Pope’s butler faces trial over leaked papers

The indictment brought by a Vatican judge accuses Paolo Gabriele, the butler under arrest since May at the Vatican, of grand theft.

While the Vatican had insisted throughout the investigation Gabriele was the only person under investigation, the indictment also orders trial for Claudio Sciarpelletti, a layman in the Secretariat of State office who is charged with aiding and abetting Gabriele.

The documents, including some leaked to an Italian journalist, embarrassed the Vatican, exposing infighting at high church levels, primarily involving Italian prelates. The Vatican has promised a public trial, though no date has been announced.

Gabriele, who is married, lives with his family in Vatican City, and is alleged to have been driven by the belief that a “shock” was what was needed to divert the church away from the “evil and corruption” that was everywhere.