Gabriele, who has worked as the papal butler since 2006, is one of only a handful of people with access to the pontiff’s private desk.

His job included handing out rosaries to dignitaries and riding in the front seat of the “Popemobile,” a vehicle used for public papal appearances, as seen in many photographs showing Gabriele with the pope.

Last month, the Vatican gave Cardinal Julian Herranz a “pontifical mandate” to uncover the source of hundreds of personal letters and confidential documents that have been released to Gianluigi Nuzzi, an Italian journalist and author of “Sua Santita” or “His Holiness” in which he published the documents.