Judecca

How else to talk about this bit of news but to revisit Dante's Inferno and its circles.  Of the Ninth Circle and its suburb called Judecca.  Those who betray their benefactors are eternally locked in ice and must gaze upon one of the three faces of Lucifer.

Pope Benedict's butler Paolo Gabriele was arrested.  He has worked since 2006 in this capacity and is one of the few people with unrestricted access to the Pontiff's desk.  The reason he was arrested and now awaits a judicial fate is because an Italian author just published a book detailing private memos and letters that could only come from just a few people.  They found in Paolo's apartment such documents.

For all of you would-be James Bonds out there, this case shows you how not to handle classified documents.  There was a limited number of people with the right access and the author extensively quoted from these documents.  So the Vatican only had to put the microscope on a few people.  If the author had perhaps paraphrased these documents along with unearthing other data to support the paraphrases, then the Vatican might not have discovered the mole.  Because Nuzzi eschewed such spy craft, Gabriele is in the dock awaiting trial.

Nuzzi has two paths of action now that Gabriele is in a cell.  He can offer up the name of his real source thus clearing Gabriele but forever destroying his career as he betrays a source.  Or he can remain silent, let Gabriele stand trial, pray he is not summoned to testify under oath, and possibly allow Gabriele be convicted - thus destroying his career because he let a man hang.

So the question becomes, is fame worth the price of another man's freedom?