Convicted Cardinal Angelo Becciu pulls out of conclave to elect new pope. What to know about his embezzlement sentence.

The Italian cardinal at the heart of the Vatican's "trial of the century," Angelo Becciu, announced Tuesday he was withdrawing from participating in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope for "the good of the church," ending days of drama that had overshadowed the proceedings.

The status of Cardinal Becciu, who was convicted of fraud and embezzlement in 2023, has dominated discussions in the days after Pope Francis' death amid questions about whether he would participate in the conclave to elect Francis' successor or not.

After his 2020 downfall, Becciu had said he would not participate in any future conclave. But in recent days he had asserted he had a right to enter the Sistine Chapel with other cardinals on May 7.