Vatileaks: the plot thickens
It has just been announced that the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, has been arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential documents and letters to some sections of the press. The documents were taken from the Pope's own private studio, access to which Gabriele had a plenty.
As one can very well understand, in the words of one source, the Pope was "saddened and shocked" by this "painful case."
The story has been going on for months. Journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi had triggered a furore when last January he published a number of Vatican memos. Vatican insiders have been convinced that the "Vatileaks" scandal has been orchestrated by some more senior official, as part of a struggle for power within the Vatican. Observers had said that the multiple leaks were clearly designed to undermine the authority of the Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone.
One of the documents leaked was a confidential letter regarding an alleged unsuccessful effort by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone to take over Milan's University of the Sacred Heart.
According to the leaks, Pope Benedict blocked the move by his Secretary of State, siding with Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan.
Other documents were written by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano when he was secretary-general of the Governor's Office of Vatican City State. These letters warned of corruption, abuse of power, a lack of transparency in awarding contracts at inflated prices and opposition to financial reforms. In one letter, Vigano wrote 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. He begged to stay in the job to finish what he had started. Vigano was removed from his position three years before the end of his tenure and was sent to the United States, despite his strong resistance.
The continuous leaks were considered so serious that Pope Benedict had set up a high powered commission to investigate the matter and try to discover who was responsible for these leaks. The commission was expected to look into the possibility of taking legal action against those who leaked the documents to the media, if and when caught. An administrative review of every Vatican office was also to be carried out.
The matter was given a twist to the worse when, a few days ago, the same Gianluigi Nuzzi, published his book - His Holiness - consisting of more correspondence to and from Pope Benedict XVI. Much of the documentation was about Italian issues: the memos about a 2009 controversy over the ex-editor of the Catholic paper L'Avvenire; the memos about Benedict's lunch with the Italian president; and a 2011 letter from Bruno Vespa to the Pope enclosing a check for 10,000 € for his charity work – and asking for a private audience. There was a memo sent to the Pope before his meeting with President Obama, diplomatic cables from Vatican embassies from Jerusalem to Cameroon, and cables with the conclusions of the Pope's delegate about Legion of Christ religious order.
This is not the first time that there were leaks from the Vatican. One of the most scandalous was the leaking of photos of Pope Pius XII on his death bed. It transpired that the photos were taken by the Pope's doctor and sold to the media. However there was nothing as widespread as this spate of leaks.
Though the whole affair is saddening one should not be too surprised that such things do in fact happen. The Vatican bureaucracy is quite big. One is bound to find some bad apples among all those employees.
The big question now is whether Gabriele was working on his own and did was he did for the money the media gave him or whether he was a pawn in a much larger power game.
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Andy Farrugia
May 28th 2012, 21:09
Every incident is a good excuse for those wallowing in iniquity to try to attack the Church of God and believers. It is hardly surprising, to me at least, to discover that in any kind of organisation one is likely to find corrupt individuals. reminds me of a quaint story I once heard - cannot remember exact details or names- which went something like this: An eminent Cardinal was involved in a tete-a-tete with a high-ranking general of the Soviet Politburo. The high ranking general sneered at the Cardinal and told him that the Soviet Union was not afraid of the Vatican since the latter did not possess armies or divisions. The general continued to brag that soon the Soviet RED army would crush the Church. The Cardinal meekly but slyly replied: "You must be dreaming, sir; if we (the Cardinals) did not crush the Church with our perversity, than nothing will ever do so". I believe that Cardinal was right on all counts.
Richard Curmi
May 29th 2012, 12:07
The original story was the historically documented reply by Cardinal Ercole Gonsalvi, then secretary of state under Pius VII, when he was delegated to negotiate a concordat with Napoleon Bonaparte in July 1801. Gonsalvi told the famous general that several of his demands would be unacceptable to the Pope.
To which Napoleon angrily retorted and threatened that he would crush and destroy the church.
Gonsalvi was prompt with his reply: "Your Majesty, if in 18 centuries of Catholic clergy have failed to destroy the Church, I doubt that you in your short life will accomplish such great a task."
Andy Farrugia
May 29th 2012, 18:09
Thanks for the clarifications and corrections Mr Curmi; the essence remains the same.
Mr Malcolm Tortell
May 28th 2012, 12:34
Actually the big question is "what do these self appointed guardians of morality have to hide?"
Francis Saliba M.D.
May 28th 2012, 21:29
Is it only in the case of the Vatican that you equate the right to privacy with the suspicion that there must be something that needs hiding? What is your attitude towards anyone opening your private letters or letters addressed to you?
I think that His Holoiness the Pope has as much right as you have to the confidentiality of his private correspondence.
Joseph Aquilina
May 29th 2012, 00:14
So ACTA is good?? because of course being a law abiding citizen you have no illegal software on your PC right?? The fact is that if this story did not involve the Church the blogs (not only here) would be full with outraged people accusing the media of having reached a new low (like in the UK) by corrupting people to get PRIVATE documents!! But alas for us we live in a world full of people with double standards!!
Ramon Casha
May 27th 2012, 19:39
"The big question now is whether Gabriele was working on his own and did was he did for the money the media gave him or whether he was a pawn in a much larger power game."
No, the big question is, is this a case of "shoot the messenger". The reason for whistleblower acts is to protect those who expose wrongdoing. If such an act is seen as good in Malta, why not in the Vatican?
Francis Saliba M.D.
May 28th 2012, 14:50
What common good was being promoted by this leakage of confidential correspondence by a person of trust disclosing internal bickering amongst the higher echelons in the Vatican? There is nothing news worthy in stating the obvious, namely that the Vatican is staffed by human beings with the usual human rivalries, foibles and frailities! This was not genuine whisle blowing. This is pandering to the salacious curiosity among the general public by authors trying to earn an easy buck - it is not genuine public spirited whistle blowing intended to protect society.
Joseph Camilleri
May 30th 2012, 09:03
Pl understand once and for all that the term Whistleblower is applicable only to accomplices who blow the whistle on their co-malefactors. Whistleblower acts protect wrong doers who expose fellow wrongdoers. While this may have merits, I still find it objectionable to condone any wrongdoing whatsoever. Moreover, the Pope did not sleep on this but commissioned an Inquiry. The Vatican is a State and the inquiry commissioned is akin to a Parliamentary investigation.
Anyway, what is confidential is not necessarily illicit.
Francis Saliba M.D.
May 27th 2012, 17:28
I am flabbergasted by the double standard adopted against the Vatican and the Catholic Church in this case of a clearly criminal, disloyal breach of the privacy laws. This newspaper was recently inundated by vitriolic comments alleging breaches of the privacy laws and data protection laws by a drone overflying suspected hunting crime areas. And yet the dishonest, disloyal publication of internal confidential private correspondence by this "gentleman" in a position of trust, (and by Wikileaks in different circumstances) - most probably for financial gain - is avidly spread under the pretext of "whistleblowing"!
Mr Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
May 28th 2012, 11:51
What about the contents of the documents?
Francis Saliba M.D.
May 28th 2012, 14:54
@ Joseph Carmel Chetcuti,
On cursory inspection the "contents of the document" disclose internal rivalries among candidates for desired jobs.
Richard Curmi
May 27th 2012, 14:39
@ Mr. J.C. Chetcuti
No I' m not telling you such a thing. If he struggled to get power it' s as out of place as I said it is for all other members of the hierarchy.
Richard Curmi
May 27th 2012, 09:04
Shouldn' t the Vatican be more troubled, concerned and disgusted about the contents of the documents than about the leaking of same?
Sure the act of leaking allegedly perpetrated by someone who was trusted enough to have easy access to the Pope's apartment is to be condemned as a crime but I am as sure that these documents that came to light in such a way would worry a lot of catholics. Now we have not only allegations but documents that factually show what goes behind the scenes or more precisely within the walls of what should be the hub and soul of catholicism.
And more suspicions about others who might be involved in the Vatileaks and the ongoings described in the documents will tarnish all the splendour of those memebrs of the hierarchy that surround the Pope during ceremonies that are supposed to be an expression of the Faith.
The Pope referred to these events indirectly when he said that the church is built on a rock but he would surely remind those so close around him that their struggle for power is out of place in a very disordinately manner in the church professing and holding fast to the belief that it was founded by Christ. This is so because when the apostles were, one day, debating who should be the first amongst them Jesus intervened with his parable of the first who will be last and vice versa.
Was it Paul VI who said something like the devil had entered the Vatican?
Mr Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
May 27th 2012, 11:06
R U telling me this pope did not struggle to get power? Really!
Franco Farrugia
May 27th 2012, 08:31
Quote: 'Though the whole affair is saddening one should not be too surprised that such things do in fact happen. The Vatican bureaucracy is quite big. One is bound to find some bad apples among all those employees.'
No, The reason is that the Catholic Church like every other institution on Earth, is managed by human beings. Punto, e basta!
c p agius
May 27th 2012, 03:19
bad apple? hope you're not referring to the whistlebloweer (i.e. the one who exposed the ccrime )
Mr Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
May 27th 2012, 01:51
Of course, we are not surprised by this. The Vatican or Holy See is no different from any other government notwithstanding its pretensions to be a divine institution.
Please choose the reason of your report below: