Power strife as cardinal linked to 'Vatileaks'
May 29, 2012, Tuesday
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ONE of the Vatican's biggest scandals in decades appears to be widening with reports that an Italian cardinal may be involved in a power struggle involving leaked documents, corruption and intrigue. The pope's butler, who has been arrested in the scandal, has pledged to cooperate in the probe.
Leading Italian newspapers Corriere della Sera and Il Messaggero reported yesterday that the pope's butler - arrested three days ago for allegedly feeding documents to Italian journalists - clearly did not act alone, and that an unidentified cardinal is suspected of playing a major role in the scandal.
However, the Vatican spokesman, the Reverend Federico Lombardi, denied the reports that a cardinal might be the next target of the "Vatileaks" probe. He said many Vatican officials were being questioned in the investigation but insisted: "There is no cardinal under suspicion."
Meanwhile, the lawyer for the pope's butler says his client has pledged "full cooperation" in the investigation and wants the truth to come out.
The commitment by butler Paolo Gabriele to cooperate with Vatican investigators raises the specter that higher-ranking prelates may soon be named in the scandal over leaks of confidential Vatican correspondence that have shed light on power struggles and intrigue inside the highest levels of the Catholic Church.
Gabriele, the pope's personal butler since 2006, was arrested last Wednesday after documents he had no business having in his possession were found inside his Vatican City apartment. He remains in detention in a Vatican detention facility, accused of theft.
The 46-year-old father of three was always considered extremely loyal to Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II, whom he briefly served. (AP)
Leading Italian newspapers Corriere della Sera and Il Messaggero reported yesterday that the pope's butler - arrested three days ago for allegedly feeding documents to Italian journalists - clearly did not act alone, and that an unidentified cardinal is suspected of playing a major role in the scandal.
However, the Vatican spokesman, the Reverend Federico Lombardi, denied the reports that a cardinal might be the next target of the "Vatileaks" probe. He said many Vatican officials were being questioned in the investigation but insisted: "There is no cardinal under suspicion."
Meanwhile, the lawyer for the pope's butler says his client has pledged "full cooperation" in the investigation and wants the truth to come out.
The commitment by butler Paolo Gabriele to cooperate with Vatican investigators raises the specter that higher-ranking prelates may soon be named in the scandal over leaks of confidential Vatican correspondence that have shed light on power struggles and intrigue inside the highest levels of the Catholic Church.
Gabriele, the pope's personal butler since 2006, was arrested last Wednesday after documents he had no business having in his possession were found inside his Vatican City apartment. He remains in detention in a Vatican detention facility, accused of theft.
The 46-year-old father of three was always considered extremely loyal to Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II, whom he briefly served. (AP)
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