VATICAN CITY, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The prosecution in the trial of Pope Benedict's former butler on Saturday asked for a guilty verdict and a sentence of three years in jail.
The defence, for its part, asked the court to reduce the charges against Paolo Gabriele from "aggravated theft" to "misappropriation" and for him to be freed.
In his final appeal, Gabriele told the court in an impassive voice he acted exclusively out of deep, "visceral" love for the Roman Catholic Church and the pope he once served.
He spoke minutes before the court retired to consider its verdict.
VATICAN PROSECUTION IN "VATILEAKS" TRIAL ASKS FOR SENTENCE OF THREE YEARS FOR EX PAPAL BUTLER DEFENCE IN TRIAL OF EX PAPAL BUTLER ASKS COURT TO REDUCE CHARGE OF AGGRAVATED THEFT TO "MISAPPROPRIATION", WITH NO JAIL SENTENCE EX PAPAL BUTLER PAOLO GABRIELE TELLS COURT HE ACTED EXCLUSIVELY OUT OF DEEP, "VISCERAL" LOVE FOR CHURCH AND POPE EX PAPAL BUTLER TELLS VATICAN COURT IN FINAL APPEAL: "I AM NOT A THIEF" PROSECUTION AT "VATILEAKS" TRIAL SAYS NO PROOF THAT EX PAPAL BUTLER HAD ANY ACCOMPLICES INSIDE VATICAN
(Reporting By Philip Pullella)
((philip.pullella@thomsonreuters.com;))
Keywords: POPE BUTLER/CLOSING URGENT)