 The Vatican’s leading expert on missionary activities |
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…
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.
It was during this investigation into corruption that wiretaps revealed his alleged sexual activity. In one conversation, Ehiem tells Balducci: “I saw your call when I was in the Vatican, because I was doing rehearsals … in the choir … in St Peter’s.” He then suggests Balducci meet a man who he describes is “two metres tall … 97 kilos … aged 33, completely active.”
Balducci is also a senior adviser to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, the department that oversees the Roman Catholic church’s worldwide missionary activities…
According to a report by the Carabinieri for prosecutors in Florence investigating the corruption scandal, there was a hidden side to Balducci’s life. “In order to organise casual encounters of a sexual nature, he availed himself of the intercession of two individuals who, it is maintained, may form part of an organised network, especially active in [Rome], of exploiters or at least facilitators of male prostitution.”
Har!
You said “Erupts!”
He was merely at the bat having his stool pushed in.
He was merely at the bar having his stool pushed in.
“…a Gentleman of His Holiness…”
Well, thar’s the problemo right thar. Too many Holes that need a pluggin.
#3, Special Ed, that joke would work well for a gay lawyer. 🙂
>***29-year-old*** Vatican chorister
Perhaps the memo about not screwing young choir boys didn’t quite make the rules clear?
I do not support the Vatican in DADT. If I made you gay be gay and be happy just be nice to each other.
This is not rocket science folks
I don’t get this kind of whining about sex from any other sentient lifeforms across the cosmos.
Good point, GOD.
The Church selects as priests those that like foofy vestments, are not supposed to marry–ever–and expects them to be completely celibate. What’s wrong with this picture?
This is one of the many reasons I left Catholicism many decades ago. No, I didn’t get molested…it’s just that the Church didn’t and doesn’t make sense.
Two Meters? Heh, you’re way off!
These guys walk around in dresses. It isn’t exactly shocking.
The pope’s red Prada shoes were in the news a while back. Here is an excerpt from a top google result:
“Another fashion issue in the news recently: papal hemlines.
During Benedict’s first public appearances, his cassock was way above the ankle, revealing white socks and bright red footwear. The hem was soon lowered a few inches, although he still prefers a sporty around-the-ankle look instead of having the cassock draped over the shoes.”
Rock on, sister! Y’all might want to cut back on the anti-gay marriage rhetoric, though.
ah when in rome do as the romans do…
what happens in rome, is spread all over the globe…
i’d say they learned well from the old roman empire…
the story is all wrong. Dude is currently under arrest (and charged, which the article says is not). Ages are more like 40 than 29, and most important, none of the people involved are actual priests or even vatican residents.
but i bet they got some good pageviews out of the headline…
Remember guys, that catholic priests used to be able to marry and remain pretty well adjusted (other than believing in an invisible sky-daddy) but the church banned them getting married because they didn’t want to have to give any of there huge wealth away after the priest died and left their widows alone.
Everyone needs to ‘dip their wick’ and the catholic church seeks to subvert human nature by placing unreasonable conditions on its faithful, what the hell does anyone expect is going to happen?
They should be able to screw whomever they want provided the 2nd party is of legal age and consents. Just get the hell over the whole chastity for the Lord bullshit and let people be people.
I don’t think the missionary position was involved.
The Vatican’s leading expert on missionary activities
WTF? This must be a great job.
#13 Especially since the Bible says that a Bishop must be the husband of one wife. I’m not Catholic.
Is anyone really shocked? This is just par for the a Catholic course. Hey, at least it was men, and not kids.
Throw in a sack of cocaine and an OD’d teenager floating in the pool, and you have a normal 70’s Hollywood film producer.
Eideard finds this amusing. I find it pathetic.
It’s long overdue for priests and nuns to marry — whether gay or straight.
I believe this reform would go a long way in solving the paedophilia problem — but not in the way most people think.
By forcing gays into the shadows, it has created this gigantic web of deceit in the church. This “shadow culture” hides paedophiles very well, too.
In other words, the paedophilia priest scandal got piggybacked on the needless gay priest scandal.
And it is most certainly needless — gay people can make fantastic church leaders. My own church welcomes gay people and they are some of our most valuable lay members and leaders.
The kind of creative, artistic expression that is valued in gay sub-culture is perfectly suited for church life.
Is anyone else following the similar story of the famously anti-homosexual state senator from California who got busted for DUI will driving from a gay bar … with a young guy he picked up?
http://tinyurl.com/ylzfyx5
Is there any doubt, at akk, that these “family values” conservatives are just self loathing doers of what they rail against?
The Catholic clergy is trained to ritualistically torture and sexually assault children. If you think this is crazy, read the papers to see this has been happening world wide and on an extremely massive scale.
Catholic Church = Evil Empire
+10 for the obscure but apt handle.