The road to hell is paved with good intentions...
Paolo Gabrielle, the butler, did it because he wanted to shock and expose corruption in the Church.
Pope Benedict XVI's butler will be tried on an aggravated theft charge over the leaking of hundreds of secret papers from the pope's personal apartment to an Italian journalist, a Vatican spokesman said Monday.He could have just started a blog using a pseudonym, such as Peter Canisius instead. Or is that how he did it?
The butler, Paolo Gabriele, acted out of a desire to combat "evil and corruption everywhere in the Church," according to a prosecutor in the case.
"I was certain that a shock ... would have been healthy to bring the church back onto the right track," the prosecutor, Nicola Piccardi, wrote in a report released Monday by the Vatican. - Source
The Daily Telegraph also reports:
ReplyDelete"According to the document, a 100,000 euro cheque belonging to the Pope was recovered from Mr Gabriele's apartment during the investigation, as well as a gold nugget and a 1581 Italian translation of Virgil's classic poem Aeneid by Annibale Caro, both of which were gifts to the Pontiff.
During his questioning, Mr Gabriele allegedly insisted he "meant to give back" the items, that he had also written to the Pope expressing his "sorrow" and adding that he had not received "any money or other benefits" insisting that he had acted to "keep the Holy Father informed of certain facts and events.""
See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/9472767/Vatileaks-Popes-butler-wanted-to-rid-Vatican-of-evil-and-corruption.html
One does not like to prejudge a trial but I suppose these things just happened to slip his mind as they do in the fight against evil and corruption.
I did not know that part - that's very bad. It is getting more sinister.
DeleteSinister - perhaps not the word I would use
ReplyDeleteThe press have been pushing this story as the butler as some kind of whistleblower who was sickened by the so-called corruption he saw around him in the Vatican. Yet here we have an example where he purloined items which were not documents but valuable items.
The New York Times (not the Vatican`s main cheerleader) at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/world/europe/vatican-judge-indicts-popes-butler-in-leak-case.html?_r=1&hp
reported:
"The indictment also said that a search of Mr. Gabriele’s apartment at the Vatican had found other purloined items there besides documents, including a check for 100,000 euros ($123,000) made out to the pope, a golden nugget, and a 16th century translation of Virgil’s Aeneid.
The indictment said Mr. Gabriele told investigators that he might have removed those items from the pope’s offices in “the degeneration of my disorder.” "
Could it be that the butler was simply motivated by finacial gain ?
That seems very likely, doesn't it? I thought sinister since someone that close to the Pope, and so 'disordered' - perhaps he could have been hired to harm the Pope?
DeleteThis is so sad. I wonder how long its been going on? The Vatican would irresistible to a trusted person with sticky fingers.
ReplyDeleteYou know what they say, the road to hell is paved with Maseratis.
ReplyDeleteWhat?
I pray to St. Peter Canisius whenever I have to write something for work, so that it will be intelligent enough to pass the scrutiny of those who know way more than I do, but also that it explains the material clearly enough for those who wish to learn.
ReplyDeleteHere's Father Hardon on him:
http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Saints/Saints_019.htm
Shot in the Dark? I think that's my favorite one.
ReplyDeleteCan't figure out how to sign in so using "Anonymous"