Cardinal Bertone: media exaggerates turmoil in Vatican

June 18, 2012

“We are facing difficult times,” admits the Vatican’s Secretary of State.

Speaking at length about the “Vatileaks” scandal, in an interview with the Italian journal Famiglia Cristiana, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said: “None of us intends to hid the shadows and defects of the Church.” Yet he claimed--despite the many documents that have been leaked to the press in an apparent attempt to undermine Vatican officials—“There is no sign of any cardinals being involved or of disputes between clerics.”

Cardinal Bertone said that the release of confidential papal documents is “an immoral act of unprecedented gravity.” But he said that the Church would overcome the crisis, reflecting:

The church is a rock that resists storms. It's an unequivocal point of reference for countless persons and institutions throughout the world and for this reason there's an effort to destabilize it.

The Secretary of State—who is generally believed to be the ultimate target of the “Vatileaks” campaign—said that the media have exaggerated the problems within the Vatican. He argued that reporters enjoy conspiracy theories, and “many journalists play at the imitation of Dan Brown, inventing fables and legends.”

“There is a relentless and repeated attempt to separate and create rifts between the Holy Father and his collaborators,” the cardinal added.

 

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Further information:

• Vatileaks: The Pope’s action irritated some; they are trying to destabilise the Church (Vatican Insider)
• Vatican accuses media of "imitating Dan Brown" (Reuters)