VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter
Joshua J. McElwee | Nov. 21, 2015
ROME The Vatican is criminally charging five people over the latest scandal of leaks of sensitive documents, in an extraordinary move that will see three Vatican employees and two Italian journalists stand trial for “procuring and revealing” confidential information.
The Vatican’s press office announced the charges in a press release mid-day Saturday, saying the first hearing in the case will be held Tuesday. Should any of the five decide not to attend, the release says they will be tried in absentia.
That last notice could raise interesting questions and controversy, as one of the journalists has already refused to participate in a Vatican investigation of the matter, saying the city-state’s legal process is based on norms from centuries ago and does not provide adequate protection for journalistic activity.
While Italy and the Vatican have an extradition agreement, it is unknown how that agreement would function should the journalist not participate in the trial and subsequently be found guilty.
The charges relate to books recently released by Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi, titled Avarizia (“Greed”) and Merchants in the Temple, respectively. Both books outline instances of questionable Vatican spending and financial practices, citing leaked documents.
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