Pope's Butler, Paolo Gabriele

The Pope’s butler has been formally named as a suspect in the Vatican’s inquiry into a series of media leaks from the Catholic Church’s top levels.

Vatican magistrates accused Paolo Gabriele, 46, of illegal possession of confidential documents.  A series of leaks, dubbed Vatileaks, has revealed alleged corruption, mismanagement and internal conflicts.

Last month, Pope Benedict XVI set up a special commission of cardinals to investigate the leaks.

Vatican police have arrested the Pope’s personal butler after an inquiry into the leaking of sensitive Church documents.

The butler, identified as Paolo Gabriele, 46, was held by gendarmes after a commission of three senior cardinals had been appointed by the Pope to identify the source of the leaks, which have caused severe embarrassment.

Mr Gabriele, who has been at the Pope’s side for six years, is one of the closest members of the German-born Pontiff’s inner circle, which comprises just four lay people and four nuns. He is always at his side.

It is believed that Mr Gabriele, a father of three who is known by the nickname Paoletto (little Paul), was held as he arrived for work at the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace behind St Peter’s.

Last night, he was in custody. Fr Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said a man had been detained with “documents in his possession”. He went on to describe him as “a lay person and not a member of the clergy”.

Sources claimed that sensitive Vatican documents had been recovered from Mr Gabriele’s home inside the Vatican.

News reports feature on main internet sites as BBC, The Dialy Telegraph, Reuters, amongst others.