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Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Pietro Parolin as new secretary of state.
The move is seen as the Pope’s most significant appointment since he became leader of the Catholic Church in March.
Archbishop Pietro Parolin, a 58-year-old Vatican diplomat, replaced Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, 79, who is retiring.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, appointed by Francis’ predecessor Pope Benedict, had been widely criticized over last year’s so-called “Vatileaks” scandals.
Leaked documents revealed corruption and infighting at the Vatican.
The secretary of state heads the Roman Curia, the central administration of the Catholic Church, and is the Pope’s chief adviser.
Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Pietro Parolin as new secretary of state
Archbishop Parolin, an Italian, is currently the Vatican’s nuncio – or ambassador – in Venezuela.
In a statement, he said he would give the Pope his “completely availability to work with him and under his guidance for the greater glory of God, the good of the holy Church and the progress and peace”.
Pope Francis’ appointment marks the beginning of the replacement or dismissal of several former key members of Benedict’s administrative team.
The Pope has also promised to stamp out abuses at the Vatican bank – officially known as the Institute for Religious Works.
Shortly after his appointment, he set up a commission to investigate the bank and report back to him personally.
He later issued a decree to combat money-laundering.
The Vatileaks scandals erupted in 2012, when former Pope Benedict’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, published confidential documents from Vatican offices alleging widespread corruption and mismanagement.
Paolo Gabriele was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in jail for stealing the papers, but he was subsequently pardoned by Pope Benedict.
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Pope Emeritus Benedict has said he resigned after God told him during what he called a “mystical experience”, a Catholic news agency reported.
Pope Benedict announced his shock resignation in February and became the first pontiff to step down in 600 years.
“God told me to do it,” the Zenith agency quoted Benedict as saying to a visitor to the convent in the Vatican gardens where he is living out his retirement in near isolation.
According to the agency, Benedict told his visitor, who asked to remain anonymous, that God did not speak to him in a vision but in what the former pope called “a mystical experience”.
Pope Benedict announced his shock resignation in February and became the first pontiff to step down in 600 years
According to Italian media, Pope Benedict’s decision to step down was influenced by the various scandals that blighted his eight-year papacy, including the arrest of his personal butler for leaking private documents alleging corruption in the Vatican.
He was succeeded by Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, who was elected as the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years.
According to the Rome-based Zenith, Benedict told his visitor that the more he observes the way Pope Francis carries out his papal duties, the more he realized the choice was “wanted by God”.
Last Sunday, Benedict spent a day at the papal summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, to escape the heat of the capital.
The visit indicated that the 86-year-old ex pope’s health was good enough for him to travel.
There had been media reports that since his resignation, Pope Emeritus Benedict’s health had deteriorated dramatically.
Pope Emeritus Benedict has returned to the Vatican, two months after becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.
The former pope was flown by helicopter from the Castel Gandolfo papal summer residence to live permanently in Vatican City.
Greeted by Pope Francis as he arrived, Benedict was driven the short distance to his new accommodation.
Ex-Pope Benedict, 86, was last seen in public on March 23 and there has been speculation about his health.
Observers said at the time he appeared more frail than when he stepped down on February 28.
However, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said this week that Emeritus Pope Benedict was not ill.
Pope Emeritus Benedict has returned to the Vatican, two months after becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years
Hours after his arrival, the Vatican issued a photograph of Benedict shaking hands with Pope Francis. However, unlike his departure from the Vatican, there was no live TV coverage of his return.
Benedict will live in the converted Mater Ecclesiae convent just behind St Peter’s Basilica, with his personal secretary, Georg Gaenswein.
The building, described as “small but well equipped” by Federico Lombardi, includes an attached chapel, a library and a study.
There is also a guest room available for when his older brother, Georg Ratzinger, visits.
The Vatican said Pope Francis welcomed Benedict “with great and fraternal cordiality”.
The two then held a “brief moment of prayer” in Benedict’s chapel.
Benedict will now dedicate himself to a life of private prayer in the service of the Church, according to the Vatican.
His arrival heralds an unprecedented era of a former pope living close to his successor at the Vatican.
But at the time of his abdication, Benedict suggested he would not try influence his successor, saying he would live out the rest of his days “hidden from the world”.
At a meeting in March with Pope Francis, he also repeated “unconditional reverence and obedience” to his successor.
When he resigned, Pope Benedict cited his advanced age as the reason, saying he no longer had the strength for “an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry”.
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Pope Francis I has delivered his first Angelus prayer and blessing before a crowd of many thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square in Rome.
The pontiff also delivered off-the-cuff remarks, about God’s power to forgive, instead of reading a written speech.
It was the Pope’s second official appearance before the general public since he was elected on Wednesday.
Earlier, Pope Francis celebrated his first Sunday mass as pontiff in the Vatican’s small and simple parish church.
Before he entered the church, chosen instead of St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis greeted well-wishers who had lined up outside a nearby Vatican gate shouting “Francesco” (his name in Italian).
At the end of the Sunday Mass, he waited outside the church and greeted people as they left, like a parish priest, asking many of them to, “pray for me”.
Later, just a few minutes after delivering the Angelus, Pope Francis sent his first Tweet as pontiff, writing: “Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me. Pope Francis.”
Pope Francis I has delivered his first Angelus prayer and blessing before a crowd of many thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square in Rome
First impressions of the new Pope from the faithful on St Peter’s Square have been favorable.“He uses simple words for all people,” said policeman Claudio, who was born in Rome.
“Plus he’s Hispanic and so closer to the Italians.”
The new Pope’s tone is very different to that of Benedict XVI.
Pope Francis’ style is pastoral, he teaches by anecdote and speaks off the cuff with ease, in contrast to the theological sermonizing of Pope Benedict.
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Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict’s former butler, found guilty of stealing papal documents, has been moved to a Vatican cell to serve the rest of his sentence.
Paolo Gabriele was given an 18-month prison sentence earlier this month.
He admitted passing documents to a journalist, but said he did it out of love for the Church and the Pope.
The Vatican secretary of state’s office has left open the possibility of a papal pardon if Paolo Gabriele repents and seeks forgiveness.
As neither Paolo Gabriele’s defence lawyer, nor the Vatican prosecutor, has entered an appeal, his sentence has now become definitive.
Paolo Gabriele will serve his prison term in a special detention room inside the Vatican police station.
The Vatican authorities were worried that if he were to be moved into an Italian prison he might be subject to pressure to reveal secrets which might cause further embarrassment to the Pope.
The Vatican has dismissed suspicions of a wider plot, saying that Paolo Gabriele acted alone in obtaining the documents and giving them to an Italian journalist who published them.
The trial of his co-defendant, Claudio Sciarpelletti, is due to start in early November.
The computer expert is accused of helping Paolo Gabriele while working as in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.
Paolo Gabriele has been moved to a Vatican cell to serve the rest of his sentence
Paolo Gabriele’s trial heard that he had used the photocopier in his shared office next to the Pope’s library to copy thousands of documents, taking advantage of his unrivalled access to the pontiff.
He later passed some of the documents to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, who released a best-selling book about corruption, scandals and infighting at the Vatican, largely based on the confidential papers.
Its publication sparked the hunt for the source of the leaks inside the Vatican.
Paolo Gabriele confessed to taking the papers, but said he believed the Pope was being manipulated and hoped to reveal alleged corruption at the Vatican.
He told his trial that he did not see himself as a thief, but admitted he was guilty of “having betrayed the trust of the Holy Father, whom I love as a son would.”
Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict’s ex-butler, has been found guilty of stealing confidential papers from him and sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Prosecutors had called for a three-year sentence but it was reduced because of “mitigating circumstances”.
Speaking before the verdict, Paolo Gabriele said he acted out of love for the Church and did not see himself as a thief.
Paolo Gabriele had denied the theft charge but admitted photocopying documents and “betraying the Holy Father’s trust”.
His lawyer had asked for the charge to be reduced, but described the sentence as “good” and “balanced”.
Christina Arru later said she did not intend to appeal against the verdict, Reuters reported.
The agency quoted her as saying Paolo Gabriele was “serene” about his fate and “ready to accept any consequences”.
Paolo Gabriele is “very likely” to be pardoned by Pope Benedict, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said, though it is not clear when this might happen.
The former butler was accused of stealing and copying the Pope’s documents and leaking them to an Italian journalist.
Official Vatican media have almost totally ignored the trial since it began and morning radio bulletins have omitted to mention the story.
The verdict was delivered after two hours of deliberation by the judges.
Presiding judge Guiseppe Dalla Torre handed down a sentence of three years, then cut it to 18 months on the grounds of Paolo Gabriele’s lack of a criminal record, his apology to the Pope and past services rendered to the Church.
The former butler will also have to pay court costs out of his own pocket.
Paolo Gabriele has now been returned to house arrest inside his Vatican apartment, where he has already been confined for several months.
The verdict brings to an end a week-long trial that has revealed an embarrassing breach of security at the highest levels of the Vatican.
On the last day of the trial, defence and prosecution lawyers gave their closing arguments, and Paolo Gabriele made a final appeal.
“The thing I feel most strongly is the conviction of having acted out of visceral love for the Church of Christ and of its leader on earth,” he said.
“I do not feel I am a thief.”
Christina Arru accused the Vatican police of irregularities and failures during their investigations.
She asked the court to reduce the charge to common theft or illegal possession, saying Paolo Gabriele had high moral motives although he had committed an illegal act.
Prosecutor Nicola Picardi had sought a three-year sentence, with an indefinite ban on Paolo Gabriele holding public office or positions of authority.
During testimony, the three judges presiding over the court heard how Paolo Gabriele used the photocopier in his shared office next to the Pope’s library to copy thousands of documents, taking advantage of his unrivalled access to the pontiff.
He would later pass some of them on to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi.
In 2010 Gianluigi Nuzzi released a best-selling book, entitled His Holiness, largely based on the confidential papers and detailing corruption, scandals and infighting.
Its publication sparked the hunt for the source of the leaks inside the Vatican, leading to Paolo Gabriele’s arrest in May.
Police also told the court how they found thousands of documents at Paolo Gabriele’s home, including some original papers bearing the Pope’s handwriting. Some had the instruction “destroy” written by Pope Benedict in German on them.
Although Paolo Gabriele entered a not guilty plea, prosecutors say he confessed to taking documents during an interrogation in June, a confession he later stood by in court.
He told prosecutors he hoped to reveal alleged corruption at the Vatican, and believed that the Pope was being manipulated.
“I feel guilty of having betrayed the trust of the Holy Father, whom I love as a son would,” he told the court earlier this week.
The Holy See wants to see rapid closure of the scandal, as this weekend the Church is beginning what it calls a “year of faith”, a series of initiatives aimed at reviving Christian faith in formerly predominantly Catholic countries currently seeing creeping secularism.
Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict’s former butler, who is on trial inside the Vatican, has denied charges of stealing confidential documents from the pontiff’s private apartment.
Paolo Gabriele, 46, pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated theft but said he had abused the Pope’s trust.
He said he believed the pontiff was being manipulated, and that he acted alone in copying the sensitive papers.
The files, which revealed allegations of corruption and infighting at the Vatican, were leaked to the media.
Paolo Gabriele was being questioned in court by the president of the Vatican City tribunal. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted, but he could be pardoned by Pope Benedict XVI.
The butler admitted to the court that he was photocopying documents in the Pope’s apartment, but said he did not regard this as a crime.
There has been speculation that the butler had accomplices as he set about leaking the Vatican’s secrets.
But he insisted in court that he had acted alone, adding that he had “many contacts” in the Vatican where he said there was “widespread unease”.
Paolo Gabriele also complained of the conditions he endured for weeks in a tiny Vatican cell after his arrest. He said it was so small that he could not extend his arms, and the light was kept on 24 hours a day.
The judges have ordered an inquiry into Paolo Gabriele’s allegations. However, the Vatican said conditions inside the Vatican police’s security room respected minimum international standards.
This is the second day of the trial. It was adjourned last week after Vatican judges refused to admit evidence gathered by cardinals.
Instead, the judges in the high-profile trial said they would rely only on evidence from the Vatican police and prosecutor. They seized 82 boxes of papers from Paolo Gabriele’s home.
The Pope’s private secretary, Georg Gaenswein, and one of the four German and Italian nuns who work in the 85-year-old pontiff’s household are also expected to testify.
Correspondents say their testimony could shed light on the very private world of the household.
The chief judge said the court hoped to reach a verdict by the end of the week.
No TV cameras or recorders are being allowed inside the courtroom for the most high-profile case to be held in the Vatican since it was established as a sovereign state in 1929. Coverage of the trial is restricted to just eight journalists.
Paolo Gabriele was identified as the source of leaked documents that were published in a book by an Italian journalist, Gianluigi Nuzzi, in May.
The documents included private correspondence between senior Vatican figures, and appeared to reveal bitter power struggles and corruption.
Correspondents say the revelations seem aimed primarily at discrediting the Vatican’s powerful Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who has been in his post since 2006.
The Pope ordered cardinals to carry out an inquiry separate to the probe by Vatican police after the scandal broke. The results of their investigation have not been made public.
The court decided that his fellow defendant, Vatican computer technician Claudio Sciarpelletti, will be tried separately for aiding and abetting a crime. He had exerted his right to stay away from the hearing.
Paolo Gabriele was the Pope’s trusted servant for years and held the keys to the papal apartments.
The “Vatileaks” scandal has been one of the most difficult crises of Pope Benedict’s seven-year papacy, correspondents say.
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Vatican judges have refused to admit key evidence in the trial of Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict’s former butler, charged with stealing sensitive documents.
Paolo Gabriele’s lawyers had asked to include evidence gathered by cardinals who carried out an inquiry into the “Vatileaks” scandal for Pope Benedict.
But judges at the high-profile trial said they would rely only on evidence from the Vatican police and prosecutor.
They adjourned the case until Tuesday, when Paolo Gabriele will be questioned.
The 46-year-old admitted to investigators that he had leaked confidential documents to expose “evil and corruption”.
He was identified as the source of leaked documents that were published in a book by an Italian journalist in May.
The documents included private correspondence between senior Vatican figures, and appeared to reveal bitter power struggles and corruption.
Pope Benedict XVI ordered cardinals to carry out an inquiry separate to the probe by Vatican police after the scandal broke.
The results of their investigation have not been made public.
Paolo Gabriele faces up to four years in prison if convicted of aggravated theft, but he could be pardoned by the Pope.
The court decided that his fellow defendant, Vatican computer technician Claudio Sciarpelletti, will be tried separately for aiding and abetting a crime. He had exerted his right to stay away from the hearing.
Paolo Gabriele was the Pope’s trusted servant for years and held the keys to the papal apartments.
It has been one of the most difficult crises of Pope Benedict’s seven-year papacy.
No TV cameras or recorders are being allowed inside the courtroom for the most high-profile case to be held in the Vatican since it was established as a sovereign state in 1929.
Paolo Gabriele, dressed in a pale grey suit, showed little reaction as judges rejected almost all of his lawyers’ requests.
He will be interrogated in court by the president of the Vatican City tribunal on Tuesday.
The chief judge said the court hoped to reach a verdict by the end of next week.
Among witnesses due to give evidence next week is Pope Benedict’s private secretary, Georg Gaenswein, and one of the six German and Italian nuns who work in the pope’s private household.
The Vatican butler was arrested in May, accused of passing papal correspondence to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, whose book His Holiness: The secret papers of Pope Benedict XVI was published that month.
Correspondents say the revelations seem aimed primarily at discrediting the Vatican’s powerful Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who has been in his post since 2006.
Prosecutors quoted Paolo Gabriele as saying during his interrogation that he knew taking the documents was wrong but he felt the Holy Spirit was inspiring him to shed light on the problems he saw around him.
He said he felt the Pope was being kept in the dark or misinformed by his collaborators.
Pope Benedict said after his former butler’s arrest that the news had “brought sadness in my heart”.
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Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict’s butler, has been released from custody and moved to house arrest.
The Vatican said that Paolo Gabriele will remain under house arrest pending a decision on whether he should stand trial for leaking confidential papers to the media.
Paolo Gabriele was charged in May after a series of leaks exposed alleged corruption and internal conflicts at the Holy See.
His lawyer Carlo Fusco said his client had operated on his own in an “act of love” toward the Pope.
The so-called “Vatileaks” scandal saw an Italian investigative journalist publish hundreds of secret documents detailing fraud scandals, nepotism and cronyism within the Holy See.
Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict's butler, has been released from custody and moved to house arrest
Italian media reported in May that a stash of confidential documents had been found in the apartment Paolo Gabriele shares with his wife and three children inside the Vatican.
“There are definitely no networks, no internal or external plots in which Paolo was involved. His motivations were all internal,” AFP news agency reported Carlo Fusco as saying.
“He wanted the Church to be more alive. He had an idea to help a situation.”
The Vatican’s judge, Piero Antonio Bonnet, has been instructed to examine the evidence of the case and to decide whether there is sufficient material to proceed to trial.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said a magistrate would decide whether to proceed by early August.
Italian media reported that if convicted, Paolo Gabriele could face a sentence of up to 30 years for illegal possession of documents of a head of state, probably to be served in an Italian prison due to an agreement between Italy and the Vatican.
