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.

A change in popes — through death or resignation — is a complicated process, with centuries-old rituals involving the transition in leadership for both the spiritual head of the global Catholic Church and the Vatican’s head of state.