VATICAN CITY
ABC News
By NICOLE WINFIELD, ASSOCIATED PRESS
VATICAN CITY — Dec 7, 2015
A Vatican tribunal agreed Monday to let the defense call some of Pope Francis’ top advisers, including his secretary of state, to testify in a trial over leaked documents, as the Holy See sought to quash criticism that the five accused weren’t getting a fair trial.
Judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre also agreed to defense requests to admit more complete text messages and emails, as well as letters of recommendation and the results of a monsignor’s psychiatric exam into evidence as the trial got underway in earnest.
Three people affiliated with a papal reform commission are accused of leaking documents to two reporters who published blockbuster books detailing waste, mismanagement and greed among some cardinals and bishops, and the resistance Francis is facing trying to clean it up.
The two reporters are also on trial, accused of having illegally acquired and published the material — accusations that have drawn criticism from media rights groups around the world.
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