Papal commission member says her social media accounts were hacked to create controversy

September 18, 2013

Francesca Chaouqui, who was appointed in July to the committee chosen by Pope Francis to suggest reforms of the Vatican financial affairs, has charged that “moles” were responsible for controversial messages on her social-media accounts.

Chaouqui became the focus of criticism in August, when Vatican journalists called attention to Twitter and Facebook comments in which she had described Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone as corrupt, said that Pope-emeritus Benedict has terminal leukemia, and charged that a prominent Italian politician is homosexual.

After nearly a month of silence, Chaouqui responded to the criticism in an interview with the Italian magazine Panorama. She said that her Twitter comments had been doctored, and her Facebook profile stolen, to create the controversy. Chaouqui pointed out that the comments in question appeared just after the time of her nomination to the new papal commission.

 

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Further information:

• Vatican reform panelist says she's victim of 'moles' (ANSA)
• Vatican journalist charges a member of papal reform committee could be tied to Vatileaks (CWN, 8/26)