 |
The Pope's
butler, Paolo Gabriele (bottom L), arrives with Pope Benedict XVI (R)
at St.
Peter's Square in the Vatican in this May 23, 2012 file photo.
(Credit:
Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi/Files)
|
(Reuters) -
Pope Benedict got no rest on Sunday from a leaks scandal when an Italian
newspaper published documents showing that his butler was not the only person
in possession of confidential correspondence indicating a Vatican in disarray.
Benedict,
85, ended a weekend trip to Italy's industrial and financial capital Milan with
a closing mass for an international gathering in which he praised traditional
Catholic family values and re-stated his opposition to gay marriage.
But in its
Sunday edition, the Rome newspaper La Repubblica published documents it said it
had received anonymously after the arrest of the pope's butler on May 23.
A note
received by the newspaper said there were "hundreds more" documents
and that the butler, Paolo Gabriele, was just a scapegoat.
The furore
over the leaked correspondence, which shows power-hungry cardinals and scheming
within the walls of the city state, has gripped the Vatican just as it was
recovering from a long-running scandal over sexual abuse by Roman Catholic
priests in the United States, Ireland and other countries.
One letter,
dated January 16, was sent by Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American who heads a
Vatican department, to the pope's secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio
Bertone.
Burke
complains that a decision regarding a liturgical matter was taken without
consulting his office, which is responsible for such matters.
The person
who sent Repubblica the documents also provided two letters signed by the
pope's private secretary, Monsignor Georg Ganswein. The newspaper said those
letters had everything but the letterhead and the signature whited out.
The
newspaper said that in the note accompanying the documents, the person who sent
them said the contents had been whited out "so as not to offend the Holy
Father" but threatened to reveal the contents.
BUTLER HELD
IN VATICAN "SAFE ROOM"
The butler
Gabriele, who is being held in a "safe room" in the Vatican's police
station, is expected to be questioned this week by a Vatican prosecutor who
will decide if there are grounds to order him to stand trial.
Gabriele,
45, is currently being held on charges of aggravated theft but if he is charged
with divulging state secrets he could receive a prison sentence of up to 30
years.
The person
who sent the documents to the paper said Bertone and Ganswein were "those
really responsible for this scandal".
During his
weekend trip to Milan, the pope has made no reference to the affair, which
began in January 2011 when an Italian television show first aired leaked
documents alleging cronyism and corruption in the Vatican.
Last week,
Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi published the book "His Holiness,"
which contained more documents.
In his
sermon closing the event in Milan, the pope, speaking to a crowd of one million
who had come from as far away as Zimbabwe and New Zealand, stressed again that
the family must be based on marriage between man and woman and open to the
possibility of having children.
The
ceremony at a park in Milan's northern outskirts was attended by Italian
leaders including Prime Minister Mario Monti.
The pope
made no mention of the leaks scandal but spoke of the damage to family life
that modern society can inflict.
"The
one-sided logic of sheer utility and maximum profit are not conducive to
harmonious development, to the good of the family or to building a more just
society" he said.
"(This)
brings in its wake ferocious competition, strong inequalities, degradation of
the environment, the race for consumer goods, family tensions," he said.
(Reporting
By Philip Pullella; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Related Articles:
"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Based in Greece, Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.)
"Your Perception of God"– May 19, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) (Subjects: (Old) Souls, God / Creator, Religions (List of Rules), Who are You?, After the Last Breathe, Higher Self/Life Times, Ancestors, Genders, No do or don’t/Should list, New Paradigm, Shift of Human Consciousness, Worship, The Humanization of God, Innate, Lifestyle (Alcohol), Follow God’s plan, Do not follow whom's humanize God, Masters have already arrived, Global Unity .. etc.) - New !
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.