The former butler’s lawyer recounts Gabriele’s 60 days in prison: “he gained weight but he cannot bear being called a poison pen letter writer.”
“It’s a horrible term. He cannot stand it. His wife also hates the word “poison pen letter writer”. Carlo Fusco, Paolo Gabriele’s lawyer and friend said this in a statement to Italian weekly magazine Oggi, adding that “the sentence should be announced on 6 or 7 August. If [Paolo Gabriele] stands trial, as I expect he will, the trial could take place in the autumn.”
The Pope’s former butler has been under house arrest since 21 July in his home in the Vatican.
Paolo Gabriele’s lawyer went on to describe the former butler’s 60 days in prison. Gabriele lives with his wife, Manuela Citti and three children, a 13 year old girl and two boys aged6 and 14, just a few metres from the cell he was held in on charges of stealing and distributing confidential documents, an offence punishable with a six year prison sentence.
“When in the cell, he did not show any obsessive or compulsive behaviour. He prayed, attended mass every Sunday with his wife, children and once with his parents. He also gained weight whilst in prison. He ate well there.”
He also made a revelation about Gabriele’s family: “His wife has tried to remain strong and everyone in the Vatican has supported her. It also won’t have been a very stable period for the children: but they have handled it well. They are intelligent and lively.”
Finally, Fusco stated: “Paolo wanted to help the Pope. He erred in good faith. But he acted alone. This is why he wrote a confidential letter to Benedict XVI. I don’t know if the Pope has replied to him. But I know it was his idea to write to him,” he concluded.