When the flood of leaks from the Vatican began a short while ago, it was inevitable that serious energy would be expended on sniffing out the culprits - and so no surprise when an arrest was made last week, of the Papal butler. Nobody believes he was acting alone, as Vatican Insider makes clear: there will certainly more senior people involved, probably including members of the Curia. I’m not particularly interested in picking through the sordid details though. What interests me is just one simple feature: the Vatican outrage at the fact of the leaks and the speedy response, on the one hand - and the glacially slow response to the substantive allegations behind them, on the other.
Just one of the many problems detailed in the leaked documents, was evidence of massive malpractice at the Vatican Bank. These allegations have been around for decades, but I’m not aware of any serious attempt by Church authorities to respond to them with any real seriousness. But together with the announcement of the leaks arrest, came news that the head of the Bank had been forced out.
Surprise!
Pope shocked at Babel-like confusion in the Vatican
The Commander of the Vatican Gendarmerie was hard at work Sunday. The Vatican leak inquiry did not end with the arrest of the Pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele so the papal police offices are busy sifting through the “investigative material” that will help find the potential accomplices and individuals behind the leaks. There are no immediate plans for arrests but not one of the Curia’s members believed the Pope’s butler is the only one responsible. “The affair is not over yet. This is just the beginning,” they said. Behind the Vatican walls there is a growing belief that “Paoletto’s” arrest was not the finishing line but a starting point.
Meanwhile, the Pope’s butler seems to be changing his tune during questioning. “Paoletto” seems to be following the advice of his lawyer, Carlo Fusco and abandoning the silence strategy adopted at the beginning. He is now answering questions regarding the serious charges being made against him, as the investigation moves from the preliminary phase led by the Promoter of Justice Nicola Picardi, to a formal phase led by the investigative magistrate of the Vatican Tribunal, Pier Antonio Bonnet. Investigators are keeping a list of potential moles under observation. About fifteen individuals are suspected of tampering with the top secret material that was leaked to mass media and reveals feuds and scandals going on within the Vatican.
The Pope’s butler is still being held on charges of aggravated burglary and could soon be joined by other disloyal servants of the Holy See. The positions of a number of individuals are being assessed but the definitive culprits have not yet been found.Authorities are now examining the possibility of other Vatican office employees and prelates being involved. The involvement of prelates is a plausible possibility given the fact that the investigative commissionthat was set up by the Pope to shed light on the Vatican document leak case is made up of cardinals and they are the only ones authorised to investigate on an equal level.
- full report at Vatican Insider.
There are obvious parallels to be drawn with the ongoing scandals around the scandals of clerical sexual abuse. For years, the Church simply denied that there problems, then insisted that they were of minor importance, then claimed that they were dealing properly with all allegations. As government commissions and criminal trials in Ireland, the US and elsewhere have since clearly demonstrated, Church claims of appropriate response to allegations are a gross exaggeration. The only really serious response has come when the real facts have been forced into the open by secular authorities.
There are no secular authorities that can force greater transparency within the Vatican so-called state. For this reason, internal agents who are bringing the sordid facts to light should be honoured and celebrated - not prosecuted.
Related articles
- Further Notes on the Vatileaks-Vatican Bank Situation (bilgrimage.blogspot.com)
- ‘Vatileaks’ scandal widens as pope’s butler vows to help investigators (guardian.co.uk)
- Pentecost Message To Pope Benedict: Clean Up The Mess You Call The Vatican (enlightenedcatholicism-colkoch.blogspot.com)
- Cardinal among plotters in Vatican scandal? (worldnews.msnbc.msn.com)
- Vatican in chaos after Pope’s butler arrested for leaks, bank president ousted (tyragan.wordpress.com)
