The Viganò "case" and the power struggle in the Vatican
It is open season on the "moles" who disclosed confidential documents. But behind the scenes there is a no-holds-barred fight between different factions

Andrea Tornielli
Vatican City

It is open season on the Vatican moles who released (and continue to release) confidential letters and documents, one week after the explosive episode of "The Untouchables", an Italian investigative journalism program, conducted by Gianluigi Nuzzi, which was aired on Italian television channel LA7. Last Wednesday, the video revealed some confidential letters sent by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò (currently Nuncio to the U.S. and previously Secretary of the Vatican Governatorate) to the Pope and to Cardinal Secretary of State, Tarcisio Bertone.

The letters contain weighty revelations against some clergy and laity in the Holy See, who had been accused of stealing, and against some laypeople in Bertone's entourage.

...One thing is certain: the disclosure of letters attests to the ongoing clash of power between factions.

It is not the Pope who is in crosshairs, as those who have used Benedict XVI as a shield to cover their mistakes in recent years, would have you believe.

The man who is under scrutiny, is Cardinal Bertone, whose loyalty to Ratzinger has never been questioned, but whose management of the Secretariat of State has increasingly baffled many, including a number of Ratzingerian cardinals.

The events of last year - from attacks on the Toniolo Institute, strongbox of the Catholic University, to the attempt to buy the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan - have raised concerns about the lay advisors the cardinal surrounds himself with as well.

Read more at Vatican Insider