VATICAN CITY
Washington Post
By Rosie Scammell | Religion News Service November 23
VATICAN CITY — A trial due to open at the Vatican this week is drawing widespread condemnation as an attack on press freedom, as two journalists risk lengthy jail sentences for publishing leaked documents.
“It is one thing for the Vatican to try to protect itself from this scandal. But penalizing its exposure by journalists whose only sin was to do some investigative reporting cannot be tolerated,” said Alexandra Geneste, head of Reporters Without Borders’ EU-Balkans office, in a statement.
The doors of the Vatican’s criminal court will open on Tuesday (Nov. 24) for the start of an unprecedented trial that will be a significant test for the Holy See’s justice system. The case centers on documents allegedly stolen from the Vatican, in addition to other information that was illicitly shared with outsiders.
The Holy See secrets were laid bare in two books released earlier this month: “Merchants in the Temple” by Gianluigi Nuzzi and “Avarice” by Emiliano Fittipaldi. They explore Pope Francis’ struggle to reform the murky Vatican finances. They depict a Vatican plagued by mismanagement, greed and corruption, where Pope Francis faces stiff resistance to his reform agenda.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.