What the trial has not revealed so far is the real motive behind Mr Gabriele's apparent betrayal of the Pope's confidence, nor whether any Vatican senior clerics were involved in the most serious internal security breach suffered by the Holy See in living memory.
Massimo Franco, noted columnist for the leading daily Corriere della Sera, said the significance of the revelations about the bank and the Holy See's internal governance cannot be underestimated, since they were factors in Benedict's decision to resign and the major task faced by his successor.