Pope's ex-butler gets 18-month sentence

[NewsCaster]

Pope Benedict's butler Paolo Gabriele has been found guilty of stealing documents from the Pope. Gabriele leaked the secret documents, claiming he saw evil and corruption in the Catholic Church. NBC's Duncan Golestani reports.By Claudio Lavanga, NBC News, and wire reports

Follow @NBCNewsWorld VATICAN CITY — The pope’s former butler was convicted in the "Vatileaks" case Saturday and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Paolo Gabriele will serve his sentence under house arrest in his Vatican apartment while awaiting a possible papal pardon, his lawyer said.

Gabriele was found guilty of stealing thousands of Vatican documents — including some of Pope Benedict’s private papers and letters alleging corruption within the church — while working for the pontiff. Some of papers were later leaked to the media.


Defense lawyer Cristiana Arru said after the hearing that she did not plan to appeal the sentence, describing it as "just," Reuters reported.

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[Tina lawrence]

That is a very tangible offence.Too bad it happened.Exactly when a pope is the victim

[Stanley_13001]

really bad to hear this