acting as an “offended party,” and four Vatican entities were civil parties in the trial, seeking compensation for moral and reputational damage.

Becciu’s conviction included a conflict of interest charge related to a 125,000-euro donation to a charity in Sardinia, run by his brother.

He resigned abruptly in September 2020 after learning of the investigation against him.

Other notable sentences from the trial included five and a half years for financier Raffaele Mincione and six years for broker Gianluigi Torzi.

The trial involved more than 80 hearings within the Vatican Museums, where a portrait of Pope Francis overlooked the proceedings.