In a show of Christian love and forgiveness during the Christmas season, Pope Benedict XVI visited his former butler in prison today (December 22, 2012) and pardoned him for stealing his private papers and secretly releasing them to the press, according to the Guardian website.
Following the 15-minute meeting, Paolo Gabriele, 46, was freed and returned to his Vatican City apartment, where he lives with his wife and three children.
The Vatican said that Gabriele -- who was convicted of aggravated theft and sentenced to 18 months in prison last October -- cannot continue living or working at his apartment, but informed him that it will find him housing and a job elsewhere soon.
Pope Benedict's pardon closes a disgusting scandal for the Vatican -- it has been nicknamed the "Vatileaks" scandal -- as it featured allegations of power struggles, intrigue, corruption, and gay liaisons at the highest levels of the Roman Catholic Church.
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