Pope’s Butler Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Leaking Private Documents

On Saturday, the Pope’s butler was sentenced to 18 months in prison after he was found guilty of stealing and leaking His Holiness’ private documents. The incident is said to be one of the most serious security breaches the Vatican has seen in the past years.

The saying “the butler did it” doesn’t necessarily have to be used in a murder investigation. As it turns out, it also applies to information security-related crimes, especially when the butler is found to be responsible for handing over sensitive information to journalists.

According to IBNLive, Paolo Gabriele – the butler in question – stole the Pope’s private correspondence and gave it to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi who wrote a book called “His Holiness: Pope Benedict XVI's Secret Papers” in which the secrets that “plague” the Roman Catholic Church are revealed.

Apparently, Gabriele leaked the documents in order to expose to the world the “evil and corruption” in the highest ranks of the Church.

He considered that these secrets were hidden from the Pope’s eyes and he believed that by making everything public he would help the religious institution.

Initially, the man got a three-year sentence, but the court decided to reduce it in half because he had no prior criminal record. Furthermore, Gabriele showed remorse during the trial.

In his closing statement, the butler insisted that he was not a thief and that he acted “out of exclusive love” for the Church and its leader.

It’s uncertain at this time if he had any accomplices, but he insisted that he acted alone. On the other hand, investigators suspect that a Vatican computer expert might have aided him.

Finally, since forgiveness sits at the foundation of the Roman Catholic Church, Vatican representatives have revealed that the Pope is likely to pardon the man.