Vatican Corruption Scandal: Former Adviser Jailed, Cardinal Sentenced to Over 5 Years

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a former adviser to the Pope, has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison after being found guilty of fraud and embezzlement. He is the most senior Catholic Church official ever to stand trial before a Vatican criminal court. The trial, which lasted for two-and-a-half years, exposed infighting and intrigue within the Vatican and revolved around the purchase of a building in London by the secretariat of state. Several other defendants were also convicted, including Italian financier Raffaele Mincione and financier Gianluigi Torzi. The Vatican sold the building last year, incurring an estimated loss of about 140 million euros.