Paolo Gabriele, the former butler of Pope Benedict XVI who was sentenced to 18 months in prison for leaking his boss’ private documents, has reason to be happy today — he’s the beneficiary of a papal pardon. Pope Benedict visited him in prison today, to communicate the pardon in person. From a Vatican statement: “This constitutes a paternal gesture toward a person with whom the Pope shared a relationship of daily familiarity for many years.” Gabriele was reportedly released immediately, and has returned home. source