Vatican: Individual in Posession of Confidential Documents Arrested

Individual in Posession of Confidential Documents Arrested

Right hand man: Paolo Gabriele, the pope's butler, has reportedly been arrested on allegations of having leaked confidential documents and letters from the pontiff's private study. Picture: AFP

Vatican police have arrested the Pope's valet, reporting that he was discovered in possession of confidential documents, and are holding him for questioning.

The director of the Vatican press office, Father Federico Lombardi, told reporters on May 25 that an investigation into a recent series of leaks had led the Vatican gendarmerie to a particular individual. The suspect was illegally holding confidential documents, he said. Although he did not identify the suspect, Vatican sources later confirmed reports that it was Paolo Gabriele, who has served as the Pope's valet for the past 6 years.

Possible Collusion

As a member of the pontifical household, Gabriele is one of the few people who would have access to confidential documents that pass across the Pope's desk. However, Vatican insiders have been convinced that the "Vatileaks" scandal has been orchestrated by some more senior official, as part of a struggle for power within the Vatican. The arrest of the valet--a layman with no particular influence--immediately gave rise to suspicions that Gabriele might be working on behalf of someone else, and might serve as a scapegoat to defect attention from more powerful prelates.

Earlier this week the Vatican had warned that the public release of confidential documents was a criminal activity. Pope Benedict had set up a special commission, composed of 3 senior cardinals, to investigate a succession of embarrassing leaks. The May 25 arrest came as a result of that commission's work, Father Lombardi said.

Fredrico Lombardi: "we have identified [the] person"

Fredrico Lombardi

Responding to questions from the press, the Director of the Vatican Press Office Father Federico Lombardi said that "the investigations initiated by the Gendarmerie" on the dissemination of confidential Vatican documents” have identified a person in illegal possession "of such material." The individual involved, whose identity was not revealed, is being held for further questioning.
The action was taken on the instructions of the Commission of Cardinals under the direction of the Promoter of Justice.
The Cardinalatial commission was established by Pope Benedict in the wake of recent leaks of reserved and confidential documents on television, in newspapers and in other communications media.

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Pope: a religion of trust

Popes Message in St. Peters Square

Pope gives blessing at St. Peters Square

Christianity is not “a religion of fear but rather of trust and love”, because it reveals to human beings the true nature of a God who has himself called 'Father'”. said Benedict XVI on Wednesday at St Peter's Square.  He invited the faithful to “savour in prayer the beauty of being God's friends or indeed his children, of being able to call on him with the confidence and trust that a child has for his parents who love him”.

Broken Families

In this regard “God's fatherhood”, the Pope remarked, is a truth that today's men and women find it hard to perceive. This is partly because the absence of the paternal figure in children's lives is “a serious problem of our time”. Christ's Gospel, on the contrary, reveals to us who “ a true father” is and how he acts, showing us “in depth what it means to say 'God is a Father to us'”.

The divine fatherhood emerges from Scripture in a dual dimension. “First of all”, the Pontiff explained, “God is our Father because he is our Creator”. Thus for him “we are not anonymous, impersonal beings but have a name”, as the touching words of Psalm 119[118] also testify: “Your hands have made and fashioned me”. Then the Incarnation, death and Resurrection of the Son confirm yet again our “belonging” to the Father, because in this way “in addition to entering creation we have really entered into adoption with Jesus”, becoming sons in a new way and in a new dimension”.

God is Engraved in our Hearts

This explains the natural human propensity for prayer. “We would not be able to pray”, the Pope said, “if the desire for God, if our being as children of God, were not engraved in the depths of our heart. Ever since he has existed, homo sapiens has always sought God, has sought to speak to God because God has engraved himself in our hearts”.

Prayer, moreover, is not merely an individual gesture but is an act of the entire Church. “When we address the Father in our inner room, in silence and in recollection”, Benedict XVI acknowledged, “we are never alone. We are within the great prayer of the Church, we are part of a great symphony that the Christian community, scattered all over the earth and in all epochs, raises to God”.

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Pope: We Must Fight Against the Evil

7th Anniversary of Pope Benedict's Pontificate

Pope Benedict celebrates 7th Anniversary of Pontificate

Pope Benedict thanked his closest advisors for all their support during both the joys and the difficulties of his Petrine ministry during a lunch with members of the College of Cardinals on Monday to mark the 7th anniversary of his pontificate.

                                                              Presence of Evil

The Pope began by thanking God for the joyous days as well as what he called ‘the dark nights’ and went on to reflect about the presence of evil in the world. We can see, he said, how evil seeks to dominate our world, through cruelty and violence, but also in more subtle ways, posing as a force for good while destroying the moral foundations of society. Recalling the old fashioned use of the term ‘the Church militant’, the Pope said we must fight against evil and for this reason it is important to have friends to support us in this struggle. Recalling also the words of Our Lord, ‘Take heart, I have overcome the world’, Pope Benedict said we are on the Lord’s team and therefore we will be victorious.. Listen 

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Catholics File Suits on Contraceptive Mandate

43 Catholic Institutions File Suites

43 Roman Catholic dioceses, social service agencies, schools, and other institutions filed lawsuits in 12 federal courts on Monday disputing the Obama administration’s rule that their employees receive coverage for contraception in their health insurance policies. 

U.S. President Barack Obama  the mandate on contraceptive coverage.

Catholic Biships Unable to Reverse Ruling

The nation’s Catholic bishops, unable to reverse the ruling have now turned to the courts, as they warned they would. The bishops say that the requirement is "an unprecedented attack on religious liberty" because it "compels Catholic employers to provide access to services that are contrary to their religious beliefs". The mandate is part of the Obama administration’s overhaul of the health care system, which the bishops say they otherwise support.

Catholic Institutions Resort to Court

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, whose archdiocese in New York is among the plaintiffs, said in a statement: “We have tried negotiations with the administration and legislation with the Congress — and we’ll keep at it — but there’s still no fix. Time is running out and our valuable ministries and fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts now.”

Bishops Reject Obama's Compramise

The bishops rejected a compromise brokered by Mr. Obama in February in an effort to defuse the conflict by having the insurance companies — not the Catholic employers — pay for and administer the coverage for birth control. When some Catholic organizations broke with the bishops and greeted the accommodation positively, the bishops resolved that Catholic institutions must present a united front.

The Plaintiffs and Defendants of the Mandate

Among those filing suit are the Archdioceses of New York, Washington, D.C. and St. Louis; the Dioceses of Dallas, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Rockville Centre on Long Island and Springfield, Ill.; the University of Notre Dame and the Catholic University of America; and Our Sunday Visitor, a Catholic publication. All the plaintiffs are being represented by the law firm, Jones Day.

The defendants are the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury. At least 11 other Catholic and evangelical organizations had already filed lawsuits challenging the birth control mandate, but those cases are still pending.

The White House declined to comment on Monday, instead providing President Obama’s comments when he announced his attempt at a compromise in February: “These employers will not have to pay for, or provide, contraceptive services. But women who work at these institutions will have access to free contraceptive services, just like other women, and they’ll no longer have to pay hundreds of dollars a year that could go towards paying the rent or buying groceries.”

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the president’s accommodations are vague, insufficient and would still compel Catholic organizations to violate their consciences. She said, “They sound like empty promises.”

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Pope Prays for Victims of Italy

Tragic Earthquake and Bombing in Italy

Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the victims of the two catastrophes that struck Italy this weekend; a bombing and an earthquake. 

High School Bombing

The first calamity was a Saturday morning bomb attack on a Brindisi high school, which the Pope described as a "cowardly" act of "brutal violence". Investigators say that the attack which killed a teenaged girl and wounded 10 others - prompting spontaneous demonstrations throughout Italy - was probably carried out by an individual with no links to the mafia, as had been feared at first. 

Magnitude 6 Earthquake in Northern Italy

The second catastrophe was a deadly earthquake early Sunday morning in the Emilia region. Registering magnitude 6 on the Richter scale, it was felt across northern Italy and as far away as Milan and Venice, forcing terrified residents into the streets. 
Authorities report severe damage, with many collapsed buildings in ancient hill top towns and rescuers are still searching for survivors beneath rubble.
As he ended his midday appointment in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict’s last thoughts went to them: “We implore God's mercy for those who have died", he said "and relief from suffering for the injured”.

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Pope Writes to Newly Appointed President of France

Pope Writes to President of France

Francois Hollande, Newly appointed President of France

Pope Benedict XVI wrote to the newly appointed President of France, Francois Hollande. In his letter, he conveys the hope that France continue to be, "a factor of peace and solidarity in the active search for the common good, respect for life and the dignity of every person and all peoples," in Europe and the international community. The Pope prays also that the French President may, with the help of God and, "respecting the noble spiritual and moral traditions of the country, persevere with courage toward the achievement of the tasks of building a more just and fraternal society, open to the world and in solidarity with the poorest nations."

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Protecting Marriage between an and Woman

Barrack Obama Supports Gay Marriage

Same sex couples should be able to get married”, said the President of the United States, Barack Obama in an interview with ABC. In response, the Bishops Conference regard the announcement as “deeply saddening”.

The President, speaking yesterday, 9 May, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, stated: “At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married”. On 6 May, the Vice-President Joe Biden also stated that he was in favor of same-sex marriage.

Response from the Catholic Church

In response, Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops commented on the U.S. Administration's position in a note in which he emphasized the traditional value of marriage and the need to protect its fundamental definition, the union between man and woman. “President Obama’s comments today in support of the redefinition of marriage”, said the Cardinal, “are deeply saddening”.

Timothy Michael Dolan

The Bishops Stand Ready

Cardinal Dolan announced that “the Catholic Bishops stand ready to affirm every positive measure taken by the President and the Administration to strengthen marriage and the family. However, we cannot be silent in the face of words or actions that would undermine the institution of marriage, the very cornerstone of our society. The people of this country, especially our children, deserve better”. The Cardinal also stated that “unfortunately, President Obama’s words today are not surprising since they follow upon various actions already taken by his Administration that erode or ignore the unique meaning of marriage”.

Pray for Barrack Obama

He ended his letter by stating: “I pray for the President every day, and will continue to pray that he and his Administration act justly to uphold and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. May we all work to promote and protect marriage and by so doing serve the true good of all persons”.

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