Pope’s butler to cooperate in 'Vatileak' probe

The Vatican has been hit by a scandal invovling leaks of confidential correspondence that reveal murky intrigues and power struggles at the highest levels of the Catholic church.

According to Italian media, a cardinal is suspected of playing a key role in the "Vatileaks" scandal, though the Vatican spokesman, Rev Federico Lombardi, while denying the reports said many Vatican officials were being questioned in the investigation.

The scandal is reportedly one of the biggest to hit the Vatican in recent decades has now widened, with the pope's butler saying he was willing to co-operate with investigators over some of these confidential documents allegedly found at his home. 

With the butler, Paolo Gabriele, pledging cooperation with Vatican magistrates, analysts say it may be a matter of time before high-ranking prelates are named in the investigation into leaks of confidential correspondence.

Lombardi has rubbished as "pure fantasy" several other unsourced reports about the investigation in the Italian media, which has gone into overdrive after reports of Gabriele's detention surfaced last Friday.

Gabriele, the pope's personal butler since 2006, was arrested last Wednesday for having in his possession documents that he was not supposed to have at his Vatican City apartment. Now in custody at a Vatican detention facility, he faces accusations of theft. He, has however been allowed to see his wife and his lawyers.