More Vatican leaks

Tuesday, June 5th, 2012

New leaks from the Vatican over the weekend meant there was no respite for Pope Benedict, in Milan to celebrate an event focusing on family values.

In its Sunday edition, Rome newspaper La Repubblica published more documents saying it received them anonymously after the arrest of the Pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele.

The paper also received a note saying there were hundreds more documents and that the Butler was just a scapegoat.

One letter, dated January 16 from Cardinal Raymond Burke, (pictured) Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura; apart from the Pope, is the highest juridical authority in the Catholic church. Burke’s letter, marked ‘highly confidential’ to the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, complains that Bertone took a decision on liturgy without consulting his department, the rightful place for the decision, and expresses his concern that because of Bertone’s intervention the pope may approve a Neocatechumenate liturgical practice that is against Church teaching.

The leaker also supplied two letters from the pope’s private secretary, Monsignor Georg Ganswein. The letterhead and signatures were whited out “so as not to offend the Holy Father.”

“For months we have seen anonymous and signed documents being published and it is obvious that whoever has all these documents intends to release them only a few at a time. Personally, I am not surprised and I am no more worried than I was before. We know that many papers have been released,” Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi SJ said.

In a show of solidarity, Pope Benedict and Bertone, regarded as the chief target of the leaks, appeared side by side at the start of the pope’s visit to Milan.

Sources