Vatileaks: Pope defends right hand man Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone The arrest of Gabriele was the climax of a terrible 10 days for Benedict in May during which the head of the Vatican bank was also sacked and a new book alleged cronyism and corruption in a Holy See riven by conflict between plotting cardinals. Vatican chief spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Tuesday that the 50 days allowed for the initial detention of Gabriele would expire shortly and then authorities would have to decide whether to free the butler or send him for trial. Fr Lombardi said a trial would not take place before October, but Gabriele could be released into house arrest before then. Vatican police and a special commission of senior cardinals have been searching for other informers since Gabriele's arrest, with many Church insiders believing the butler could only have been a scapegoat in a wider and more sinister struggle. But Gabriele so far remains the only person under investigation, Fr Lombardi said. The three-cardinal commission has interrogated 28 people. Church experts say the leaks from the Vatican, involving embarrassing details about officials Bertone has appointed or removed or projects he has promoted, suggested a concerted effort to force him out of his job. Cardinal Bertone is a theologian and canon law expert, in contrast to the normal choice of a seasoned diplomat for the job. He has been unpopular in some quarters for what is seen as an authoritarian style and his closeness to Italian politicians. The Pope relies on his secretary of state to run the daily business of the Vatican and its embassies abroad while he devotes much of his time to doctrinal issues and writing a three-book study of Jesus Christ.