Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Vatican Leaks and the Dark Nights of Benedict XVI

"It is important to have friends around one's self"  


(Vatican)  He is called Luigi Martignani and is a Capuchin.  He is employed to the Investigation Committee of the Vatican State Secretariat, whose mission from the Pope should uncover the Vaticanleaks scandal.  What is meant are the confidential documents which have been skimmed from the Vatican and manipulated by the press.

Pope Benedict XVI has approached the incident not without concern.  From his circle much is hear that the Pope is very distraught over the document theft and the breach of trust associated with that which come from his closest associates.  At yesterday's lunch with the Cardinals, which the College of Cardinals gave in honor of his 85th birthday, he said these words not accidentally:  "It is important to have friends around you."  Then he continued:  "In my life I have experienced wonderful times, but also dark nights.  Even the nights were necessary, and today, surrounded by Cadinals, my friends, I feel myself sure in this company.  The evil will master the world, and does this either through violence or by presenting itself as good.  In this manner, it destroys the moral foundation of society."

Margignani must operate on another level.  He is the operative arm of Cardinals Herrnaz, Tomko and De Giorgi, who are directing the investigation.  Their mission is to find out who the person responsible for the theft of documents is, whom Journalist Nuzzi has given the code name "Maria" in his tell all book.  The journalist insists, that behind this is not only one person, rather several.  In the Vatican ne suspects that behind this statement by Nuzzi is a distraction in order to protect his informant.

The figure of the secret traitor is naturally a no recent occurrence.  Every Pontificate had its leak.  The deceased Doyen of Vaticanistas, Benny Lai wrote many times in his Vatican diaries about this.  For the most part it was the doing of one person within the Leonine walls who's been allotted "strong protection", which can be so strong, that even when he himself is unseen, it is not said that he can be far from his post.  Lai maintains that for the collection of information he relied on all imaginable methods available. "We ourselves paid 10,000 Lire every month to Riccardo Galeazzi Lisi for that reason, ( Lisi was the doctor of Pius XII)  so that he could inform us about the course of the Pope's health."   As Pius XII discovered that Galeazzi Lisi betrayed him, he did not dismiss him, but said, "If he wants to remain in the Vatican, he should stay, but arrange for it so that I will no longer see him",  said the Pope.  And the corrupt Archiatros thanked him not, rather arranged to take photos of the dying Pope with a hidden mini-camera.

The history must be repeated, however.  The mole of 2012 can at least not count on that.  He is not in any case shut out, that even he, once detected, will stay in his position.  Even with his improvised camouflage he will be discovered.  The Vatican Gendarmes have already made their investigation. The mole had access to the archives of the State Secretariat and that the part in which Msgr Gänswein, the private secretary of Pope,  which correspondence addressed  to himself and the pope was filed after their dispatch. The circle of people is very small.

Text: Palazzo Apostolico/Giuseppe Nardi
Bild: Palazzo Apostolico
Trans: Tancred

Link to original, katholisches...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Melloni: Vatileaks were intended as an attack on the Pope

Interview with Church historian Alberto Melloni, successor of late Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Alberigo: “The Pope’s private correspondence is concordatory material”

Andrea Tornielli
vatican city
23 May 2012
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/vaticano-vatican-vatileaks-15333/

“I don’t think there is anything new here. The problem is, who is pouring fuel on the fire and who is fanning the flames? They certainly cannot attribute this to their right to freedom of expression....” This is how Alberto Melloni Professor of History at the University of Modena, Italy and director of the John XXIII Foundation for Religious Sciences in Bologna summarised the Vatileaks case that has been causing so much mayhem in the Holy See. Here, the hunt is on for the moles who stole number of documents, notes and letters, sending them to Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, author of “Sua Santità. Le carte segrete di Benedetto XVI” (His Holiness. Benedict XVI’s secret letters)



What do you make of the “Vatileaks” saga?

In my opinion it is an attack against the Pope by those who wish to tell him: you were wrong in your choice of Secretary of State and you were wrong not to substitute him...”



Are there any previous cases that bear a comparison to this one?

“No, I don’t think so. I must say that the book does not reveal anything massively new; they are not “secret letters” at all, it’s just private internal correspondence: it is clear that the aim is to prove that there is no surveillance, that anything can get out and that the archives are not properly looked after.”




What can we expect now?

“Nothing I don’t think. In my opinion, this book represents the end of Vatileaks. I think that is all there is to the dossier, a document package containing some correspondence between the two parties was produced, correspondence that was of no particular importance at that...”




How can you say that the letters sent by Boffo to the Pope’s secretary are of not great importance?

“If one takes a closer look, it’s news that has already come out. The behind-the-scenes events of the Boffo case have dominated news stands for weeks. So has the tension surrounding the head of the Vatican Governorate, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò and his new promoveatur ut amoveatur in Washington. Angelo Scola’s opposition to the IOR’s rescue operation to save Saint Rafael also caused a stir. There are other examples also. The only real news is the message sent by the person who leaked the documents. This message was: you are not able to protect the Pope.”



What are the consequences of this?

“Whoever stole the documents has incurred a latae sententiae excommunication, the most serious of sentences, because their action was a personal threat to the Pope.”



There is a dispute regarding the right to free expression and to document confidentiality. In your opinion, does the Holy See have legal foothold to proceed as announced in the communiqué issued in recent days?

“I would like to remind you that the Pope’s correspondence is concordatory material the Italian Concordat of 1929 is meant to guarantee confidentiality. As such, I think there are legal footholds to proceed and even to request the collaboration of the Italian authorities.”



So what is the situation with regards to the right to freedom of expression?

“I don’t think it is possible to speak of a right to freedom of expression, there was no journalistic inquiry; a document package was sent and subsequently published. This material is to do with the Holy See’s internal activities: a person stealing the documents is one thing, diffusing these for the person that stole them is quite another.”

Geremia said...

Who cares about the Vatileaks? None of it makes sense because it's been drummed up to satisfy those with itching ears. Leaked documents are in no way going to destroy or even weaken the papacy.

Tancred said...

They are being used to perpetuate the manged anti-Catholic sex-abuse campaign and are attempting to implicate the Pope in coverups.

I'm sure you're aware of the influence the media can wield in terms of public opinion.