VATICAN CITY
BBC News
By David Willey
BBC News, Rome
You may have seen pictures of Paolo Gabriele, the 46-year-old, impeccably dressed black-suited Italian arrested on suspicion of stealing secret Vatican correspondence, without recognising who he is.
He is the Pope’s closest private servant – his valet or, if you prefer a conventional English title, his butler.
He lives in the Pope’s shadow and has always been at hand to smooth the pontiff’s path through his multiple official duties – in public and in private.
Each morning he helps Pope Benedict to dress, and attends his early morning private mass. He usually serves the Pope’s meals, and sometimes is invited to sit at the Pope’s table.
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