VATICAN CITY
The West Australian
VATICAN CITY (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI’s former butler Paolo Gabriele testified at his Vatican trial Tuesday that he was innocent of a charge of theft but guilty of abusing the trust of a pope whom he loved like a father.
Gabriele took the stand at his historic trial for stealing secret memos in what he said was a bid to battle “evil and corruption” within the Vatican.
Speaking out for the first time since his arrest in May and his 53-day detention in a Vatican security cell, the former butler said he had acted because he believed the pope was being “manipulated.”
While Gabriele said he had been working alone when he copied the confidential documents, he said he had “many contacts” in the Vatican where says there was “widespread unease”.
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.