ROME
Catholic Herald (UK)
Associated Press
Emiliano Fittipaldi criticised the Vatican’s ‘medieval rules’ and told investigators he would not reveal his sources
An Italian journalist who is under criminal investigation by the Vatican for publishing a book about scandals at the Holy See said Tuesday he refused to answer the Vatican prosecutor’s questions during an interrogation this week, citing his right under Italian law to protect his sources.
Emiliano Fittipaldi, author of the new book Avarice, based on leaked Vatican documents, said he agreed to go to the Vatican on Monday after being formally summoned because he wanted to understand exactly what he was accused of.
But he told reporters Tuesday that he refused to answer the prosecutors’ questions, citing the protections journalists enjoy in Italy to shield their sources — protections which don’t exist in the Vatican legal code.
“I’d rather go to jail than reveal one of Avarice’s sources,” he said.
“(The Vatican) wants to create an internal precedent, as a way to stop other leaks in the future. They don’t care at all about what we think of these medieval rules.”
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