Pope Benedict’s butler arrested in ‘Vatileaks’ scandal

May 26, 2012 / MariaNews.com 

Pope Benedict’s butler arrested in ‘Vatileaks’ scandal

Pope Benedict’s butler has been arrested in connection with an investigation into leaks of confidential documents. A senior Vatican source says that some of the purloined documents reportedly allege cronyism and corruption in Vatican contracts. The arrest is the first break in the “Vatileaks” scandal involving the leaking of secret papers, including papal letters.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – “The inquiry carried out by Vatican police . allowed them to identify someone in possession of confidential documents,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told reporters. “This person is currently being questioned.”

“It’s all very sad,” a Vatican source said.

The Vatican has been at the center of a scandal involving the leak to Italian media of documents for the majority of this year. Among the documents are personal letters to the pope.

The documents include allegations of corruption, mismanagement and cronyism in the awarding of contracts for work in the Vatican and internal disagreement on the management of the Vatican’s bank.

The president of the Vatican’s bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, was ousted by its board this week.

Pope Benedict is reported to be shocked and saddened by the leaks and ordered several investigations, including one headed by Vatican police and another by a commission of cardinals.

They included letters by an archbishop who was transferred to Washington after he blew the whistle on what he saw as a web of corruption and cronyism, a memo which put a number of cardinals in a bad light, and documents alleging internal conflicts regarding the Vatican Bank.

The private letters to Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and the pope from Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the former deputy governor of Vatican City and currently the Holy See’s ambassador in Washington were broadcast last January by an Italian television.

The letters showed that Vigano was transferred after he exposed what he argued was a web of corruption, nepotism and cronyism linked to the awarding of contracts to Italian contractors at inflated prices.

Vigano wrote in one letter of a smear campaign against him by other Vatican officials who were upset that he had taken drastic steps to clean up the purchasing procedures. Vigano begged to stay in the job to finish what he had started.

Bertone responded by removing Vigano from his position three years before the end of his tenure and sending him to the United States.

© 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.