Accused cardinal in court as Vatican fraud trial opens and is adjourned

FILE PHOTO: Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who has been caught up in a real estate scandal, pauses as he speaks to the media a day after he resigned suddenly and gave up his right to take part in an eventual conclave to elect a pope, near the Vatican, in Rome, Italy, September 25, 2020. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Cardinal Angelo Becciu said on Tuesday he wanted to comply with the wishes of Pope Francis as he attended the opening of a trial in which he stands accused along with nine others of financial crimes.

The once powerful cardinal, who previously had free rein over all Vatican buildings, passed through a metal detector like all the others on entering the makeshift Vatican courtroom, his eyes sometimes downcast.