Pope frees former Vatican official jailed over leaks scandal

Nearly a decade ago, in December 2016, Pope Francis granted clemency to Monsignor Lucio Ángel Vallejo Balda, a Spanish priest who had been convicted for his role in the “Vatileaks 2.0” scandal.

At the time, Vallejo Balda had been serving an 18-month prison sentence for leaking confidential Vatican documents. His sentence was commuted to conditional freedom, and he was released from Vatican custody.

This act of papal mercy was seen as one of Francis’ final gestures during his Jubilee Year of Mercy, which had formally ended weeks earlier. However, it also sparked debate over the Vatican’s handling of internal transparency and security breaches.

The ‘Vatileaks 2.0’ Scandal: One of the Vatican’s Biggest Leaks

The Vatileaks 2.0 affair, which unfolded in 2015, was the second major Vatican leak scandal after the first Vatileaks incident in 2012 under Pope Benedict XVI. The 2015 case centered around confidential financial documents from a Vatican study commission created in 2013 to examine and reform the Holy See’s financial operations.

Five people were charged under Vatican law:

• Lucio Ángel Vallejo Balda, a high-ranking Vatican official who leaked the documents.

• Nicola Maio, his lay assistant.

• Francesca Chaouqui, an Italian PR consultant and member of the Vatican’s financial reform commission.

• Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi, two Italian journalists who used the leaked materials in their books.

The leaked documents exposed internal Vatican financial mismanagement, including:

• Lavish living arrangements for certain bishops and cardinals.

• Excessive fees required for canonization.

• Millions of euros in losses due to undervalued Vatican real estate.

A Controversial Trial and Sentencing

Following a nine-month Vatican trial, the court issued its verdict in July 2016:

• Vallejo Balda was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

• Francesca Chaouqui was found guilty and sentenced to 10 months, but her sentence was suspended for five years - meaning she never served time.

• Nicola Maio was acquitted.

• The two journalists, Nuzzi and Fittipaldi, were not convicted, as the Vatican court ruled it had no jurisdiction over them.

During the trial, Vallejo Balda admitted to leaking 85 password-protected Vatican documents but claimed he acted under pressure. He denied that the journalists had coerced him, instead blaming Chaouqui, whom he accused of manipulating him into leaking the information.

At the time, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi defended the sentences, stating they were “necessary” to counteract the damage caused by internal leaks.

Pope Francis’ Clemency: A Turning Point?

On December 20, 2016, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had granted clemency to Vallejo Balda, allowing him to be released on conditional freedom after serving over half of his sentence.

Although the specific terms of his conditional release were never fully disclosed, the Vatican confirmed that:

• Vallejo Balda was no longer under Vatican employment.

• He was transferred to the jurisdiction of his home diocese in Astorga, Spain.

This was not the first time a pope had intervened in a Vatican leaks case. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI pardoned Paolo Gabriele, his former butler, who had been convicted in the original Vatileaks scandal for leaking private papal documents.

The Legacy of ‘Vatileaks 2.0’ in 2025

Looking back from 2025, the Vatileaks 2.0 case remains one of the most significant security breaches in modern Vatican history. It highlighted tensions within the Church regarding financial transparency, power struggles, and the Vatican’s internal governance.

Although Pope Francis granted clemency, the case raised lasting questions about press freedom, whistleblowing, and accountability within the Catholic Church. While the Vatican has since introduced stronger measures to prevent leaks, the fundamental issues of financial transparency and governance continue to be debated.