Pope's ex-butler Paolo Gabriele to stand trial

[muriel_volestrangler]

The former butler to Pope Benedict XVI will stand trial for stealing confidential papers and leaking them to the press, a magistrate has ruled.

Paolo Gabriele was arrested in May after police found confidential documents at his Vatican flat.
...
The bestseller, entitled His Holiness, revealed private correspondence between the Pope and his personal secretary discussing corruption and malpractice among Vatican administrators.
...
The BBC's David Willey, in Rome, says some Vatican observers believe Mr Gabriele may be the scapegoat for a wider conspiracy to smear certain of the Pope's top aides.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19242439

[dimbear]

1. I had begun to hope Paolito would be pardoned. Seems like a sweet little guy.

However, it's worth going on record and predicting the outcome of the trial. A complete record will be published, revealing everything, and will be redacted to blank pages.

Just my guess based on the past.

[rug]

2. What's the charge, theft? Burglarly? Leaking?

I hate it when a report mentions the sentence but not the crime.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Maybe you read a different report from the one I linked to, then

because it says "He has been charged with aggravated theft, including stealing a 100,000-euro (£78,000) cheque, while a computer analyst faces complicity charges."

[rug]

4. I read right past it.

[dimbear]

5. That new charge about the check is surprising. Did you notice when that surfaced?

And complementarily, is there anything to it?

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. No, I don't remember hearing about it before today

I think the BBC said, in their radio report, it was meant to be for the Pope to forward to charities; other reports say it was from a Spanish Catholic university (and mention a gold nugget and a rare edition of the Aeneid).

[dimbear]

7. There seems to be no limit to the strange in this story. The national news this evening

Last edited Mon Aug 13, 2012, 10:55 PM - Edit history (1)

didn't have anything about theft, tho.

Oh Paolito. What have you done, ragazzo?


Later: Paolo claims he temporarily mislaid the check, the rare book, and the gold nugget in the confusion. I like his theory.

Hard as hell to cash a check for a hundred grand nowadays.

[dimbear]

8. Good news for Paolo's fans. That famous check is evidently only a copy or a dead check.

According to the issuer, it had already been cashed.

[dimbear]

9. Pretty good summary of the situation in English:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/15/butler-vatican-paolo-gabriele?newsfeed=true

And, my friends, Paolo has finally indicated publicly his motivation. He was obeying the will of the Holy Spirit.

[meow2u3]

10. Apparently, Gabriele ran afoul of Opus Dei

They must be behind the inquisition of the butler. OD has a lot to hide, and money is just the beginning.

[dimbear]

11. 20 more possible suspects in Vatileaks case:

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=15362

And from what I see in the Italian press, at least one more beyond the two present scoundrels is probable......

[Angry Dragon]

12. A religion should have no secrets

[dimbear]

13. Paoletto's actual trial started Saturday. Insiders say.........

quick guilty verdict to be followed just about as quickly by a pardon and game over.

Quite the adventure.

[dimbear]

14. Paoletto gets 18 months house arrest, expected to be pardoned.

Last edited Sat Oct 6, 2012, 07:06 PM - Edit history (1)

The world sighs in relief.


******

Breaking: judge announces sentence is reduced because Paoletto has no priors. I am shocked--the pope's butler has no prior arrests. Who'd have thought that?

[cbayer]

15. I understand that only the Pope can pardon him. You think he will?

[dimbear]

16. That's the word.

The only remaining part of my 'prophecy' yet to be fulfilled: the whited out trial transcript.

[dimbear]

17. How to ease out of this embarrassment............

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-1-137283-Vatican-prosecutors-may-appeal-against-butlers-sentence

All Paoletto fans are happy to learn that his salary was continued during his durance vile. Now the Vatican seeks to achieve one important goal: keeping him from talking, the blabby little devil. That means being sure he doesn't do any time in Italy. So--back to work, Paoletto, probably not carrying around secrets this time!

This affair has been so much fun. In retrospect, one has much more sympathy for the good old days when the Inquisition would have made Paoletto a simple entry in a thick black book.

[rug]

18. Durance vile.

Bravissimo!