Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
VATICAN POLICE today arrested a man – reportedly the pope’s butler – on allegations of having leaked confidential documents and letters from the pontiff’s private study to newspapers.
The man was caught in possession of secret documents, the Vatican said, but it would not confirm the suspect’s identity, age, or when he had been arrested.
But informed sources said the man was Paolo Gabriele, 46, who had been working as a butler in the papal apartments since 2006. One source said the pope was “saddened and shocked” by this “painful case.”
“The inquiry carried out by Vatican police… allowed them to identify someone in possession of confidential documents. This person is currently being questioned,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told journalists.
Il Foglio newspaper and ANSA news agency named the detained man as Gabriele, a member of the small team which works daily in Pope Benedict XVI’s apartments.
The Italian daily said he is likely to be used by the Vatican as “a handy scapegoat” for several others suspected of being involved in leaking documents, some of which ended up in a new book on the tiny state published a week ago.
Documents
Gianluigi Nuzzi’s “His Holiness” reproduces dozens of top secret and private letters and faxes which were smuggled out by whistle-blowers tired of the corruption and unhealthy bitterness in the Vatican.
The number of people who have access to the pope’s private study is very limited, and includes his butler, four nuns and Benedict’s two secretaries, Georg Gaenswein and Alfred Xuereb.
Last month, the pope set up a special commission of cardinals to probe the leaks, which began in January and have seen private documents splashed in the Italian media – to the embarrassment and rage of the Holy See.
Among papers leaked to Italy’s press are some that have dealt with allegations of corruption within the Vatican.
They have mainly centred on the activities of the Vatican bank and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
The arrest came a day after the head of the Vatican Bank was ousted for failing to clean up the image of an institution that has come to symbolise the opacity and scandal gripping the Holy See’s administration.
Ettore Gotti Tedeschi was thrown out by the bank’s board for failing to do his job — but had also recently been suspected of being one of those behind the leaks.
Gotti Tedeschi, an expert on financial ethics, was put in charge of the bank — also known as the Institute for Religious Works (IOR) — in 2009, in an effort on the part of the Vatican to rid the institution of scandal.
Moneyval, the Council of Europe’s experts on anti-money laundering, is due to rule at the beginning of July on the whether the Holy See has managed to clean up its act and meet international monetary standards.
But the former head of Spanish bank Santander’s Italian operations tasked with bringing transparency to the bank came under suspicion in 2010 when he was investigated as part of an inquiry by magistrates into money-laundering.
Gotti Tedeschi, 67, was accused of violating laws set up in 2007 that tightened rules on disclosure of financial operations to the Italian central bank in a bid to stamp out money laundering.
How about they post details of how much money donated actually reaches the victims before they go blaming the donors. Food supplies entering black Market, stealing, local corruption, lack of accountability? Don’t blame me if you want to get another donation, you are a professional charity, it’s your failure to communicate and react to the situation.
Economic issues matter more than human life. It is a shame that famine gets ignored because there is an over abundance of food in this world and yet we can’t share it. The idea that governments running these country’s that are famine hit are keeping funding and food supplies is also sickening. Something needs to be done but if governments stop aid from getting to the people that need it, then UN should be the ones policing this yet they seem to be unresponsive as they do not want conflict even though it means saving lives.
“I want proof”, in another words “I know well its happening, I just want to relieve myself of the guilt of it by pretending I think its not happening”
Foreign aid is killing Africa, a number of African economists have written about it. The West is failing to grasp that the intuitive thing to do doesn’t always solve a problem.
2012…and this is still happening,all the charities are doing thier best but still not enough…were do we go from here…is heartbreaking to see a human like this…
A lot of this is due in no small part to the IMF, this is the style their help comes in. Too many of the African countries that received or were put in a position to accept such loans had to face severe austerity or hand over rights to mineral or other national resources to the IMF and global corporations. Slowly stripping these countries with even the means to finance the ability to repay its loans.
Sounds familiar today doesn’t it?
The value of human life is shocking. They shipped my cousin with an automatic weapon on his back to Afghanistan in a heart beat (unfortunately he was happy to go) but mobilize to help starving children. use a super power to cut out the corruption, the back handers and get the food directly to those who need it and help them actually build their country properly…………not today pal. John Pilger made a great documentary in which he stated that in the 85-86 after live aid Africa gave more cash to the west than we gave them. I think bono would have more success for his cause if he organised mass protests in front of world bank and IMF head quarters instead of throwing a gig.
incredible that the wikipedia story gets more views than this
@ Harry I agree but I think people bury their head in the sand when it comes to these types of stories and particularly with that heart wrenching picture of the (probably now deceased) child. Its just mind boggling how one half of the world is up to its eyeballs in an obesity epidemic but these poor people are left to waste and die.
The western governments, huge private companies (is there a difference?) and the animals the west uses to control and rape these countries of there natural resources are completely responsible.
I am so sorry but I can not read this or look at the pictures .Too horrific . I can donate to charities …. Was it lways so bad through the decades and centuries in these places ?? Or is this an historically recent phenonomon ? I am sorry if I am displaying ignorance,I do not want to offend anyone.
Charities really just don’t cut it when it comes to issues on this scale, yet the members of the government don’t need to worry about someone dying if it’s not in their family.
It also doesn’t help that there are 10 different charities with the same goal. Can’t see why they don’t just amalgamate into one, would save costs on admin and other stuff too.
How the western nations attempts at a painfree solution to the crisis of their own making is crippling developing nations.
http://economichorizon.blogspot.com/2010/11/sound-dollar.html
have your say