VATICAN CITY
Deutsche Welle
[with video]
The Vatican has put two Italian journalists under investigation for their alleged role in divulging state secrets. The pair wrote books detailing gross financial mismanagement and corruption within the church.
Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi were being investigated on suspicion of “complicity in committing a crime,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Wednesday.
The journalists last week published two books based on classified documents leaked from a committee that was set up by Pope Francis to review the Vatican’s financial affairs.
Their works outline the mammoth challenge Pope Francis faces in reforming the Catholic Church and include revelations of theft, wasteful spending and greed within the secretive city-state.
The investigation by Vatican magistrates has already led to the arrest of two members of the commission who had access to the documents. Lombardi said he expected more Holy See officials to be placed under investigation.
In the Italian and Vatican legal systems, it is not unusual for magistrates to carry out such probes without charges ever being filed. It may also be difficult for the state-city to investigate the two Italian nationals if they were given the documents outside Vatican territory.
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