Key dates in the 'Vatileaks' affair

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, was on Saturday sentenced to 18 months in jail for leaking secret papal memos to a journalist in the biggest trial in the Vatican's modern history.

The memos revealed a series of alleged fraud scandals in the Vatican and an atmosphere of intrigue between rival groups of cardinals.

Here are some of the key dates in the eight-month scandal:

- January 25: The Italian dailies Corriere della Sera and Libero publish a series of letters to Pope Benedict XVI in which a top Vatican official denounces corruption and waste in the Holy See.

- Carlo Maria Vigano was the head of the Vatican governorate -- the city state's administration -- until October 2011, when he was named ambassador to the United States in what was seen as a demotion.

- February 10: The daily Il Fatto Quotidiano publishes a confidential document dated December 30, 2011 apparently sent by a retired Colombian cardinal to the Vatican warning of unspecified plans to kill the pope.

- April 25: Benedict appoints three cardinals to delve into the leaks.

- May 19: The Vatican condemns as a "criminal act" the publication of the confidential papal documents, calling for those responsible to be prosecuted.

- May 23: The pope's butler is arrested for possessing confidential documents found by Vatican police in a raid on his home. The police later say he had more than 1,000 sensitive documents including some signed by the pope.

- May 24: The head of the Vatican Bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, is forced to resign from his post, accused of management errors and indiscretions linked to the leaked documents.

- May 30: The pope expresses his trust during his weekly general audience in his closest allies and says the image of the Church in the media during the "VatiLeaks" scandal does not correspond to reality.

- July 21: The butler is released from a Vatican cell and placed under house arrest.

- August 13: A magistrate says Gabriele and another Vatican employee must stand trial. Gabriele is accused of "aggravated theft", while Claudio Sciarpelletti, a Vatican computer analyst, is charged with aiding and abetting.

The Vatican says the investigation into a "wide and complex case" is not yet over and will continue to target others believed to be implicated.

- September 29: Gabriele goes on trial in the Vatican. The former butler says he is innocent of theft, but guilty of abusing the trust of a pope whom he loved like a father. He says he believes the pope was being "manipulated".

- October 6: Gabriele is found guilty of "aggravated theft" and sentenced to three years in jail, though his sentence is immediately reduced to 18 months for services to the Church before the crime and his apology to the pope. (AFP)