VATICAN CITY
Los Angeles Times

Tom Kington

A Spanish priest and an Italian laywoman hired as economic advisors by Pope Francis have been arrested by the Vatican on suspicion of leaking secret documents, days ahead of the publication of two books that promise to lift the lid on financial scandals at the Holy See.

Father Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, 54, the No. 2 at the Vatican’s Prefecture for Economic Affairs, and Francesca Chaouqui, a controversial 33-year-old public relations consultant, were arrested by Vatican police at the weekend, the Holy See said Monday. The arrests followed a months-long probe into the theft and leaking of private documents.

Both were appointed in 2013 by Francis to a short-lived commission advising on economic reform at the Vatican.

In a statement, the Vatican said that the alleged crimes were covered by a 2013 church law passed to crack down on leaks. Violation of…