Much of both books was based on documents produced by a reform commission Francis appointed to get a handle on the Vatican’s financial holdings and propose reforms so that more money could be given to the poor.
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Rome – The Vatican should drop plans to try two journalists who obtained leaked documents from a papal reform committee, a media freedom watchdog said on Monday, on the eve of the start of criminal proceedings.
Fittipaldi’s book “Avarice”, and Nuzzi’s book “Merchants in the Temple”, both published earlier this month, detail waste and mismanagement in the Vatican administration, the greed of a few cardinals and bishops and the resistance Pope Francis is facing in trying to clean it up.
The controversy has drawn scrutiny outside the church, with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Monday calling for the Vatican – which is a member of the security and rights organisation – to withdraw the criminal charges against the pair. Together with Chaouqui, a publicist who worked as a Vatican consultant, Msgr.
The three other people on trial were affiliated with the commission: Monsignor Angelo Lucio Vallejo Balda was its No. 2, Francesca Chaouqui was a member and outside public relations expert, and Nicola Maio was Balda’s assistant.
“I call on the authorities not to proceed with the charges and protect journalists’ rights in accordance with OSCE commitments”, Mijatovic said in a statement. “You can do what you want but as long as the world exists, there will be journalists who report uncomfortable news”, he wrote.
“The hearings start tomorrow (on Tuesday) and I will be in the courtroom”.
During questioning on November 16, Fittipaldi refused to reveal confidential sources for his new book.
If the Vatican tribunal ultimately convicts the two authors, it will come down to a political question as to whether the Holy See will request their extradition from Italy – and whether Italy will oblige.
The two, including a high-ranking cleric of the Holy See, were arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential documents to the authors. The men face up to eight years in jail.
The unprecedented prosecution of journalists – who say they were only doing their job – is being pursued under punitive legislation introduced in 2013.
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The trial, set to begin on Tuesday, will be open to the press, as was the case in the trial over of documents leaked during the papacy of Benedict XVI.
