The Pope‘s butler has been arrested and named a suspect in the Vatican’s inquiry into a series of media leaks from the highest levels of the Catholic Church.
Vatican officials have accused Paolo Gabriele, 46, with illegal possession of confidential documents.
The leaks, dubbed Vatileaks, have revealed alleged corruption and internal conflicts within the Vatican.
In April, Pope Benedict XVI created a special commission of cardinals to find the source of the leaks.
Gabriele is the pope’s personal butler and one of very few lay people to be granted access to the Pope’s private apartments.
He lives with his wife and three children in an apartment inside the Vatican, where Italian media report that a cache of confidential documents had been found.
“I confirm that the person detained on Wednesday for illegal possession of private documents is Paolo Gabriele, who remains in detention,” said spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.
Gabriele had hired two lawyers to represent him at a Vatican Tribunal.
Last week a book, “His Holiness,” was published by an Italian journalist and contained reproductions of confidential memos between the pope and his personal secretary.
The Vatican has called the book “criminal” and pledged to take legal action against the author, publisher, and whomever leaked the confidential documents.
Last week, the president of the Vatican bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, was ousted by the bank’s board after it was revealed that he, too, had leaked confidential Vatican documents.
Related articles
- Man arrested over leaked Papal documents (newstalk.ie)
- Lord’s Banker ousted: Vatican Bank chief fired in corruption row – RT (2012indyinfo.com)
- Vatican Bank Head Loses Anchor in Holy See (americankabuki.blogspot.com)
- Vatican: New Book of Leaked Documents ‘Criminal’ (abcnews.go.com)
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