Italian paper says cardinals discovered homosexual network within Vatican
February 21, 2013
The Vatican has refused to comment on Italian press reports that an internal report on the “Vatileaks” scandal might have influenced the decision by Pope Benedict XVI to resign.
The daily La Repubblica reported that in their report to the Pope, a commission of 3 cardinals investigating the leaked papal documents had found evidence of a homosexual network within the Vatican, and hinted at the possibility that some Vatican officials were subject to blackmail.
“There will be no comment, denials or confirmation of what has been written in an Italian newspaper,” Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, told reporters during a February 21 briefing. However the papal spokesman urged reporters to be responsible in their handling of unsubstantiated rumors.
Father Lombardi said that the three cardinals had submitted their report privately to Pope Benedict, and it would be passed on to his successor. The three prelates who investigated the “Vatileaks” scandal and prepared a thorough report—Cardinals Julian Herranz, Jozef Tomko, and Salvatore De Giorgi—will not be giving interviews or divulging details regarding the contents of the report, he said. Cardinal Herranz, who chaired the commission, confirmed: “The Pope is the only person we have reported to on this question.”
La Repubblica claimed that in a lengthy report on the leaks, the cardinals had alerted the Pontiff to the existence of factions within the Roman Curia, including a powerful faction “united by sexual orientation.” Some members of that bloc, the cardinals reportedly said, may be vulnerable to “external influence” because of their activities. The Italian newspaper said that the report shocked Pope Benedict and contributed to his decision to resign.
Ignazio Ingrao, who covers the Vatican for Panorama magazine, backed the report by La Repubblica. He said that the cardinals’ commission disclosed “a network of alliances and acts of blackmail of homosexual nature in several areas of the Curia.”
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Further information:
- Lombardi: An invitation to accurate reporting on great moment in life of Church (Vatican Radio)
- Pope’s Final Activities, Possibility of a Motu Proprio, Relationship with the Society of St. Pius X (VIS)
- Pope Benedict retired after inquiry into 'Vatican gay officials', says paper (Guardian)
- Vatican conclave tainted by scandal before it even begins (Daily Telegraph)
- Will pontifical secrecy be removed from the “Relationem”? (Vatican Insider)
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Posted by: New Sister -
Feb. 23, 2013 12:30 PM ET USA
I believe these wolves contributed to the physical decline of His Holiness and thus his abdication. It's not a question of whether or not the Pope had encountered them before. (He has been vocal about "the filth" for decades.) It's rather the homomafia's relentless viciousness and ugly attacks, thwarting His Holiness at every turn, that finally took their toll upon his health. To look upon Benedict XVI is to look upon Peter, crucified upside down by the enemies of Christ.
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Posted by: -
Feb. 22, 2013 9:54 PM ET USA
A homosexual cabal within the Curia would explain the muted response to certain cases of alleged sexual abuse referred to it. The persistent references by certain members of the Curia to "pedophilia" also betray a systematic misrepresentation of the central crime of ephebophilia, men abusing boys aged 12 to 17. Benedict XVI (and Ratzinger before) did more than anyone to confront this terrible reality. His papacy marks a turning point in, and not a retreat from this inevitable confrontation.
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Posted by: -
Feb. 22, 2013 7:30 AM ET USA
I don't doubt there's a homosexual cabal even in the Curia, but I seriously doubt that its presence was a factor in the Pope's decision to resign - as if a churchman as senior as the Pope had never encountered homosexual clergy before!
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Posted by: -
Feb. 21, 2013 7:59 PM ET USA
"I am shocked, shocked to find there is gambling going on here!"
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Posted by: Minnesota Mary -
Feb. 21, 2013 7:39 PM ET USA
This story has lots of credibility with me. How else does one explain the sad state of affairs in the Church? Time to re-read Michael Rose's book, "Good-bye Good Men."
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Posted by: jacquebquique5708 -
Feb. 21, 2013 6:44 PM ET USA
Holy Smoke!
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Posted by: koinonia -
Feb. 21, 2013 5:43 PM ET USA
The Holy Father is a good man who has carried an immensely burdensome cross during his pontificate. Knowing the things he does is not easy. It is much to soon to try to make definitive historical assessments, but there is an unmistakably melancholic and wistful sense to things as the Holy Father's pontificate comes to a close. Is it possible this latest "bombshell" is entirely untrue? Probably. It would be nice, but dare anyone believe it? Pray for our Church and her leaders.
