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| Vatileaks: Pope Benedict's former butler to go on trial over stolen letters | Vatileaks: Pope Benedict's former butler to go on trial over stolen letters |
| (4 months later) | |
| A scandalous tale of corruption, rivalry and betrayed trust at the Vatican reaches a climax on Saturday when Pope Benedict's butler goes on trial for stealing and leaking the pontiff's private correspondence. | A scandalous tale of corruption, rivalry and betrayed trust at the Vatican reaches a climax on Saturday when Pope Benedict's butler goes on trial for stealing and leaking the pontiff's private correspondence. |
| Paolo Gabriele, 46, who dressed the pope and travelled with him on public occasions, faces up to four years in jail after Vatican police discovered piles of stolen letters in his apartment, as well as gifts meant for Benedict, including a cheque for €100,000 and a gold nugget. | Paolo Gabriele, 46, who dressed the pope and travelled with him on public occasions, faces up to four years in jail after Vatican police discovered piles of stolen letters in his apartment, as well as gifts meant for Benedict, including a cheque for €100,000 and a gold nugget. |
| Gabriele had leaked the choicest letters to an Italian journalist, lifting the lid on accusations of kickbacks paid to win Vatican contracts, infighting among cardinals and claims the pope's secretary of state started rumours of homosexuality against a hostile newspaper editor. | Gabriele had leaked the choicest letters to an Italian journalist, lifting the lid on accusations of kickbacks paid to win Vatican contracts, infighting among cardinals and claims the pope's secretary of state started rumours of homosexuality against a hostile newspaper editor. |
| Placed under custody in a secure room at the Vatican, the father of three confessed and claimed he was an agent of the Holy Spirit, seeking to expose and root out the "evil and corruption" surrounding his employer. | Placed under custody in a secure room at the Vatican, the father of three confessed and claimed he was an agent of the Holy Spirit, seeking to expose and root out the "evil and corruption" surrounding his employer. |
| An expert appointed by his lawyer suggested Gabriele was a victim of "restlessness, tension, rage and frustration". His trial before three lay judges is likely to shed light on the secret world within the world's smallest state. | An expert appointed by his lawyer suggested Gabriele was a victim of "restlessness, tension, rage and frustration". His trial before three lay judges is likely to shed light on the secret world within the world's smallest state. |
| On Saturday morning a small pool of journalists will be admitted into the Vatican's wood-panelled court, which is dominated by a large papal crest on the ceiling, to watch the proceedings. No filming or recording will be allowed. | On Saturday morning a small pool of journalists will be admitted into the Vatican's wood-panelled court, which is dominated by a large papal crest on the ceiling, to watch the proceedings. No filming or recording will be allowed. |
| The Vatican's justice system has shifted down a gear since the days when popes burned heretics – it now relies on a 19th-century Italian legal code to try about 30 cases a year, mainly pickpockets arrested in St Peter's Square. | The Vatican's justice system has shifted down a gear since the days when popes burned heretics – it now relies on a 19th-century Italian legal code to try about 30 cases a year, mainly pickpockets arrested in St Peter's Square. |
| Gabriele's trial starts on a Saturday because it is when the judges, who work in Italy's court system, have a free day. | Gabriele's trial starts on a Saturday because it is when the judges, who work in Italy's court system, have a free day. |
| The Vatican has had its share of serious crime, although Ali Agca, who shot Pope John Paul II as he drove through St Peter's Square in 1981, was tried in Italy, while the young Swiss guard suspected by the Vatican of killing his commander and his wife in 1998 killed himself before he could be tried. | The Vatican has had its share of serious crime, although Ali Agca, who shot Pope John Paul II as he drove through St Peter's Square in 1981, was tried in Italy, while the young Swiss guard suspected by the Vatican of killing his commander and his wife in 1998 killed himself before he could be tried. |
| A woman who pounced on Pope Benedict at a mass in 2009, knocking him to the ground, was deemed to be mentally disturbed and not put on trial. | A woman who pounced on Pope Benedict at a mass in 2009, knocking him to the ground, was deemed to be mentally disturbed and not put on trial. |
| Vatican officials have hinted that Benedict may use his papal prerogative to hand Gabriele a quick pardon, but warn that more staffers at the Holy See may yet be arrested as detectives hunt other moles they believe are still at large. | Vatican officials have hinted that Benedict may use his papal prerogative to hand Gabriele a quick pardon, but warn that more staffers at the Holy See may yet be arrested as detectives hunt other moles they believe are still at large. |
| Gabriele has claimed 20 people were involved in squirrelling embarrassing documents out of the Vatican and fresh clues may be provided by a separate investigation carried out by three senior cardinals who reported to the pope this summer. | Gabriele has claimed 20 people were involved in squirrelling embarrassing documents out of the Vatican and fresh clues may be provided by a separate investigation carried out by three senior cardinals who reported to the pope this summer. |
| Gabriele will not be alone in the dock. Due to stand trial as an accessory is Claudio Sciarpelletti, a Vatican staffer who was allegedly handed documents to hand to Gabriele by two people, mysteriously referred to in the court documents as X and W. | Gabriele will not be alone in the dock. Due to stand trial as an accessory is Claudio Sciarpelletti, a Vatican staffer who was allegedly handed documents to hand to Gabriele by two people, mysteriously referred to in the court documents as X and W. |
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