A cardinal who was sentenced to five and a half years in prison after being convicted of embezzlement said Tuesday he intends to participate in the next conclave — the election to pick Pope Francis’ successor — even though the Holy See press office has declared him a “non-elector.

Becciu had to resign the rights of his position in 2020 over a fraud conviction, but says he is eligible to vote for the next pope.

A cardinal convicted of financial crimes by the Vatican is claiming he can take part in the forthcoming conclave despite being listed as a “non-elector.”

Bells rang out as the Pope's coffin was carried across St Peter's Square to lie in state ahead of the funeral on Saturday.

The body of Pope Francis is lying in state in St. Peter’s Basilica, where it will remain for three days until his funeral Saturday, expected to be attended by world leaders including US President Donald Trump.

Dignitaries and world leaders will attend the pope’s funeral. But the thousands of people lining up to see Francis on Wednesday were a more diverse mix.

So many people lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state at St. Peter’s Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night, closing for just one hour from 6 a.m. until 7 a.m.

Tens of thousands of mourners filtered into St. Peter's Basilica in Rome on Wednesday to pay their final respects to Pope Francis.

Christians from around the world prayed for Pope Francis at a solemn Mass on Wednesday at Jerusalem's centuries-old Church of the Holy Sepulchre following the pontiff's passing this week. Some worshippers shed tears under the rotunda as prayers echoed,