But Becciu did not go to jail. He appealed, and Italian authorities—who have jurisdiction over Vatican prison sentences under the Lateran Treaty—refused to detain a cardinal without a final ruling. To date, Becciu remains free, living in a Vatican apartment, maintaining his innocence and accusing Pope Francis of orchestrating a “media trial.”
The Vatican has established new procedures for handling allegations of abuse, including the direct reporting of accusations to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. Scandal in The Vatican 2