Pope Benedict XVI speaks to cardinals during the closing day of spiritual exercises at the Vatican. Photograph: Osservatore Romano/Reuters
Vatican dismisses reports linking pope's resignation to gay conclave discovery
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/23/vatican-pope-gay-conclave-reports
Pope Benedict talks of 'evil, suffering and
corruption' in the world in remarks to Vatican Curia as he prepares to vacate
papacy
- Conal Urquhart, John Hooper and agencies
The Vatican secretariat of state said in a statement: "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."
The statement was made as Pope Benedict XVI had his final meeting with senior clerics, lamenting the "evil, suffering and corruption" that have defaced God's creation in a final address to Vatican officials.
Benedict spoke on Saturday at the end of a week-long spiritual retreat coinciding with Lent, the period of 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter. For the past week, Italian cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi has led the Vatican on meditations that have covered everything from the family to denouncing the "divisions, dissent, careerism, jealousies" that afflict the Vatican bureaucracy.
Ravasi's blunt critique of the dysfunction within the Vatican Curia comes as cardinals from around the world are arriving for the final days of Benedict's papacy and the conclave to elect his successor. Bureaucratic reform is a high priority for the next pope.
The pontiff's speech follows a report that has linked his resignation to the discovery of a network of gay prelates in the Vatican, some of whom have reportedly been targeted by blackmailers.
The Italian daily newspaper La Republica said the pope decided to resign on 17 December – the day he received a dossier compiled by three cardinals delegated to look into the so-called "Vatileaks" affair.
Last May Pope Benedict's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested and charged with stealing leaked papal correspondence that depicted the Vatican as a seething hotbed of intrigue and infighting.
The newspaper said the cardinals described a number of factions, including one whose members were "united by sexual orientation". It added that some Vatican officials had been subjected to "external influence" from laymen with whom they had links of a "worldly nature". La Republica said this was a clear reference to blackmail.
Pope Benedict Comes Out as Gay
Feb.
28, 2013
In a statement released to Italian news media the 85-year-old departing pontiff says he is relieved to be coming out after eight decades in the closet and urged the Catholic Church and other faiths to accept homosexuality as a natural part of God's creation.
"Like many gay Catholics, I have been forced for too long to choose between my faith and my identity," the statement reads. "My profound love for my beloved church compelled me to lie to myself and to my fellow believers about a basic component of my humanity.
"I deeply regret that deception. I have not been honest with the Church, and for that reason I decided that I could not continue my role as leader of the world's one billion Catholics.
"Now that I have been liberated of this secret, I wish to express my belief that homosexuals are equal in the eyes of God. I beseech the Catholic Church to reconsider its ban on gay clergy and become a leading force in the struggle for gay rights."
Gay the Pray Away
Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation on Feb. 11, becoming the first pontiff since the Middle Ages to resign his post. His stated reason was to retire before the ravages of old age left him unable to complete his duties.Yet rumors have been swirling in Rome since the announcement that the decision instead had something to do with homosexuality at the Church's highest levels.
There have been newspaper reports of a secret "gay conclave" within the Vatican that visited local prostitutes and was thereafter blackmailed.
But there has been no indication that the scandal touched the pope himself, and today's news has come as a surprise to most following the story.
Benedict resigns his papacy today, and will technically cease his duties as pope at 8 p.m. Central European Time. It had been anticipated that he would continue on as a "Pope Emeritus," but given the Church's ban on homosexuality his future role is now unclear.
Say it Ain't So Joe
Reaction to the Pope's statement has ranged from shock to excitement to despair. Some conservative figures in the Catholic Church have even expressed outrage at the move, suggesting Benedict should have remained in the closet."Look everyone knows that the only people who sign up for a lifetime of living in all-male dormitories with no possibility of marriage are gay men," says Phyllis Gates, a conservative Catholic blogger. "But why did he have to actually say it? Denial was working so well for us."
However for Rick Santorum, one of America's most prominent anti-gay Catholic politicians, denial is still alive and well.
"I don't believe him," Santorum says from his home in Washington, D.C. "Homosexual activists have clearly compromised Pope Benedict through blackmail or brainwashing or some sort of queer subterfuge.
"He's not gay. He can't be gay. That's just not possible. He's just pretending for some reason. And it's my job to figure out what that reason is."
Pride and Joy
"It's heartening to see a leading person in the Catholic Church finally take a stand for equality," says Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign. "The church has hitherto been one of the most powerful anti-gay rights organizations in the world.
"Although it's a shame that he was forced out because of his orientation, we're all hoping that Pope Benedict's words of tolerance will resonate with people of faith around the world."
Gay Catholic blogger Andrew Sullivan, who speculated yesterday about a homosexual relationship between Pope Benedict and his personal aide, was phlegmatic towards the news.
"I wish I could take some credit, but honestly anyone could have predicted this. No women, fabulous hats, and Prada shoes? This is the gayest institution in the world."
