Ex-papal butler spared jail, to serve time in house arrest

Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict's former butler convicted of stealing sensitive documents, will serve his sentence under house arrest in his Vatican apartment while awaiting a possible papal pardon, his lawyer said on Saturday.   

Cristiana Arru said the Vatican's promoter of justice, or prosecutor, had agreed to the conditions after a court handed down a sentence of 18 months. Otherwise, Gabriele would have had to go to an Italian jail since the Vatican has no such facility.

Arru had said in an interview after visiting Gabriele's family apartment in the Vatican that she felt the sentence was "a just one".    

Speaking just outside the Vatican walls, she said Gabriele was "serene" about his fate, was receiving the support of his family and was "ready to accept any consequences".

However, following the verdict, a Vatican spokesman said that Pope Benedict will "most likely" pardon his former butler.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi also told reporters the court reached its verdict in "full independence" without any interference from Vatican officials.


REUTERS/LBCI