Butler stole papers that the Pope wanted destroyed
Pope Benedict's former butler Paolo Gabriele, on trial for stealing and leaking papal documents, possessed papers the Pope had marked "to be destroyed," police testified at his Vatican trial today.
On the third day of the process, held under a 19th century Italian penal code, members of the Holy See's small police force said the theft of encrypted documents had compromised some Vatican operations.
They also found instructions that Gabriele had printed on how to hide files in computers and how to use cellphones secretly.
Members of the Corps of Gendarmerie said many newspaper clippings, books and other material seized in the search of Gabriele's apartment showed he was fascinated by the occult, Masonic lodges, secret services, and past Vatican and Italian scandals.
"They (the incriminating documents) were not all in one place. They were hidden among many thousands of pages," policeman Stefano De Santis, one of the agents who searched Gabriele's home, told the court.
Some papers, De Santis said, bore the pope's handwriting and he had marked them "to be destroyed".
The mass of incriminating documents included personal letters between the Pope, cardinals and politicians on a variety of subjects.
De Santis said the search turned up "many more" papers than appeared in a book by an Italian journalist who exposed alleged corruption in the Vatican.
"You can understand our unease when we saw these documents. This was a total violation of the privacy of the papal family," he said, using a Vatican term for the Pope's closest aides, who serve him in his private apartments.
The trial was adjourned until Saturday, when the prosecution and defence will sum up and the three judges are expected to reach their verdict.
Gabriele, who says he took the documents because he saw "evil and corruption everywhere in the Church," risks up to four years in prison if he is convicted. But the pope is widely expected to pardon him.
Policemen testifying attoday's hearing also rejected Gabriele's accusations, made on Tuesday, that he was mistreated for several weeks after his arrest.
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C. Sammut
Oct 3rd 2012, 17:26
Will these documents be made public? I for one am interested in what they contain and not whether this chap is incriminated or not..
Victor Pulis
Oct 3rd 2012, 16:32
Can the Pope afford not to forgive him?!
C. Attard
Oct 3rd 2012, 16:13
I hope the pope will forgive him because if not that means that the church is telling us DON'T FORGIVE
Joseph Aquilina
Oct 3rd 2012, 15:52
@Vincent Galea, Ian Mamo, Daniel Borg, Anthony Pace, Joseph Brincat and Joseph Spiteri
What a sorry bunch of people full of double standards!! Invade their privacy and they will cry out loud for justice to be made. But invade the privacy of the a person they do not respect, steal HIS PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE and they will forget the meaning of the word justice!! And then these people refer to themselves as FREE THINKERS!!
Alton Costa
Oct 3rd 2012, 15:43
Hope and pray that all who are following this saga would not put the earthly church and the Perfect all loving God in the same basket.
God and His son Jesus have nothing to do with the corrupt nature of the Catholic Church. That is why I urge people to go back to basics that is the BIBLE and make sure that it will become their only standard as it is God's word given to all and it is the power towards salvation.
C Muscat
Oct 3rd 2012, 15:40
It appears that in today's world nothing is private or personal. You can fart in the toilet but preferably not on a stage with noise.
Similarly, private and personal documents do not necessarily be corrupt but do not go for publicity.
I hope that the pope pardons him as a sinner in the sacrament of reconciliation but do not interrupt civil law; what is due as a criminal should not be pardoned by no human one.
Vincent Galea
Oct 3rd 2012, 15:12
Why was the Church always afraid to be human and fallible ?
Ian Mamo
Oct 3rd 2012, 15:05
Forgive your brothers...... yeah right. Corruption at it's best.
Daniel Borg
Oct 3rd 2012, 14:58
He will be forgiven only if he finds a priest, share his act and promise that he will never do it again.
If not he'll get his fare share after death, where a very hot seat would be awaiting for eternity.
The pope on the other hand will forgive him, cause love is what the church is all about.
(unless you're gay, have kids before marriage, want a divorce or encourage youth to use contraceptive measures)
Always read the small print.
What a bunch of crap.
Anthony Pace
Oct 3rd 2012, 14:55
What a whole polava about some papers which would have been published in 50 years or so under most country's laws!!! Serves the church right for hiding and destroying documents.
Joseph Brincat
Oct 3rd 2012, 14:35
Gabriele, who says he took the documents because he saw "evil and corruption everywhere in the Church,
Well nothing new
Joseph Spiteri
Oct 3rd 2012, 14:25
The Vatican and all the catholic church always hided and disguised what it did not want to show. One may just mention the recent conviction of an American bishop who was sent to prison for hiding evidence and not reporting pedophile cases which were undertaken in his diocese.
George Calleja
Oct 3rd 2012, 15:45
The Vatican and the Catholic church are made of humans! Don't you do the same with your personal items? Or are you one who exposes everything in the public?
Please choose the reason of your report below: