Pope's butler vows to help Vatican scandal probe (higher-ranking ecclesial heads may soon roll)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By NICOLE WINFIELD

VATICAN CITY (AP) - The biggest scandal to rock the Vatican in decades widened Monday with the pope's butler, arrested for allegedly having confidential documents in his home, agreeing to cooperate with investigators - raising the specter that higher-ranking ecclesial heads may soon roll.

Few believe butler Paolo Gabriele worked alone to leak dozens of documents shedding light on power struggles, corruption and intrigue inside the highest levels of the Catholic Church. The leaks have tormented the Vatican for months and painted a picture of a church hierarchy in utter disarray.

Gabriele, the pope's personal butler since 2006, was arrested Wednesday evening after Holy See documents were found inside his Vatican City apartment, adding an unfathomable Hollywood twist to the already sordid Vatileaks scandal. He remains in custody in a Vatican detention facility, accused of theft, and has met with his wife and lawyers.

Gabriele's lawyer, Carlo Fusco, said Monday his client was "very serene and calm," despite the whirlwind of speculation surrounding his arrest. He said Gabriele himself had told the Vatican judge investigating the case that he would "respond to all the questions and will collaborate with investigators to ascertain the truth."

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120528/D9V1T74O3.html

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Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Pentecost Mass inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

[hedgehog]

1. The plot thickens by the minute - buried way down is the Opus dei connection!

"The Vatican probe into the leaks is actually working on several tracks: Vatican magistrates are pursuing the criminal investigation, and Gabriele was arrested as part of that. The Vatican secretariat of state is pursuing an administrative probe. And the three cardinals appointed by Benedict are acting in a sort of supervisory role, looking beyond the narrow criminal scope of the leaks to interview broadly across the Vatican bureaucracy, Lombardi said.

They report directly to the pope and can both share information with Vatican prosecutors and receive information from them, Lombardi said.

The group is headed by Cardinal Julian Herranz, an Opus Dei prelate who headed the Vatican's legal office as well as the disciplinary commission of the Vatican bureaucracy before retiring.

Gabriele's arrest occurred almost simultaneously with another stunning development inside the secretive walls of the Vatican: the ouster of Benedict's hand-picked president of the Vatican bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, himself close to Opus. The bank's board took a vote of no-confidence last week to oust him for failing to do his job."


For those new to the story - one of the guys responsible for tossing Tedeschi is Carl A. Anderson, current Supreme Knight of the K of C - and former aid to Jesse Helms and member of the Reagen administration! Right now the K of C is pouring tons of money into the campaigns against same sex marriage.

[meow2u3]

2. Opus Dei has been bad news for the Church from day one

Just about every financial scandal in the Church has Opus Dei's fingerprints on it. First, the money laundering, now Vatileaks.

If you don't believe me, google "opus dei money laundering" and you'll have your answer.

[Arugula Latte]

3. The Vatican: What a festering caldron of slime and corruption

[AJTheMan]

4. The Vatican hasn't changed much since the days of Rodrigo Borgia