Pope Benedict's former butler Paolo Gabriele (R), accused of stealing and leaking the pontiff's personal papers, sits at the start of his trial at the Vatican September 29, 2012. (REUTERS/Osservatore Romano)

Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict’s former butler convicted of stealing sensitive documents, will serve his sentence under house arrest in his Vatican apartment while awaiting a possible papal pardon, his lawyer said on Saturday.

Cristiana Arru said the Vatican’s promoter of justice, or prosecutor, had agreed to the conditions after a court handed down a sentence of 18 months. Otherwise, Gabriele would have had to go to an Italian jail since the Vatican has no such facility.