* Ex-butler seeks forgiveness from pope for "pain caused"
* Paolo Gabriele expected to be ordered to stand trial soon
* If convicted, butler will likely ask pope for pardon
ROME, July 24 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict's former butler, who
was arrested two months ago in an investigation of leaks of
documents alleging corruption in the Vatican, has written to the
pontiff asking for forgiveness, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Paolo Gabriele was arrested on May 23 and placed under house
arrest on Saturday after 60 days detention in a small "safe
room" in the Vatican's police station.
"Paolo has written a letter to the pope asking him for
forgiveness, particularly for the pain he caused him," lawyer
Carlo Fusco told Reuters.
Gabriele, 46, who worked in the papal household, was
arrested after police found a wealth of sensitive Vatican
documents in the apartment where he lived with his wife and
children inside the Vatican.
Fusco said he expected a Vatican magistrate to formally
close an investigation and order Gabriele to stand trial on
charges of aggravated theft. It carries a sentence of up to six
years in jail under the law of the world's smallest city-state.
If convicted, Gabriele is widely expected to ask the pope
for a pardon and if he does so, the pope will likely grant it,
Vatican sources say.
If no pardon is granted, he will serve his term in an
Italian jail, according to bilateral agreements between the
Vatican and Italy.
Fusco said he had not seen the private letter Gabriele wrote
to the pope but that Gabriele told him of its contents. The
letter was given to a commission of cardinals investigating a
scandal that has become known as "VatiLeaks".
The lawyer said the letter asks for "the kind of forgiveness
one would seek from a friend, a spiritual, personal
forgiveness". Gabriele would likely seek a judicial pardon after
the trial, Fusco said.
CHURCH CLEAN-UP
At a news conference late on Saturday when Gabriele was
placed under house arrest after a final, seven-hour
interrogation, Fusco said Gabriele had wanted to help the pope
and may have acted to help clean up the Church.
Many commentators have said that Gabriele, who served the
pope his meals and rode in the front seat of the popemobile at
the pontiff's general audiences, could not have acted alone and
was a scapegoat for others.
But Fusco has said Gabriele was not part of any wider plot
and had not received any money.
The butler's arrest in May threw the global media spotlight
on an institution battling to defend its reputation against
allegations of graft.
Some of the documents which found their way to the media
alleged corruption in the Vatican's business dealings with
Italian companies, involving the payment of inflated prices for
work. Others highlighted rivalries between cardinals and clashes
over the management of the Vatican's bank.
(Reporting By Philip Pullella)