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Pope Benedict's butler accuses Vatican police of inhumane treatment Pope Benedict's butler accuses Vatican police of inhumane treatment
(about 7 hours later)
The papal butler accused of leaking the pope's private letters has accused Vatican police of treating him inhumanely while in custody. The pope's former butler has lifted the lid on a secret world behind the Vatican walls during a dramatic cross examination as he stood trial for stealing and leaking the pontiff's private letters.
In a statement to a Vatican court, Paolo Gabriele said after his arrest in May he had been held for at least 15 days in isolation, in a room so narrow he could not stretch out his arms, and where the lights were kept on 24 hours a day. In a surprise statement, Paolo Gabriele claimed innocence before three Vatican judges and accused Vatican police of mistreating him while in custody.
The 46-year-old told the three judges trying him for aggravated theft that the continuous light had "hurt" his vision, adding that officers had put him under psychological pressure, denying him pillows on his first night in custody. The 46-year-old father of three said that after his arrest in May he had been held for up to 20 days in isolation in a room so narrow he could not stretch out his arms, and where the lights were kept switched on 24 hours a day, damaging his vision.
Attending the hearing was Domenico Gianni, the head of the Vatican police, who was left visibly blushing by the claim. The presiding judge, Giuseppe Dalla Torre, ordered an inquiry. He added that Vatican police had put him under psychological pressure, denying him pillows on his first night in custody.
After the hearing, a Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombardi, said Gabriele had been held in custody according to "international standards", adding: "I didn't have the impression that the conditions harmed the dignity of the prisoner." Domenico Gianni, the head of the Vatican police, who attended the hearing, was left visibly blushing by the claim, which prompted the presiding judge, Giuseppe Dalla Torre, to order an inquiry.
Although Gabriele has previously confessed to the theft of documents and letters from the pope's apartment, he told the court on Tuesday he was innocent of aggravated theft, albeit guilty of betraying Benedict's trust. The pope, he added, had loved him like a son. After the hearing the city-state's police force issued a statement saying Gabriele had asked for the light to be left on, had been allowed unlimited meetings with family and friends, and had been given pillows. After 20 days of incarceration he had been moved to a new cell which was being redecorated at the time of his arrest, the statement added.
The former butler did, however, describe how he took photocopies of sensitive letters in the office he shared with the pope's secretary, Georg Gänswein. But he denied stealing a gold nugget and a €100,000 cheque made out to the pope which were found in his flat. Gabriele faces four years for leaking letters containing allegations of kickbacks and corruption at the Vatican to Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, who released them in a bestselling book this year.
Gabriele then leaked the letters – which revealed allegations of scandal, corruption and kickbacks at the Vatican – to an Italian journalist who published them in a bestselling book. Although he confessed to police after they found piles of letters in his apartment inside the Vatican, Gabriele said in court he was innocent of the charge of aggravated theft. "I feel guilty of having betrayed the trust of the holy father, whom I love as a son would," said Gabriele, who is expected to receive a pardon from Benedict XVI.
Gabriele has described himself to police as "an agent of the holy spirit", seeking to lift the lid on Vatican sleaze and defend the pope. The former butler did, however, describe how he brazenly took photocopies of sensitive letters in the office he shared with two papal secretaries. But he denied stealing a gold nugget donated to the pope and a €100,000 cheque made out to the pope, both of which were found in a shoe box in his apartment.
"It is easy to manipulate people who have the power to make decisions," he told the court. Gabriele has described himself to police as "an agent of the holy spirit", seeking to lift the lid on Vatican sleaze that "scandalised" him, and to defend the pope. "At times the pope asked questions about things he should have been informed about," he told the court.
But he added that he had never wanted the letters to appear in a book. "It is difficult, if not impossible to find a reason for this irrational situation that happened to me," he said. The pope's personal secretary, Monsignor Georg Gänswein, said he started suspecting a close papal aide of being the source of the leaks when letters that had not left his office were published.
Gabriele denied he had been aided by accomplices, even though he told police he had been in contact with four senior Vatican figures at the time he was collecting documents. A Vatican IT expert is also due to stand trial for harbouring documents for him. Searching Gabriele's apartment, the police found letters dating back to 2006. One officer giving evidence said some documents dealt with the Italian secret services and the masonry.
Gabriele denied he had been aided by accomplices, though he has told police he had been in contact with four senior Vatican figures when he was collecting documents, including a secretary, two cardinals and a bishop. A Vatican IT expert is due to stand trial for harbouring documents for him.
The trial continues on Wednesday and is expected to wrap up by the weekend before the pope convenes a synod of bishops in Rome on Sunday.