Pope confirmed Vatican 'gay lobby' in remarks to Latin American group
Summary of Francis' private remarks appear to confirm reports of blackmail and corruption in Holy See in lead-up to Benedict's departure
Pope Francis lamented that a "gay lobby" was at work at the Vatican in private remarks to the leaders of a key Latin American church group, a stunning acknowledgment that appears to confirm reports of corruption and dysfunction in the Holy See.
The Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious - the regional organisation for priests and nuns of religious orders - confirmed on Tuesday that its leaders had written a synthesis of Francis' remarks after their June 6 audience.
The ‘gay lobby’ is mentioned, and it is true, it is there … We need to see what we can do
The group, known by its Spanish acronym CLAR, said it was greatly distressed that the document had been published and apologised to the Pope.
In the document, Francis is quoted as saying that while there were many holy people in the Vatican, there was also corruption. "The 'gay lobby' is mentioned, and it is true, it is there … We need to see what we can do," the synthesis reads.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Tuesday the audience was private and that as a result he had nothing to say.
In the days leading up to Pope Benedict's February 28 resignation, Italian media were rife with reports of a "gay lobby" in the Vatican influencing papal decision-making and policy through blackmail, and suggestions that the scandal had led in part to Benedict's decision to resign.
The unsourced reports, in the Rome daily La Repubblica and the news magazine Panorama, said details of the scandal were laid out in the secret dossier prepared for Benedict by three trusted cardinals who investigated the leaks of papal documents last year. Benedict left the dossier for Francis. At the time, the Vatican denounced the reporting as defamatory, "unverified, unverifiable or completely false".