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Popes butler goes on trial in Vatileaks scandal

Dunya News

Gabriele has confessed and written a letter begging the pope for forgiveness.

Pope Benedict XVIs former butler Paolo Gabriele went on trial on Saturday accused of leaking confidential Vatican memos that revealed cloak-and-dagger politics among the popes closest aides.Gabriele sat quietly in court for the start of a closely-watched case which if convicted could see him receive up to four years in prison for aggravated theft. The 46-year-old father of three looked wan in a pale grey suit and white shirt.The pontiffs personal secretary Georg Ganswein, who was Gabrieles superior, will be called to testify against his former charge, the court said.Ganswein, 56, was Gabrieles direct superior and confronted the butler about the leaks early in May after being tipped off by the Vatican police. After a first session of just over two hours, mainly addressing preliminary legal questions, the court fixed the next hearing for Tuesday, October 2.A once loyal servant who said he grew disgusted by the evil and corruption he witnessed, Gabriele told investigators he was acting as an agent of the Holy Spirit to help the pope put a weary Roman Catholic Church back on track.Gabriele is accused of passing investigative reporter Gianluigi Nuzzi copies of secret papers earlier this year under the codename Maria. The trial is playing out in a 19th-century courtroom tucked away behind the apse of St Peters basilica in a corner of the city state that is strictly off-limits to the millions of visitors who visit the Vatican every year.Television cameras are banned and only 10 journalists are allowed access. The Vatican has said the 85-year-old German pope is deeply hurt by the betrayal of confidence by someone he knew, loved and respected.Gabriele has confessed and written a letter begging the pope for forgiveness, but that is not legally considered definitive proof for a conviction because he could have lied. Many commentators have said they expect the pope to pardon Gabriele.But many also question whether he really acted alone or as part of a wider group of disgruntled Vatican employees who could even include high-placed prelates. An investigation into the Vatileaks scandal is ongoing.Gabriele has spent his entire adult life as a Vatican servant, starting out as a cleaner at the Secretariat of State -- the main administrative body of the Catholic Church -- and becoming butler to the pope in 2006.He served the pope his meals and clothed him and was a constant presence in official photographs, adjusting the popes cloak, holding his umbrella or riding with him on the popemobile through crowds on foreign trips.The leaked letters offer an extraordinary glimpse into the inner workings of the Holy See. The batch includes letters from a former head of the Vatican governorate alleging he was forced out of his post for tackling widespread fraud.The scandal has been an embarrassment for the Vatican, though more for the apparent ease with which sensitive papers clearly intended to be read only by the pope and a few confidants could be leaked, than for their content.