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The butler of Benedict XVI – aka Joseph Ratzinger – for six years and responsible for sharing confidential Vatican documents, Paolo Gabriele died Tuesday morning.
Gabriel was close to Benedict XVI, had access to his private quarters, traveled ahead in the popemobile and was in charge of helping the Supreme Pontiff with the necessary tasks.
In early 2012, the former butler sent extracts of internal letters to Italian newspapers that revealed the rivalries and corruption behind the scenes of the Church, giving rise to the case that became known as “Vatileaks”.
Following the theft of confidential documents that Benedict XVI had ordered to destroy, Paolo Gabriele was arrested in May 2012. During the trial in a court of the Holy See, the former aide explained that he was “convinced that he had acted out of exclusive love. “. the Church and the Pope. “I don’t consider myself a thief,” he said.
Found guilty of “aggravated theft”, Gabriele was sentenced to 18 months in prison. However, he was pardoned in December 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, who personally took the news to his cell. The pontiff resigned two months later, claiming he did not have the strength to carry out his functions.
The Vatileaks documents did not reveal large-scale scandals, but raised suspicions of corruption and revealed conflicts within the Vatican. Some of the documents were used in a book by Gianluigi Nuzzi, “His Holiness” (“His Holiness – The Secret Letters of Benedict XVI”).
Paolo Gabriele, who since then has been working at the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital, run by the Holy See, leaves behind his wife and three children.
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