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Pope's butler's trial adjourned

Paolo Gabriele  is seen bottom left in this picture taken in May this year. Pope Benedict XVI is flanked by his private secretary Georg Gaenswein.

A Vatican judge has adjourned the trial of the Pope's former butler, who is accused of giving stolen letters to a journalist.

Paolo Gabriele faces up to four years in prison if convicted of aggravated theft.

He has said he wanted to expose what he calls "evil and corruption" in the church.

The case - which began this morning - will continue on Tuesday.

Father John Wauck, who is in Rome, said the attention on the case was frustrating.

"The trial...is a distraction from larger issues in the worldwide Church," he said, giving the example of the Pope's trip in Lebanon, which he described as "a major international event".

"All the focus is on what is really a tempest in a tea-pot," he said.


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