Italian police accidentally tapped papal phone calls

June 11, 2010

Italian police unintentionally recorded a phone conversation of Pope Benedict XVI, while taping the calls of an Italian civic official who was being investigated on corruption charges.

Investigators who had taped the calls of Guido Bertolaso, a top Italian security officials, heard four calls from the Pope, who was questioning Bertolaso about relief efforts after the earthquake that struck central Italy in 2009. Also recorded was a call to Bertolaso from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Neither the Pope's calls nor Clinton's had any relevance to the corruption investigation. Vatican officials are reportedly annoyed that papal phone calls were recorded without the Pontiff's knowledge.

 

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Further information:

• Italy's corruption police tape the Pope's phone calls (Daily Mail)