Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi S.J. has called on Vatican officials to “remain calm” and “keep our neve” in the face of several recent embarrassing leaked documents.
Despite the documents appearing to have different levels of importance, Lombardi described the situation as “very sad”.
He called on the press to “make careful distinctions,” to not “just throw everything together” nor allow the reality of the situation to be “swallowed up in a whirlpool of confusion.”
Reuters’ is labeling the events as “monsignors’ mutiny”, and reports that almost daily embarrassments have put the Vatican on the defensive at a time when the Church faces a crisis of authority and relevance in the wider world.
“It is a total mess” said another high-ranking Vatican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The leaks include
- letters by an archbishop who was transferred after he blew the whistle on what he saw as a web of corruption and cronyism
- a poison pen memo which put a number of cardinals in bad light
- new suspicions about the Vatican Bank
- a cardinal complaining about another cardinal who spoke of an assassination attempt against the pope
- a memo from the cardinal in charge of financial oversight warning that a new law against money-laundering could be seen as a “step back” from reform, potentially creating “alarm” in the international community and among regulatory agencies.
Reuters believes the leaks are part of a campaign against the Vatican Secretary of State, and the pope’s right hand man, Cartinal Bertone.
Bertone’s reputation is one of a ‘heavy-handed’ power-broker who has alienated the Vatican’s bureacuracy.
The job, traditionally occupied by a career diplomat, Bertone came to office with no diplomatic experience, rather being known to the pope by working under him when the pontiff was head of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The embarrassing leaks have come at what is normally a joyful week when the pope admits more men into the College of Cardinals, the group who will eventually select his successor.
Sources