Vatican opens court proceedings against VatiLeaks journalists

The Vatican said on Saturday it would sue five people, including two investigative journalists and their informers, in connection with the recent VatiLeaks 2 scandal. The Catholic Church accused the five of publishing confidential documents and information relating to the fundamental interests of the Holy See and the state. The journalists, Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano […]

The Vatican said on Saturday it would sue five people, including two investigative journalists and their informers, in connection with the recent VatiLeaks 2 scandal.

The Catholic Church accused the five of publishing confidential documents and information relating to the fundamental interests of the Holy See and the state.

The journalists, Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi, had published books on Catholic Church scandals based on leaked documents.

In particular, they accused the church of irresponsibly wasting the money of its faithful.

The other three are their informers, who are all connected to the Vatican commission Cosea, which was set up by Pope Francis to help reform the state’s economic and administrative structures.

Lucio Balda, Francesca Chaouqui and Nicola Maio are also accused of forming a criminal organisation.

The Vatican is a sovereign state with its own judicial system and should the accused not appear in court, the trial will go ahead in their absence, the Vatican said. (dpa/NAN)