In the latest chapter of the "Vatileaks" saga, officials announced
that the Vatican computer technician accused of helping steal
confidential papal documents will go on trial in a week.
Giuseppe Dalla Torre, head of the Vatican Tribunal, announced the first hearing for Claudio Sciarpelletti will take place Nov. 5.
Sciarpelletti is accused of aiding and abetting the Pope’s former
butler, Paolo Gabriele, in stealing confidential Vatican papers which
were later leaked to the Italian press.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi offered another development
in the Vatileaks case at an Oct. 23 press conference, where he announced
the publication of the 15-page Vatican Tribunal document that explains
how the three-judge panel arrived at Gabriele’s Oct. 6 guilty verdict.
When police officers searched Gabriele’s apartment May 23, following
the publication of several confidential letters in Italian journalist
Gianluigi Nuzzi’s book “Your Holiness,” they discovered approximately
1,000 incriminating documents and 82 boxes of evidence.
Although a nugget of gold, a check in the Pope’s name and a
16th-century copy of “The Aeneid” were found in Gabriele’s possession,
the former butler’s sentence focused solely on his theft of confidential
papal documents.
The judges did not consider the other items found in Gabriele’s
possession because they had doubts about the way the search was
conducted that uncovered them, Fr. Lombardi explained.
The report also showed that a psychiatric examination revealed no
mental condition compromising Gabriele’s responsibility for the theft.
The tribunal made the distinction that Gabriele’s actions constituted
theft and not embezzlement, since his actions showed no intention to
obtain economic benefit.
During the week-long trial, the judges had heard how Gabriele stole
copies of confidential documents from the Papal Apartments.
These
included personal correspondence between Pope Benedict and various
cardinals, along with encrypted communications from papal ambassadors
across the world.
Some of the papers were marked “to be destroyed” in German and were written in the Pope’s handwriting.
During his trial, Gabriele told judges, “I do not feel like I’m a
thief,” adding that he “acted only out of visceral love for the Church
of Christ and for its visible head on earth.”
The Pope’s former butler was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Oct.
6, after being found guilty of stealing the documents. In his final
address, he said he acted alone and without accomplices.
The report said that Gabriele’s sentence was based on the penalties
found in the Vatican City State criminal code.
Though the promoter of
justice had requested that Gabriele be banned from ever holding public
office, the code had no such provisions allowing such a punishment.
With the publication of the report, Gabriele had the opportunity to
appeal his conviction, but did not do so. The prosecution also now has
the opportunity to appeal the sentence.
Until then, Fr. Lombardi said
Gabriele will remain under house arrest.
The possibility remains that Pope Benedict will pardon Gabriele, Fr.
Lombardi said, but made no mention of a final decision being reached.
If the Pope does not pardon him, Gabriele will serve the remainder of his sentence in the Vatican prison.