Paolo Gabriele, the 46-year-old former butler to the Pope, is going to serve his 18 month punishment for stealing confidential documents in the safety of his Vatican City apartment. A Vatican City judge sentenced Gabriele to 18 months in prison on Saturday, even though the Vatican doesn't actually have a prison. He would normally serve the time in an Italian facility, but for now Gabrielle's going to be able to serve out his sentence from the comfort of his apartment. Gabrielle's lawyer said the court has allowed him to remain under house arrest while he wait to see if he'll be pardoned. Gabrielle contends he leaked confidential documents to a journalist to expose corruption in the church. A guilty verdict was all but guaranteed last week after the court rejected evidence gathered by an inquiry carried out by a group of cardinals that was a key part of Gabrielle's defense. Gabrielle will likely never see the inside of a jail cell. The chance Pope Benedict XVI pardons his former butler is being described as "likely."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at connorbsimpson at gmail dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.