Vatican arrests cleric, laywoman suspected of leaking secret documents

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World | Mon Nov 2, 2015 9:42am EST

Vatican arrests cleric, laywoman suspected of leaking secret documents

VATICAN CITY | BY PHILIP PULLELLA

Two members of a commission Pope Francis set up to study reforms, including a high-ranking Holy See official, have been arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential documents, the Vatican said on Monday.

It was one of the biggest internal scandals to hit Francis' papacy so far and was reminiscent of the "Vatileaks" furor that preceded the resignation of former Pope Benedict in 2013.

Spanish Monsignor Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, number two at the Vatican's Prefecture for Economic Affairs, and Italian laywoman Francesca Chaouqui, a public relations expert, were arrested over the weekend, a Vatican statement said.

Vallejo Balda, 54, was believed to be the highest-ranking member of the Vatican's central bureaucracy, known as the Curia, ever to have been arrested.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/02/us-vatican-arrests-idUSKCN0SR1EO20151102

[Cartoonist]

1. By whose authority?

So the Vatican sees leaking documents to be a crime for which they have legal authority to take action.

I'm not disputing that, just want to be clear.

What punishment will they face? I bet it won't be a transfer to another parish.

[rug]

2. The Vatican is a sovereign state.

The Vatican Criminal Code was overhauled two years ago.

They face two years, eight if it involves diplomatic relations.

http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/pope-expands-vatican-court-authority-criminalizes-leaks-sex-abuse

[rug]

3. It doesn't detail the allegations but suggests it's related to this:

The twin arrests came just days before two Italian authors were due to release books that their publishers say will reveal new evidence of scandals in the Vatican and alleged conspiracies by the old guard to undermine Francis' reform efforts.

[Angry Dragon]

4. It seems that the Catholic Church is confused

The church says that they are the true way to god, that they have the answers. So if they have papers and other things then god must have wanted them to share with the world. So if that is the case then they have the god given law to share with everyone so these people are only doing god's work. Case closed. God has spoken.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. Thanks to that shithead Mussolini the Vatican

can pull stunts like this.

[edhopper]

6. I can understand the national security issues

of revealing State secrets in many countries. Though it is overused and often shouldn't be invoked when it is.

But how does the Vatican have any documents that would warrant jail time.

Just more protecting the image, while people suffer, if you ask me.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Now we know what it takes to get the pope to give a shit, and how far he is willing to actually go

when he DOES finally give a shit.

[Act_of_Reparation]

8. OK LISSEN EVRY1

STEALING TEH POPE'S *.DOCs = GO TO JAIL. DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT $200

COVERING FOR RAPISTS = INDULGENCE GRANTED. WHO AM I TO JUDGE LOL