Vatican hit by gay sex scandal

[Newsjock]

Source: The Guardian

The Vatican was today rocked by a sex scandal reaching into Pope Benedict's household after a chorister was sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting.

Angelo Balducci, a Gentleman of His Holiness, was caught by police on a wiretap allegedly negotiating with Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 29-year-old Vatican chorister, over the specific physical details of men he wanted brought to him. Transcripts in the possession of the Guardian suggest that numerous men may have been procured for Balducci, at least one of whom was studying for the priesthood.

The explosive claims about Balducci's private life have caused grave embarrassment to the Vatican, which has yet to publicly comment on the affair.

... Since 1995, he has been a member of one of the world's most exclusive fraternities – the Gentlemen of His Holiness, or Papal Gentlemen, the ceremonial ushers of the papal household. In the words of a 1968 ordinance, they are expected to "distinguish themselves for the good of souls and the glory of the name of the Lord".

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/04/vatican-gay-sex-scandal

[RKP5637]

1. Damn, I wish it had been the pope. n/t

[Fresh_Start]

2. start the rumor that the gentleman was procuring

on behalf of his holiness.

[Chicago dyke]

3. who is to say he wasn't?

italy would be rocked by a scandal on the part of Ill PooPoo. so maybe his boy, i mean "gentleman" is taking the fall. not too much of a stretch, even if the prosecutors were in on that part.

[AnnieBW]

7. Him and his Prada robes

and proclamations against gay priests. C'mon. If he's not gay, he's hiding it well.

[No Elephants]

27. Not to mention that greed and pride are 2 of the 7 deadly sins.

Just for the record, though, it's loafers. And, while the Vatican does not deny that the Pope wears Prada, it says mentioning that the Pope wears Prada insults the Pope.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/27/2287323.htm

[UTUSN]

10. Has everybody forgotten "Gorgeous George" - Ratz's "right hand man for ten years"?!1

*************QUOTE**********

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1728239,00.html

The Heartthrob from the Vatican

By Jeff Israely/Rome

When Pope Benedict XVI touches down for his first papal visit in the United States next week, you may notice that he doesn't have the same onstage flair as his predecessor, John Paul II. But you may also begin to notice a very handsome man of the cloth never far from the pontiff's side. That would be Monsignor Georg Gänswein, the Pope's personal secretary, responsible for everything from deciding who gets to see Benedict, to keeping His Holiness on schedule, to discreetly handing him his papal reading glasses just before a homily or other public discourse. While he is the paradigm of discretion, others have taken liberties with his image. Fashion designer Donatella Versace said her Spring 2007 collection was inspired by Gänswein, confessing: "I was thinking of an austere, severe and ethical man. I find Father Georg's austerity very elegant."

Italians have taken notice of Gänswein, and nicknamed him "Bel Giorgio," which Americans might translate as: Gorgeous George. Paparazzi have snapped photos of him playing tennis in his tennis whites, while the Roman and Bavarian press eagerly report his bravura on the ski slopes and appearances at evening Church functions. Nevertheless, despite the glamour imposed on him by the celebrity press, the tall, athletic and dirty-blond Monsignor in his clerical black, concentrates on his pivotal but quiet job choreographing papal appearances. And that is how Americans will see him, in a supporting role buoyed by his scene-stealing good looks. ....



http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2006/11/18/pope-benedict-issues-formal-vatican-decree-a-smile-is-not-a-sin/

Pope Benedict Issues Formal Vatican Decree: A Smile Is Not a Sin

November 18, 2006

POPE BENEDICT AND MSGR. GANSWEIN, THE POPE’S DEVOTED PERSONAL SECRETARY

The New York Times published an article today that disclosed some of the jokes making their rounds about Pope Benedict and his secretary, Msgr. Georg Ganswein. This brief extract from the Times article describes some of those satirical moments:

Perhaps it is his good looks, or his work in the ever-so-serious Vatican, but for whatever reason, Msgr. Georg Gänswein, Pope Benedict XVI’s secretary, has suddenly found himself the butt of jokes in the Italian news media. ....

In a curious “non-response” to this growing wave of satire, the pope’s secretary told his radio audience that “the Vatican was not offended.” “We’re convinced that smiles bring religion closer to the people,” he said, “because a smile is never a sin.”

Pope is Wrong: This One’s Very Sinful.

In response to the Times article, Andrew Sullivan published this irreverent, biting criticism of the article (and the Pope) today on his Time Magazine blog, The Daily Dish:

“The NYT runs a very curious article today about Italian humor about the current Pope. None of the jokes cited seem to me to be very risque or even funny. The entire argument of the piece is undermined by lack of any real evidence that this pope is subject to any more ridicule than has historically been the case. Except of course for that photograph (see above, seated with Msgr. Georg Ganswein). It shows the actual source of the jokes circulating in the Vatican and elsewhere about this Prada-preferring, Gucci-wearing, high-drama German intellectual (Pope). The actual jokes – which the NYT won’t print – are about how good looking so many of the men are who surround Benedict, especially his personal assistant, Msgr. Georg Gänswein, shown holding the large phallic microphone in front of Benedict’s face. The Vatican gossip merchants call Georg “Gay-Org.” He is inseparable from Benedict. And he surely is easy on the eyes. There is no evidence that Benedict has ever broken his vows of chastity; but there is no evidence that he is heterosexual either. Hence the gossip; hence the jokes. When you’re a Pope who declares that even closeted, chaste gay men cannot be priests, it’s pushing your luck to clothe yourself in Prada, bedeck your Pope-mobile with luxurious Natuzzi Italian white leather, and surround yourself with assistants who look like they strayed from the pages of “L’Uomo Vogue.”

"Butch it up, sister. Or the jokes will only get louder.”

******************UNQUOTE************

[RKP5637]

11. No wonder the pope portrays homophoba... n/t

[defendandprotect]

15. Never heard about this ... hmmmmm......

[True_Blue]

18. Gorgeous George is certainly gorgeous

I don't believe these priests go without sex their entire life - it's just not normal.

[glinda]

21. He is beautiful. Hmmmm is right.

[RKP5637]

22. To me, it's psychotically damaging, and many are not as abstinent as they would like

their flocks to believe.

[UTUSN]

23. This other one, Padre Alberto CUTIE, left the RC Church to marry as Episcopal priest

But he seemed to be inviting the scandal, was prolongedly photographed by papparazzi on the beach, rolling around on the sand in bathing suits with the gal, his hands down her bikini bottom. I guess the sacristy was booked on those days, including the ones where they went bar hopping, including slouching drunk down the street, and her riding horsie on him from the front.

The first YouTube below has steamy beach wallowing. The 2nd is him preaching on "The Prodigal Son," and oozing his charisma through the camera.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf6rXBnLc3Y&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyAww8sol5I&feature=related

[No Elephants]

26. Not for nuttin', but it's a hoot that life in the Vatican.is Versace's idea of austerity.

The Sultan of Brunei should have it so "austere."

[Trillo]

4. caught by a wiretap?

This doesn't appear to be about child sex, this is about adult humans being adult humans. So, are we to believe this was caught in an "investigation" and then such "private details" released? Names are named? No privacy, huh? What was that crap about outstanding privacy rights in Europe?

Who named the names and released the transcripts, and why aren't they getting their pants sued off?

Fine, so there was a criminal investigation, then release the details of the crimes themselves. Operating a male prostitution ring? Aren't allegations like these supposed to be weighed in court before trying them in the press?

[Chicago dyke]

8. given the church's official policy of

covering up pedophiles and other criminals, they've long since lost any right to the benefit of the doubt. sorry if some don't want to hear that. an organization that protects criminals is...well, criminal. treat them like they are. prostitution is illegal. i don't agree with that, but the law is the law. even for pedophiles in dresses with more wealth than practically 99% of the world's population. yes, rich religious types are criminals too. sorry if that's news to you.

[Mithreal]

9. When the Church stops being hypocrites, stories like this will stop being news.

Privacy? You mean like we here have a right to privacy?

Balducci was arrested on 10 February, suspected of involvement in widespread corruption. A senior Italian government official, he is alleged to have to steered public works contracts towards favoured bidders. He has not been charged.

The transcripts imply that over a period of around five months in 2008, Ehiem procured for Balducci at least 10 contacts with, among others, "two black Cuban lads", a former male model from Naples, and a rugby player from Rome.

Balducci's lawyer, Franco Coppi, said tonight: "I have no comment. First, because we have more serious questions to tackle. Second, if these claims are correct, they regard his private life. It is disgraceful that these transcripts, which have nothing to do with the case, should have been spread about."

So wrong to embarrass the Church. I am sure they'll survive the embarrassment, pretty sure they are immune.

[defendandprotect]

16. Guardian has the transcripts . . .

We do need to know what it was all about, however --

an internal investigation?

[No Elephants]

28. The Vatican is a law unto itself, both literally and figuratively.

[Trillo]

30. Sure. So anything they want is their law. Sovereign.

My point was that if we want privacy for ourselves, we also must be willing to give it to others, even those we may detest. Conversely, if we decide to take away *the enemy's* privacy, we can surely expect our own to wisp away in a lingering trail of smoke.

[Ozymanithrax]

5. Perhaps he has fallaen on his sword...

A gentleman's gentleman never tells.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Closeted gays in the Vatican, like Ernst Rohm and his merry gang of brownshirts

Par for the course from a woman-hating Church.

[saigon68]

12. Pedophiles

[SoapBox]

13. Hilarious! And it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of creepy guys

...LOLOLOL...

When will the world wake up to this bunch of hypocrites and pervs...Guess you
could say that another one got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. *snark*

I've always wondered...We had breathless drama over the pervs in the U.S. and
some other Westernized areas of the world...but what about Africa? The "church"
is real big there but what kind of perversions are they involved in there that
have never gotten published?

Just say NO to the Catholic "church"!

[defendandprotect]

17. Africa . . . as I recall it, native Catholic priests were seeking virgins . . .

to avoid the AIDS epidemic!!!

[defendandprotect]

14. Sounds more like "they are expected to distinguish themselves" in some other ways . . .!!!

[defendandprotect]

19. Here's a missing bit of info re Balducci . . .

Balducci was arrested on 10 February, suspected of involvement in widespread corruption. A senior Italian government official, he is alleged to have to steered public works contracts towards favoured bidders. He has not been charged.


and more --

GB MADDALENA ANGELO BALDUCCI ARRESTED
Stampa Invia questo articolo
(AGI) - Rome, 10 Feb. - The Rome police have arrested Angelo Balducci , former Disaster Relief Agency deputy chief. The arrest was ordered by the magistrate's court of Florence in connection with public-sector contracts for the G8 meeting at La Maddalena. Sources have reported that the police are also carrying out searches.


http://cooperazione.agi.it/news-in-english/notizie/201002101054-cro-ren1027-gb_maddalena_angelo_balducci_arrested?op=makePrintable



and here . . . gets even more interesting . . .

BERTOLASO DENIES HE KNEW ABOUT TENDERS CORRUPTION PROBE
in Italy NewsPolitics News Event

BERTOLASO DENIES HE KNEW ABOUT TENDERS CORRUPTION PROBE
(ANSA) - Rome, February 23 - Civil Protection Chief Guido Bertolaso denied on Tuesday he had been tipped off that Florence prosecutors were investigating him on corruption charges in a wider probe over public tenders that has led to the arrest of four people.

Bertolaso told a television talk show he had last met the head of the state public works office, Angelo Balducci, who was arrested with three other people on February 10, at Christmas.

"I knew nothing about the (Florence) probe," he added, stressing that he and his daughter had spent a weekend in New York at the start of February.

"Do you think I would have gone to New York if I had known that I was going to be involved in this judicial earthquake?"

Bertolaso also stressed that he had asked Balducci to justify the skyrocketing costs for the renovation of the original site of last year's Group of Eight summit in the Sardinian island of La Maddalena.

"He sent a written reply, on state public works letterhead, giving me his explanation and ruling out any irregularities".

The government on Monday was forced to deny press reports that on January 30 Balducci went to Premier Silvio Berlusconi's office to discuss the case with Bertolaso and someone else.

"Balducci did not come to Palazzo Chigi on January 28, nor on the 29th, the 30th nor any day after," said the statement.

The dailies published wiretapped transcripts of a telephone conversation between Balducci, 54, and a Rome lawyer in which the former, who obviously feared his phone was being tapped, says he planned to meet his "uncle" and "the other guy" for "a few minutes", at Palazzo Chigi.

"The last time I spoke to Balducci was at Christmas and I dare anyone to come up with transcripts of wiretapped conversations that prove otherwise. On January 29 I was visiting L'Aquila (hit by a devastating earthquake on April 6); on the 3Oth I was in Florence to pick up an award and on the 31st I was in Pisa to help in flood relief," Bertolaso said Tuesday.

Balducci was arrested on January along with Rome businessman Diego Anemone, 38; the Tuscany region's public works contractor Fabio De Santis, 61; and state official Mauro Della Giovampaola, 44.

They are being investigated by Florence and Perugia prosecutors who are probing alleged graft in public tenders for the construction of state venues, including the La Maddalena G8 venues and a police barracks in Florence.

Prosecutors say Bertolaso, 59, who offered to step down when he was listed among suspects in the graft probe, may have taken bribes and struck sex-for-favours arrangements with businessmen involved in the construction of the venue, which was later moved to the quake-hit town of L'Aquila in central Italy.

pi]Rome Prosecutor Achille Toro was forced to quit last week after Italy's supreme court asked investigators to confirm claims by suspects that he tipped them off about the probe.

Investigators believe that after having been tipped off about their impending arrests, Balducci and Anemone were planning to leave the country.
-cut-

The civil protection chief told another television talk show on Monday morning "the world crumbled around me" when police searched his home and office on January 10, adding: "I didn't know what was happening and had not the slightest suspicion of what was going to hit me".

[]Bertolaso, who denies having taken bribes or accepting a sex-for-favours deal, says his wife has been the hardest hit in the wake of the ensuing scandal.

"This risks undermining the trust she has in me and it's understandable".

Papers have published transcripts of telephone wiretaps of conversations between Anemone and another suspect, Rome businessman Simone Rossetti, talking about organizing "mega galactic parties" for the civil protection chief.

The transcripts alleged that Bertolaso was offered massages as well as sexual encounters, accusations he has denied.

Two women linked to Bertolaso have said they are certified masseuses.

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/node/18892


BOYS WILL BE BOYS . . . !!!

[Zoeisright]

20. This is news??

I thought the whole thing was one big fuck up.

[defendandprotect]

25. It is . .. but corruption, arrests and a "prostitute ring" in the Vatican is still news . .

[hedgehog]

24. The real irony here? There are a lot of people who contend that the letters of Paul

that are quoted to justify a ban on gay sex were actually condemning forced sex with young slaves. IMO, procuring young men to have sex with is barely a half one step away from that. These men who misinterpret Scripture to condemn all gay sex are the ones guilty of what Scripture calls sin!

[No Elephants]

29. Meh. I wouldn't put much past Paul. He was 1 pair of tighty whiteys short of a jihadist.

[Politicub]

31. Does Ted Haggard work for the pope now?

While running a brothel itself, the vatican gleefully continues to bash GLBT rights.

It's getting hard maintaining a tally of all of the catholic church scandals. Or any other of the organized religions for that matter.

[Joey Liberal]

32. Glad I'm no longer a Catholic. nt