'I won't accept it': Vatican whistle blowers maintain innocence

Five people have been accused of leaking classified documents indicating Vatican clerics live in luxury.

A controversial Vatican trial continues as five journalists maintain their stance that Vatican clerics were pilfering money to live in the lap of luxury.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The famous Vatican trial has been adjourned for three months so computer experts could recover deleted emails and texts between the defendants.

According to Yahoo! News, one of the defendants, Francesca Chaouqui, was accused of conspiring with priest Lucio Vallejo Balda and his assistant Nicola Maio to access and leak incriminating documents supporting the claim that certain clergymen in the Vatican have taken advantage of their position to live luxurious lifestyles.

Chaouqui, who is currently pregnant, faces the same possible sentence as the other accused - a prison term lasting anywhere from four to eight years.

Though Chaouqui maintains Balda acted alone, the priest claims she made sexual advances toward him to earn his affections before encouraging him to blow the whistle.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi admitted Balda was forced to serve two months prison time when he "breached the conditions of his (house arrest) status by communicating with the outside."

Meanwhile, the other accused - Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi - have already published books covering their versions of the trial as well as a few details from the confidential documents from COSEA.

The details included waste, mismanagement, Vatican corruption and Pope Francis' resistance in clearing the air.

Both Nuzzi and Fittipaldi agree they were simply doing their jobs when they revealed information they felt the public had a right to know.

Though some have come to the conclusion that Pope Francis has the power to set aside a conviction, Chaouqui admitted she would rather be declared either innocent or guilty, not pardoned.

"If I have to put up with this suffering ... and then they just call me 'guilty but pardoned,' or 'guilty with a suspended sentence,' I won't accept it," she stated.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online