Rome ( CNN ) -- The pope 's former butler , Paolo Gabriele , was convicted Saturday of aggravated theft for leaking confidential papal documents and sentenced to 18 months in prison . He was also ordered to pay the costs of the trial at the Vatican City courthouse . The case is the biggest to go before the Vatican court in decades . It has been the subject of intense interest because a book based on the leaked papers revealed claims of corruption within the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy . Presiding judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre said he was reducing the three-year term requested by the prosecution to 18 months because of mitigating circumstances . These included the fact that Gabriele had no previous criminal record and his acknowledgment of `` having betrayed '' the pope 's trust , Dalla Torre said , in a reading of the verdict broadcast on Vatican TV . Gabriele , who could have faced up to eight years in prison , looked relieved as the 18-month sentence was handed down . Pope 's ex-butler had trove of documents 'of interest ' It is not yet clear whether the former butler will serve the full sentence in an Italian prison or whether it may be suspended . He could also be pardoned by the pope , of whom he has asked forgiveness for his actions . Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi , head of the Holy See media office , told journalists at a briefing that Gabriele would remain under house arrest for the time being . His lawyer has three days time to present an appeal Lombardi said . If an appeal is presented and an appeal trial takes place , Gabriele would remain under house arrest during this time , he said . `` There is a concrete possibility that the pope might pardon him ( Gabriele ) , but it is up to him to decide when and how , '' Lombardi added . Prison terms handed down by the court are served in the Italian prison system under an agreement between Vatican City and Italy , since there are no long-term detention facilities within the tiny city-state . Gabriele had defended his actions as having a moral objective in his final remarks before the jury of three lay judges retired to consider its verdict . `` I feel strongly the conviction inside of me that I did it because of my overwhelming love , I would say visceral , for the Church of Christ and for its visible leader , '' he told the court. `` I repeat , I do n't feel like a thief . '' His father was also in court Saturday to hear the final arguments . Defense lawyer Cristiana Arru said she was pleased with the verdict , according to a briefing by the small pool of journalists allowed to attend the trial . In her closing statement , Arru , who called for the jury to reduce the theft charge to a lesser one , had told the court that while her client 's actions were illegal , they were the result of `` the evil he saw '' within the Church . Pope 's former butler claims innocence in 'Vatileaks ' trial . Arru told the court that Gabriele 's actions were morally motivated and that she hoped that `` one day they will be recognized and applauded . '' The court heard this week how police found more than 1,000 important documents among a stash of hundreds of thousands of papers in Gabriele 's apartments in Vatican City and Castel Gondolfo , a town near Rome . Among them were original papers signed by Pope Benedict XVI , some of them stamped with an order for destruction , according to the journalists allowed to attend the trial . Also found in his possession were a gold nugget belonging to the pope , a signed check made out to Pope Benedict XVI for 100,000 euros and an original version of Virgil 's Aeneid from 1581 . In his testimony Tuesday , the former butler declared himself not guilty of a charge of aggravated theft in connection with the leaked documents -- but said he had abused the pope 's trust . He told how he had photocopied many confidential papal papers , saying he did so because he wanted to expose wrongdoing and corruption . Observers say that despite the trial , questions remain about how Gabriele managed to remove such confidential and potentially damaging documents from Vatican City . There is also continued speculation over whether someone high up in the Church , perhaps a cardinal , may have helped him , although Gabriele denied having an accomplice . Some of the private documents contained allegations of financial corruption , claims the Vatican might have preferred to keep under wraps . Gabriele was arrested in May , following a Vatican investigation into how the pope 's private documents appeared in the best-selling book `` Sua Santita '' ( `` His Holiness '' ) , by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi . Corruption claims resulting from the book 's publication , based on the leaked materials , rocked the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and could even affect who becomes the next pope . Pope 's butler leaked papers to shock 'corrupt ' church , prosecutor says . Journalist Barbie Nadeau contributed to this report .
NEW : Judge says there were mitigating circumstances in Paolo Gabriele 's case . NEW : Italian judge rules that the former head of Italy's anti-corruption agency was not guilty on all charges against him, but he is still facing a possible life sentence for corruption and money laundering offenses. NEW : ` ` There is a concrete possibility that the pope might pardon him , '' says official . A book based on the leaked papers revealed corruption claims within the Church hierarchy .