A lawyer who was set to represent Pope Benedict XVI’s former butler has walked away from the brief after clashing with his client over differences in defence strategy.

The Vatican: Criminal charges over private papers
Paolo Gabriele will face trail in the autumn after being charged with stealing the Pope’s private papers – an act that the Vatican hopes will mark the end of the ‘Vatileaks’ affair – reports the Washington Post.

Childhood friend
However, Carlo Fusco – a lawyer with Milan’s Sciume & Associati and childhood friend of Mr Gabriele –said at the end of last week that he and his client disagreed on ‘how to handle the trial’. His replacement is yet to be announced, reports Global Legal Post.
Mr Fusco also added that Mr Gabriele’s other lawyer, Christina Arru, was also considering her position.
Mr Fusco had already revealed that Mr Gabriele has written a personal letter to the Pope asking for forgiveness, but the lawyer stressed this did not influence his decision to resign.