Pope breaks his silence over ‘Vatileaks’ scandal

Pope Benedict XVI has broken his silence over the leaked documents scandal that has convulsed the Vatican, saying he was saddened by the betrayal but grateful to those aides who work faithfully and in silence to help him do his job.

Benedict made his first direct comments on the scandal in off-the-cuff remarks at the end of his weekly general audience. He lashed out at some of the media reports about the scandal, saying the “exaggerated” and “gratuitous” rumours had offered a false image of the Holy See.

The Italian media have been in a frenzy ever since the Pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested last week after Vatican investigators discovered Papal documents in his Vatican City apartment. He remains in detention and has pledged to co-operate fully with the investigation.