VATICAN CITY
Vatican Insider
How is it possible for a “family” member to have gone on photocopying the Pope’s documents for years? What is the real reason behind this?
Marco Tosatti
Vatican City
The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, is right to denounce the Dan Brown like conjectures and conspiracies described in many news stories published recently. But – without wishing to defend journalists who are shocked if a day goes by without Fr. Federico Lombardi denying their comments – it is worth remembering that we are faced with a case that is without precedents in the history of the modern Church; a case in which there are far more questions marks than solid facts. It is only natural that some – not the Pope – wish to end the process as soon as possible in order to avoid any negative consequences which along exposure to the Vatileaks scandal could have for the Church.
I have been following Vatican affairs since 1981 and witnessed John Paul II’s pontificate almost in its entirety. I cannot help asking myself how it is possible for someone, even if they are “family” members to photocopy or photograph documents from the Pope and his secretary’s study, for years, without rousing the slightest suspicion. It is true that Karol Wojtyla and his secretary, now cardinal, Stanislao Dziwisz, had lived through a Communist regime in which spying was the order of the day, so had developed special antennae for this. But I cannot imagine anyone being able to remove documents for a week, let alone a month, without cardinal Stanislao getting a whiff of it.
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