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Subscribe to RSSAs cardinals gather for the election of a new pope, the Vatican was sharply critical of a wave of reports in the Italian media. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
The Vatican on Saturday accused the Italian media of spreading "false and damaging" reports in what it condemned as a deplorable attempt to influence cardinals who will meet in a secret conclave next month to elect a new pope.
Since Pope Benedict announced his resignation on February 11, Italian newspapers have been full of rumors about conspiracies, secret reports and lobbies in the Vatican that they say pushed the pope to abdicate.
"It is deplorable that, as we draw closer to the time of the beginning of the conclave ... that there be a widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories that cause serious damage to persons and institutions," a Vatican statement said.
The Italian reports have painted an unflattering picture of the Vatican's central administration, known as the Curia, depicting it as being full of prelates more concerned with their careers than serving the Church or the pope.
Some Church officials, speaking privately, have said foreign cardinals coming to Rome to choose the next pope have been alarmed over reports of corruption and might be inclined to elect someone not connected with the Curia, which is predominantly Italian.
The Vatican statement said the Italian media reports were an attempt to influence the outcome of the conclave through negative public opinion much like states and kings tried to influence papal elections centuries ago.
The pope has announced that he will step down on February 28, becoming the first pontiff to abdicate in some six centuries.
The 85-year-old Benedict said his failing health no longer enabled him to run the 1.2-billion-member Roman Catholic Church as he would like.
In a separate statement, Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said the reports were trying to "discredit the Church and its government" ahead of the conclave.
Osservatore Romano / Reuters
Pope Benedict XVI prays in a private chapel during the closing day of the Spiritual Exercises at the Vatican February 23, 2013.
Italy's Repubblica newspaper ran a series of unsourced stories this week about the alleged contents of a secret report prepared for the pope by a commission of three cardinals who investigated the so-called Vatileaks scandal last year.
Paolo Gabriele, the pope's butler, was convicted of stealing personal papal documents and leaking them to the media. He was jailed and later pardoned by the pope.
The documents alleged corruption in the Vatican and infighting over the running of its bank, which has been at the heart of a series of scandals in past decades.
On Friday the Vatican denied Italian media reports that Benedict's decision to send a senior official to a new post in Latin America was linked to the secret report about leaked papal papers.
The Vatican said the transfer to Colombia of Monsignor Ettore Balestrero, an Italian who holds a post roughly equivalent to deputy foreign minister, was a promotion and had been decided weeks ago. Balestrero will be promoted to archbishop and made ambassador in Bogota.
Those reports said Balestrero was being sent away from the Vatican because he figured in the secret report.
On Saturday, as part of his last activities before his resignation in five days, Benedict ended a week-long Lenten spiritual retreat in the Vatican and held a farewell meeting with Italy's president.
On Sunday he will hold his last Sunday blessing. He will hold his last general audience on Wednesday and meet with cardinals on Thursday morning before he resigns on Thursday.
He will first go to the papal summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome and then move to a convent inside the Vatican in April after the building is renovated.
Related:
- LA's Cardinal Mahony calls himself 'scapegoat' ahead of deposition, conclave
- US Catholics like Pope Benedict but many ready for new direction, married priests
- Boston's sandal-wearing Cardinal O'Malley getting papal buzz
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Oh to be a fly on the wall at that conclave ...well I'm sure there will be many..
Not just Catholics or the Catholic church have scandals involving pedifiles! Both the Protestant and Jewish faiths also have had their scandals with pedofiles and odd characters.
Cardinal O'Malley comes closest to emulating the person for whom the Catholic Church was founded, Jesus Christ. Though he too has some contradictions in his service.
The wearing of sandals, the administering to the poor - those are admirable qualities that inform more than the obvious ministering of the faithful. For that reason he would make an excellent Pope but he will not get it. The Catholic Church and the Vatican have not yet learned from their sins/crimes. Until every pedofile priest is prosecuted fairly and expediently nothing will change.
Cardinal O'Malley may be admirable to some but he has closed parishes in order to compensate the victims; parishes of faithful Catholic who have been harmed by those closings. Perhaps the Catholic Church could find a way to clean up their mess without harming the faithful! The congregations might increase only then.
Sean Omalley refuses to turn over to authorities the list of pedophile priests he has in his possession.
He is no better than the RAT-zinger, who conceived of, initiated, and implemeted the cover-up for pedophile priests and their relocation to fresh innocent victims OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. These victims lives were forever destroyed and the damage has permeated their children's and grandchildren's generations because of the psychological and emotional PERMANENT damage that their parents and grandparents suffered.
bishopaccountability.org "survivor's accounts" Protect our children.
Poor, poor Parishioner of the Unholy Roman Catholic Church of Pedophile Pimps, Priests and the Parishioners who love, defend, support and protect them. I condemn YOU for standing up for this den of serpents. I condemn YOU for putting your church before children. I condemn YOU because you hide your head in the sand. I condemn YOU for not getting off your butt and demanding the immediate resignation of all involved in the abuse cover ups and submission to civil courts for prosecution, for if you do not, in my eyes and in the eyes of a lot of victims, you are just as guilty of these rapes as if you held the child down yourself and allowed the priest to rape them while your Bishop and Cardinal stood there laughing their asses off.
Corrupt, perverted, and tax exempt, ... so wrong, but hey, the world is full of gullible people.
"It is deplorable that, as we draw closer to the time of the beginning of the conclave ... that there be a widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories that cause serious damage to persons and institutions," a Vatican statement said."
What is DEPLORABLE is that "the Church" is saying this after centuries of covering up for pedophiles in their ranks. If ANYONE deserves to BURN IN HELL FOR ETERNITY it would be the pedophiles and those that cover up for them, INCLUDING the POPE.
Well said. And all members of the rcc are accessories to their crimes.
Leave the rcc. Save childrens lives.
bishopaccountability.org "survivor's accounts" Do you want to continue to finance this?
Since there is no evidence for hell, we need to do something else: secular justice through imprisonment in this life. Pulling our US Ambassador to the Vatican would be an excellent statement on the decision to allow a known child rapist protector, Cardinal Mahony, from having a chance at promotion to pope of all things.
Child's point of view: I was sexually violated, my innocence stolen and the person who protected my rapist is now up for promotion.
This is disgraceful and every single nominal Catholic is part of the problem, not the solution. Walk away.
The Catholic church needs to face their problems and clean up their house. Other churches around the world should do the same. Religion should not be about power over others rather the power given through love and hope. Churches should offer comfort not more suffering.
If the Vatican worked for god they wouldn't care what newspapers published...but a con artist cannot survive if people can understand their scam...the existence of all religions is a mark of the intelligence of the people involved with the religions...when there are no more religions mankind will have evolved another step from the trees they recently climbed out of...
Pope Smope, I wouldn't be surprised if someone came out and accused this moron of child
molestation. He was suppose to clean this *#$# up, but failed miserably as a cardinal. I use
to be a catholic until I discovered all their LIES, LIES, LIES! Burn in hell Benedict the traitor!
Schmope, not Smope.
" . . . and the gates of hell shall not prevail . . . "
Got evidence? (Didn't think so).
Was the vatican as upset by efforts to protect child raping priests?
Who cares anymore what the Vatican says. They have lied so often an so much that we cannot believe anything they say. If there is an underground gay sex ring with Vatican stars, the Pope knew long before now. The rumors have been around for years. The next Pope will know too and the cover ups will go on. Their protests and rants against the Media won't count for anything.
hey the good news for all the religious priests of all religions is that if we get to SPACE we are going to need you-who knows what gods we'll meet out there
religion needs to get onboard with science - if we are going to find god I would think he'd be out at the front expanding the universe-lets go find him -invest in science and prove to the world even the staunchest religions can change there attitudes-surly it's about leading by example
if god created this then surly he would want as as a species to enjoy and harvest it -lets get limitless and go and find god!!!!!!!!!!!!! or not if he doesn't exist-0 we can always find one
This is too funny... the Vatican blaming the media of misrepresentation, hiding the facts, and out right lying to the puclic. LOL!
"The documents alleged corruption in the Vatican and infighting over the running of its bank, which has been at the heart of a series of scandals in past decades." Money,influence and power,remember,their still human.
To all Parishioners of the Unholy Roman Catholic Church of Pedophile Pimps, Priests and the Parishioners who love, support, defend and protect them.
In March of 1975, after running away from an abusive foster home, I was brought by the police to St Thomas More parish in Durham NH. No sooner did the officer leave than my night of horror and death began.
The priest said I had broken one of the Ten Commandments, honoring my mother and father and therefor I was doomed to an eternity in hell. He then gave me his special absolution.
First he sucked me off, to take the evil out of me. Then he forced me to suck him off, to take his "sacred sacrament" inside of me. He did not care though I puked. Lastly, he raped me anally. While he was raping me anally, he forced me to say the Our Father and Hail Mary while he told me over and over again if I told anyone about his special healing, I would in fact burn in hell for eternity.
My life has since been an utter and complete living hell. Horrifying nightmares of being gang raped in hell, by priests, bishops, and popes, then the demons of hell. At the end of each nightmare, the priest, now a demon comes and rips off my penis and eats it.
I became a drunk and a druggie, to deal with the pain, the horror, the guilt and the suffering.
I tried to kill myself at least 8 times just to stop the nightmares. How I am still alive today is anyones guess. I have woken up in the emergency ward, my stomach being pumped. I have stuck a gun to the side of my head, pulled the trigger. The gun jammed and somehow when I chambered the round, it flipped the bullet around. A rare occurance from what I understand. There is a reason for me to survive all of these suicides and I now know what that reason is.
To take a stand, to stand up to the Unholy Roman Catholic Church, The Vatican, the Popes, Cardinals and Bishops, the priests and nuns and the Parishioners. To shout from the tallest towers the evil done to me and tens of thousands of other children, who are unable to shout yet. To protect from harm another child from ever going through the horror and hell myself and tens of thousands of other victims have gone through. To make the evil ones pay for their crimes.
To the Parishioners listen the hell up. YOU are just as guilty as the Pope, the Cardinals, the Bishops, the Priests and Nuns, if you do NOT demand that all of these child rapists of your church resign immediately and submit to civil prosecution for their crimes.
How dare you Parishioners defend, protect, worship and hold holy the very scum who covered up the rapes of children? How dare you Parishioners support such evil? How dare you Parishioners cry out and speak against us who do truly hate your Pimps and Priests who raped us? How dare you demand we never speak ill of your scum who hid this evil?
How dare you demand we forgive these scum, when we know damn well we will rarely get justice for what was done to us?
I heard the majority of you loud and clear when Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State case broke, How you all demanded that Jerry get a life sentence and all the leaders who covered it up be prosecuted, but you do not have the guts to say and do the same to your own leaders of your church you damn well know covered up the priest rapes.
Oh thou hypocrites, it would be better for you to tie a boulder around your neck and throw yourselves into the deepest of lakes than to harm a single hair on the head of a child.
You all deserve condemnation and hatred, because you put your Unholy Roman Catholic Church of Pedophile Pimps and Priests before your very own children. You hold and honor them before you do your very own children. You defend and protect these scum rather than your very own children.
You vile beasts Parishioners of the Uholy Roman Catholic Church deserve condemnation and hate, just like your scum who did this to us as children and now seek to protect their asses over facing the consequences of their evil crimes against humanity.
Frank, thank you for sharing your story. I'm speechless like most on here, I would think. We're failing as a Society with these types of tragedies along with many other misguided deeds. I am not a REV. - I use this pseudo as a jab a Political foes only.
My education brought me out of the cult of religion (all) and to really love my fellow human. So stand tall and remember your the fighter and survivor NOT them - they're falling left and right.
Please find someone to share with one on one, fall in love, go fishing, go BURN the MAN in Nevada ( a blast) and above all keep fighting.
Frank
So many are not going to believe your story, but it is TYPICAL of what pedophile priests did and do.
bishopaccountability.org "survivor's accounts"
Frank LaFerriere
You are a real piece of work. I read your hate filled crap on newvine, and you blame everyone from your mother to the cops and Church for your drug use and apparently self hatred of your sexual problems. Your amazing escape from attempted suicide when the bullet turned around in the gun and misfired is crap,
I will make you the same offer I make everyone else Vietnam Veteran wants his @ss. You pay for a polygraph test of me. I pass it, you pay for three full page ads in newspapers I choose, apologizing to me.
Oh and where the hell did I ever blame my mother or the cops you loser troll? Self hatred of my sexual problems? What, you think speaking out about my rape is a sexual problem?
Do us all a favor will you?
Go crawl back into what ever dark cave of pedophile lovers you crawled out from you piece of human waste.
Oh yeah, I forgot too, I am supposed to love and praise all of the Pedophile Pimps and Priests of the Unholy Roman Catholic Church of Pedophile Pimps, Priests and the Parishioners who love, defend, support and protect them and forgive them eh?
Well when they are worthy of my forgiveness, then I will forgive them. When they stop their complete and utter bull@!$%#, then I will stop being angry with them.
I beg your pardon! I do not know of one self respecting Gay Person that would willingly wear any of the outfits that the Vatican could offer - OK, maybe one or two of the hats. Yes, most Gay people will gladly let you kiss their ring but to be asked to kiss someone else ring, FORGET about it.
I can just see it now - FAUX FEAR News Headline:
" SHOCKING SCANDAL - The Benevolent Order of the Holy Sphincters have PUSHED the POOPE (sic) out.”
I posted this to be a smart ass before I read Franks story above - now I wish I could delete #44,
Sorry
Why the Pope Really Resigned
www.pointsincase.com/columns/andrei-trostel/why-pope-really-resigned
I make this challenge to anyone and everyone. You do not believe my story about the priest rape, or the things that happened afterwards, pay for me to take a polygraph. When I pass it, you then must pay for three full page ads in the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Manchester Union Leader apologizing to me.
I made the same offer to Bill Donohue, Pig Faced President of the Catholic League, to Cardinals Timothy Dolan, William Leveda and even the Pope himself. Funny not one of these sorry assed sub humans took me up on my offer yet.
Poor, poor Parishioner of the Unholy Roman Catholic Church of Pedophile Pimps, Priests and the Parishioners who love, defend, support and protect them. I condemn YOU for standing up for this den of serpents. I condemn YOU for putting your church before children. I condemn YOU because you hide your head in the sand. I condemn YOU for not getting off your butt and demanding the immediate resignation of all involved in the abuse cover ups and submission to civil courts for prosecution, for if you do not, in my eyes and in the eyes of a lot of victims, you are just as guilty of these rapes as if you held the child down yourself and allowed the priest to rape them while your Bishop and Cardinal stood there laughing their asses off.