Cardinal Bertone under investigation? The Vatican's not-so-complete denial
By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | May 20, 2014
I have no information about the report that Cardinal Bertone is being investigated for possible embezzlement. My hunch is that the report, aired by Bild, is vastly overblown. Still I can’t help noticing that the Vatican’s response is not a clear blanket denial.
“There is currently no investigation of a criminal nature,” the Vatican press office tells us. That leaves open the possibility that there will be an investigation, or that there is currently an investigation, but not one involving criminal charges…yet. If the intent of the Vatican press office was to discourage speculation, that statement doesn’t do the trick.
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
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