Pope's butler set to testify at Vatican trial
- 12 years ago
Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict's former butler.
He's on trial for stealing documents he hoped would expose corrupt dealings in the Vatican.
Tuesday is the second day of his trial, and Gabriele is expected to speak publicly for the first time since he was arrested in May and explain what prompted him to betray the pontiff.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS VATICAN CORRESPONDENT AND POOL JOURNALIST ALLOWED INTO COURTROOM, PHILIP PULLELLA SAYING:
"This is the first time since his arrest that he will be able to publicly say why he did what he did, what was he trying to achieve, why did he take documents from the desk of the pope and give them to a journalist for publication."
The case, dubbed "Vatileaks", was a blow to the Vatican, which has been eager to clean up its image after a series of scandals involving its bank.
Conducted under a 19th-century criminal code, the trial began with a setback for the defence on Saturday when judges refused to admit evidence from an inquiry of Vatican employees.
A summary from the inquiry concluded that Gabriele acted because he saw "evil and corruption everywhere in the Church," and felt the pope was not sufficiently informed.
But chief judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre said the inquiry had "no relevance" to Vatican City's penal code.
Under the code, only evidence gathered by a prosecutor and the Vatican police will be allowed.
He's on trial for stealing documents he hoped would expose corrupt dealings in the Vatican.
Tuesday is the second day of his trial, and Gabriele is expected to speak publicly for the first time since he was arrested in May and explain what prompted him to betray the pontiff.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS VATICAN CORRESPONDENT AND POOL JOURNALIST ALLOWED INTO COURTROOM, PHILIP PULLELLA SAYING:
"This is the first time since his arrest that he will be able to publicly say why he did what he did, what was he trying to achieve, why did he take documents from the desk of the pope and give them to a journalist for publication."
The case, dubbed "Vatileaks", was a blow to the Vatican, which has been eager to clean up its image after a series of scandals involving its bank.
Conducted under a 19th-century criminal code, the trial began with a setback for the defence on Saturday when judges refused to admit evidence from an inquiry of Vatican employees.
A summary from the inquiry concluded that Gabriele acted because he saw "evil and corruption everywhere in the Church," and felt the pope was not sufficiently informed.
But chief judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre said the inquiry had "no relevance" to Vatican City's penal code.
Under the code, only evidence gathered by a prosecutor and the Vatican police will be allowed.