(Vatican Radio) – Paolo Gabrielle has been formally charged with aggravated theft
and will stand trial for his role in leaking private documents, pertaining to the
Holy Father and other Curia officials, to Italian press. Emer McCarthy reports:
A 35 page
document outlining the Vatican magistrates’ charges against Pope Benedict XVI’s former
butler was presented to journalists Monday. In the document examining judge, Piero
Bonnet, also names a second suspect in what has familiarly become known as the Vatileaks
scandal, Claudio Sciarpelleti, who will stand trial on minor charges of ‘aiding and
abetting’ Gabriele after the fact.
Gabriele was arrested in May 23, after
confidential letters and documents were found in his apartment in Vatican City State.
Originally held in detention in the Vatican jail, he has since been released under
house arrest.
Sciarpeletti, a lay computer technician at the Secretary of State
and acquaintance of Gabriele, was briefly detained May 25, after Vatican police found
him in possession of an envelope from Gabriele. Held overnight for questioning, Sciarpeletti
was released the following morning. However, his “contrasting versions of the facts”
during an interrogation lead examining magistrates to proceed with minors charges.
He has incurred a cautionary suspension from work but continues to receive his salary.
According to Bonnet’s report, Paolo Gabriele, after having originally denied all involvement
in the scandal to Pope Benedict XVI’s personal secretary, Msgr. Georg Gaenswein, during
later interrogations confessed to having provided the documents to Italian Journalist
Gianluigi Nuzzi, but without receiving any money.
While recognising the illegal
nature of his actions, he claimed they were motivated by the fact he believed the
Pope ill-informed of the evil and corruption which he saw in the Church. Claiming
to have been inspired by the Holy Spirit, Gabrielle stated his certain belief that
a “media shock” might be “healthy” for the church to bring it “back onto the right
track”.
Bonnet’s report also reveals that other important objects were found
during a police search on the former Papal assistant’s house. These include; a cheque
made out to Pope Benedict XVI dated to March 26 2012, to the sum of 100 thousand euros;
a gold nugget from Peru again addressed to Pope Benedict XVI and a 16th
century Venetian edition of the Aeneid, also destined for Pope Benedict.
The
report states that Gabriele underwent two independent psychiatric evaluations, at
the request of attorneys for the defence and prosecution. The three sessions carried
out between June 18 and the beginning of July resulted in diverging opinions on his
mental faculty at the time of his actions. The conclusions of the Promoter of Justice
are also based on these evaluations, according to whom Gabriele was aware of the gravity
and illegality of what he did, and hence the decision to formally charge him and to
go to trial. Bonnet emphasised in the report that Paolo Gabriele's case was only
one part of the over-all inquiry into the leaking of documents from the Vatican, which
magistrates will continue to pursue.
Presenting the complete and detailed finding’s
to journalists, Holy See Press Office Director, Fr. Federico Lombardi, underlined
the Vatican’s desire for transparency and Pope Benedict XVI’s respect for the Vatican’
magistrates role, competence and autonomy. A respect the Pope personally spoke of
in July meeting with the investigating attorney’s and judges.
This – added
Lombardi - also explains the fact that the outcome of Cardinal’s commission of inquiry
into the leaks [appointed by Pope Benedict early March] has not yet been published,
in order not to interfere with the magistrates work. He also confirmed that Pope
Benedict has received the report and that as Pope, he can intervene at any stage of
the judicial process should he feel it opportune. However, the fact he hasn’t done
so up until now leads us to assume that trial will go ahead.
A date for the
trial has not yet been set, concluded Fr. Lombardi, but it will not be before Sept.
20 when the Supreme Tribunal of the HolySee returns from recess.