Pope Benedict's Former Butler Goes on Trial

Yahoo! News UK
September 29, 2012

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/video/pope-benedicts-former-butler-goes-110009765.html

[with video]

The chosen few are taken to a Vatican courtroom under tight security.

Eight journalists are permitted to attend the trial of the Pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, in one of the more embarrassing episodes in recent Vatican history.

Once one of the Pope's most trusted of aides, he says he wanted to clean up corruption in the Roman Catholic Church.

Gabriele's accused of stealing the pontiff's personal papers and leaking them to the media.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) REUTERS VATICAN CORRESPONDENT AND POOL JOURNALIST ALLOWED INTO COURTROOM, PHILIP PULLELLA SAYING:

"There are very few people here who believe that Paolo Gabriele acted on his own and so basically there is a possibility that the investigation will continue. A lot of people believe he was working for someone else, perhaps a superior."

If found guilty the former butler could be sentenced to up to four years. Since the papal state has no prison, Gabriele would serve time in an Italian jail, though the pope is widely expected to pardon him.