Pope's butler says innocent of theft in leaks trial

Pope Benedict XVI's former butler Paolo Gabriele testified at his Vatican trial Tuesday that he was innocent of a theft charge but guilty of abusing the trust of a pope whom he loved like a father. Gabriele took the stand at his historic trial for stealing secret memos in what he said was a bid to battle "evil and corruption" within the Vatican.
"Concerning the accusation of aggravated theft, I declare myself innocent. I feel guilty for having betrayed the trust that the Holy Father gave me, whom I love like a son," Gabriele said in his first comments since his arrest in May. He also alleged he was mistreated during his 53-day detention in the Vatican, claiming he was initially held in a "security room" where he could not stretch his arms and with the light on 24 hours a day for up to three weeks.
The Vatican immediately ordered an investigation into the claims but spokesman Federico Lombardi said the dimensions of the cell were in line with international standards and said Gabriele's charges "raise a few queries." The ex-butler told judges in the tiny state's 19th-century courtroom that he had been driven to act because he believed the pope was being "manipulated."
"Inevitably my role allowed me to see many situations from both sides - from what the people thought and what the powers that be thought," he said. "What really shocked me was when I sat down for lunch with the Holy Father and sometimes the pope asked about things that he should have been informed on.
"It was then that I became firmly convinced of how easy it was to manipulate a person with such enormous powers," Gabriele told the court. Gabriele was repeatedly interrupted by the judge as he tried to recount details of his network of contacts in the Vatican and his personal motivations. When his lawyer asked about particular incidents he was upset about, judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre said: "It's irrelevant. We have to stick to the charge." Gabriele also told the court he had acted alone without any accomplices but had many contacts including two cardinals in the Vatican - where he said there was "widespread unease" and where many people shared their problems with him.