Pope’s ex-papal butler starts jail term in Vatican
October 26, 2012 - Pope Benedict XVI's former butler on Thursday began his 18-month
prison sentence in a Vatican City cell for aggravated theft of confidential papal
correspondence. A statement by the Vatican’s Press Office on Thursday explained that
since the deadline to appeal the Oct. 6 conviction of Paolo Gabriele by a Vatican
tribunal had elapsed, the jail sentence came into effect immediately. He was moved
from house arrest to a cell in the city-state's police station. The Vatican statement
described as ‘mild and fair’ the punishment given to Gabriele, who used to serve Pope
Benedict his meals and helped him get ready for ceremonies. In a separate statement
the same day, the office of Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
said Gabriele's crime caused great damage to the Pope and to the universal Church.
In a strongly-worded statement it said that by stealing the Pope’s private correspondence
and other sensitive documents, and by leaking them to an Italian journalist, Gabriele
committed "a personal offence against the Holy Father." However, it said there is
the likelihood of a papal pardon if Paolo Gabriele repents and asks the Pope for forgiveness.
Dismissing suspicions of a plot, the Vatican said Gabriele acted alone in stealing
the documents and giving them to an Italian journalist who published them.