Pope's Butler Case Is History, Says Vatican

By Paddy Agnew
Irish Times
December 3, 2012

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/1203/1224327389195.html

The so-called “Vatileaks” trials which last month saw the Pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, sentenced to 18 months in prison for leaking sensitive documents, can now be considered a “closed chapter”, according to Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi.

He made the comment during the presentation of the motivazioni or judges’ reasoning behind the decision which in a separate trial, also in November, saw computer technician Claudio Sciarpelletti given a two-month suspended sentence for having lied to protect Gabriele.

Various documents, some of which appeared in the controversial book, His Holiness: The Secret Papers of Benedict XVI, had been found by police in Sciarpelletti’s desk.

Asked to explain how he had the documents, Sciarpelletti had offered two explanations. The judges concluded that he had received the papers from Gabriele but lied about this, primarily to protect the butler, a close friend.