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Rome (CNN) - Pope Francis' main bodyguard resigned on Monday for a leak related to an ongoing financial investigation, the Vatican said.
Domenico Giani, 57, "has no personal responsibility" for the leak, but stepped aside to allow the investigation to continue, the Vatican said in a statement.
A brochure from the Vatican police signed by Giani, the commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie, leaked to the press on October 2. The document identified five Vatican employees who were suspended pending an investigation for financial irregularities.
Domenico Giani accompanies Pope Francis during an event in 2013. (GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP / Getty Images)
It is still unknown who was the person who leaked the document.
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Pope Francis met extensively with Giani about his resignation, according to the Vatican's statement, and "expressed his gratitude for his gesture" and his 20 years of "unquestionable faithfulness and loyalty."
In an interview with Vatican News , Giani said the leak had "trampled the dignity of these people" investigated.
"As a commander, I was also ashamed of what happened and the suffering caused to these people," he said in the interview. “For this reason, having always said and testified that I am willing to sacrifice my life to defend the life of the Pope, in the same spirit I have made the decision to surrender my office so as not to damage the image and activity of the Holy Father in any way” .
Giani has served as a bodyguard for three popes: Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
Pope Francisco