‘Vatileaks’ scandal could weaken chances of Italian pope

Roman Curia dominated by Italians concerned with ambitions than greater good of world’s 1.2b Catholics:

ITALY: Intrigue at the Vatican could weaken the chances of the next pope being an Italian, observers said, as memos leaked from the Holy See’s corridors of power lift the lid on tensions between cardinals.

While revealing deep discord within the Vatican administration, the “Vatileaks” scandal has also shown Pope Benedict XVI’s concern with the day-to-day running of the Church despite the 85-year-old’s physical frailty.

That has not stopped rumours about a possible successor, however.

A quarter of the cardinals that can elect a new pope are Italian and the general view before the scandal broke was that they would help elect one of their own, reverting to a centuries-long tradition of Italian popes. The last non-Italian pope before the German Benedict and his Polish predecessor John Paul II was Adrian VI, who died in 1523. But that logic is looking increasingly improbable as the scandal has created an impression that the Roman Curia is dominated by Italians more concerned with their ambitions than the greater good of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

“The side effect of Vatileaks is that it has seriously damaged the prospects for an Italian candidature to the papacy,” Marco Politi, a Vatican expert who writes for Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, told AFP.

“Many cardinals and bishops abroad see the incident as an unpleasant Italian affair although it really affects the whole Church,” he said, adding: “A lot will depend on whether Benedict XVI can get a firm handle on the situation.” Leaks of confidential memos -- many of them published in a book called “Your Holiness” by Italian investigative journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi -- have thrown into question the role of Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone. . AFP