Anonymous - Operation Vatican - engaged

MIRROR - Greetings world.

The Peoples Liberation Front and Anonymous are joining forces yet again to defend whistle-blowers and fight for transparency in government. This time in the most unlikely of places, the Vatican City State. This spring, a book was published which detailed massive corruption and wrong-doing in the highest levels of the Popes' administration. It was entitled "His Holiness" by Gianluigi Nuzzi. The book relied heavily on a massive cache of documents apparently leaked directly from the Pope's apartment and office at the Holy See.

In May of this year, Paolo Gabriele the Pope's butler was arrested for photo-copying the massive trove of documents and delivering them to Nuzzi for use in his book. Today, Mr. Gabriele was convicted by the Vatican courts and sentenced to 18 months in an Italian prison for this alleged disclosure of sensitive and secret material. The fact that Paolo Gabriele was almost certainly aided by someone high up in the Vatican government, most likely a Cardinal -- was never investigated by the Vatican police. Instead, Mr. Gabriele was given a very quick trial in a Vatican City courtroom and summarily sentenced to a year and a half in prison. The computer technician Claudio Sciarpelletti has been convicted of assisting in the disclosure and has been sentenced to two months.

Anonymous and the Peoples Liberation Front will not stand by while whistleblowers who expose corruption in governments or corporations are persecuted and imprisoned. Whether it be Bradley Manning in the USA or Paolo Gabriele in the Vatican City State, risking everything to bring transparency to the world is an act of extreme heroism -- and deserves to be defended at all costs. The Pope is an absolute monarch, and as such has the ability to instantly pardon Paolo Gabriele and Claudio Sciarpelletti. We demand that the Pope do so at once.

Until this one simple demand is met, Anonymous and the PLF will wage a relentless campaign. We will also work closely with Anonymous Italy to organize ground protests in St. Peter's Square, especially during outdoor Papal "audiences". The Roman Catholic Church should have nothing to hide, and nothing to fear from transparency. Free Paolo Gabriele now.

We Are Anonymous.

We Are Everywhere.
We Are Legion.
We Do Not Forgive.
We Do Not Forget.
Your Holiness Benedict XVI, it is too late to expect us.

Updates: Gabriele has since been released after being pardoned by the Pope, and the Pope has now resigned.