Two journalists are facing their first hearing before a Vatican judge on Tuesday in a high-profile case that has raised questions about the church’s commitment to press freedom.
At the centre of the case lie sensational allegations about former Vatican insiders, including a high-ranking monsignor from Spain, who are accused of giving two journalists troves of confidential documents, which they in turn used to write embarrassing exposés into alleged corruption and the mismanagement of tens of millions of euros of Vatican funds.
The case took a turn over the weekend when the Vatican formally announced that it was not only moving ahead with charges against the former insiders – Monsignor Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, Francesca Chaouqui, an Italian PR executive and laywoman, and Nicola Maio, another Vatican employee – but that it had also indicted two journalists who published books based on the documents.
If convicted, Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi could face up to eight years in jail following the passing of a law by Pope Francis in 2013 that made it a felony to steal confidential documents.
Italy shares an extradition agreement with the Vatican and if the two are convicted the Vatican could technically request that Italy pursues the matter. However, most observers contend that it is unlikely that either would realistically be put in prison.FULL STORY HERE"
No comments:
Post a Comment