On September 4, Francesca Fagnano of the Italian Daily Il Fatto Quotidiano (IFQ) published a report discussing a “new bomb” in the Vatican. Her article, excerpts of which were published here, indicated that there is a dossier, similar to that of the disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, on his former vicar general, auxiliary, and housemate, Cardinal Kevin Farrell. The report also hinted at the possibility of a release of a 300-page investigatory report commissioned by Pope Benedict XVI – a report that was given to Pope Francis but has never seen the light of day. Many believe this report to contain key information on the so-called Lavender Mafia in and around the Vatican.
In a follow-up report on September 5, Fagnano offered additional insights into these two important stories, noting that officials at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith refused to comment on the Farrell story – which Fagnani notes is not a denial – and also that there is a “concrete possibility that there will be a leak of the documents pertaining to the investigation of cardinals Julián Herranz, Jozef Tomko, and Salvatore De Giorgi, which they gave to Pope Benedict XVI prior to his resignation.” Fagnani notes that the report “contains a detailed and disturbing account of the moral and financial corruption of Vatican clergy, with specific names and circumstances” and that IFQ has “succeeded in seeing a copy of the document with the papal seal on the heading,” from which the paper published excerpts in its September 5 report. The full text of the translation of the IFQ article is available below.
We should note that multiple sources with access to the Vatican rumor mill have informed 1P5 that there is a concern that this report, if it is ever fully revealed, may be less significant than is widely hoped. The question remains why, if the report is not the “bomb” that will “rock the papacy” that some believe it to be, the Vatican has worked so hard to keep it a secret. Time will tell what the reasons for this effort may be. For her part, Fagnani states, “If the public became aware of the content of the report, it would be a disaster for the image of the Church, already devastated throughout the world by sexual scandals.” She continues, “But that is exactly what could happen in this phase of the battle, since the squawking of ‘crows’ is a secular practice which takes place in the Vatican every time there is an escalation in which the civil war gets fiercer.”
The word “crow” in Italian has an idiomatic meaning. A crow is like a whistleblower, someone who “squawks” the way a crow does about what he has seen. It recalls to mind the words of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who claimed, following his testimony about abuse cover-up at the highest echelons of the Church, “I am not the crow. I want only the truth.” In that same interview, Viganò offered the following as his reason for choosing to speak up now (emphasis added):
I spoke because now more than ever, corruption has spread to the highest levels of the hierarchy of the Church. I ask the journalists: why are they not asking what happened to the cache of documents that, as we all saw, were delivered at Castel Gandolfo to Pope Francis from Pope Benedict? Was that all useless? It would have been enough to read my report and the transcript that was made of my deposition before the three cardinals charged with the investigation of the Vatileaks case (Julian Herranz, Jozef Tomko, and Salvatore De Giorgi) in order to begin some cleaning up in the Curia.
So it seems that Francesca Fagnani and IFQ have taken up the challenge of Viganò, in not just asking what happened to the cache of documents in question, but offering a peek at what is inside. This peek offers the suggestion of a power shift in Vatican politics, one that has isolated the once popular Pope Francis from his curia and left him open to unexpected attacks. It also carries with it the ghost of a threat: begin breaking your silence, Pope Francis, on these matters, which demand moral clarity, or we will expose you.
With that said, we should stress that this peek offers precious few details, but if the media in Italy have it, we hope that more will come to light very soon.
The list with the names of the gay lobby: The Vatican trembles
Il Fatto Quotidiano
5 Sep 2018
FRANCESCA FAGNANI
Behind the tenacious silence of the highest levels of the Vatican regarding the accusations made in the now-famous document of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò may be the fear of being smeared by new facts and developments which may come to light in the explosion of the “nuclear war” which is said to be occurring – for several days now – within the Holy See.
Yesterday we told you about the “Farrell case” which alleged that a dossier had been given to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees the handling of cases of sexual and other moral crimes, concerning Kevin Joseph Farrell, one-time auxiliary bishop of Washington, which if proven true would fall like a boulder on top of the Pope. Farrell, directly nominated by Bergoglio as head of the Dicastery for the Family, lived together with Theodore McCarrick, former cardinal and archbishop of Washington, who was involved in numerous cases of sexual abuse against seminarians.
Upon contacting the Congregation for a comment, or perhaps a denial, the response was: “There will be no comment.” The Vatican thus is not denying the report of Il Fatto Quotidiano, but like McCarrick chooses the strategy of silence. Also because the concerns of the Holy See do not end here.
The new clouds on the horizon are the concrete possibility that there will be a leak of the documents pertaining to the investigation of cardinals Julián Herranz, Jozef Tomko e Salvatore De Giorgi, which they gave to Pope Benedict XVI prior to his resignation. The report contains a detailed and disturbing account of the moral and financial corruption of Vatican clergy, with specific names and circumstances. We have succeeded in seeing a copy of the document with the papal seal on the heading, and from which we will publish excerpts here: a list of both prelates and lay people who belong to the so-called gay lobby, who by means of blackmail and secrets are able to influence, or have influenced, the positions and careers of both themselves and others.
We will not reveal the specific names given in the list, but we are able to confirm that among the names there are persons removed by the Pope, others who had their offices changed, others who still hold important strategic positions in the internal workings of the Vatican, such as in the Propaganda Fide and the Secretariate of State.
The investigation of the three cardinals Herranz- Tomko- De Giorgi has as yet remained “top secret.” However, a small and yet not-so-small circle of persons had the opportunity to read it, and this before the Conclave of 2013, in order to give a hand to the Holy Spirit who would carry Bergoglio across the threshold of the papacy. In order to make the report, dozens of priests and high prelates were interrogated, and all sorts of documents were gathered together. If the public became aware of the content of the report, it would be a disaster for the image of the Church, already devastated throughout the world by sexual scandals. But that is exactly what could happen in this phase of the battle, since the squawking of “crows” is a secular practice which takes place in the Vatican every time there is an escalation in which the civil war gets fiercer.
And this time the war is against the Pope himself. This time Bergoglio can no longer count on the protection of the Curia, given that he has such a complicated relationship with it both personally and doctrinally (one need only think of the questions of the dubia raised by the four cardinals to the Pope concerning the encyclical Amoris Laetitia, in which Bergoglio opened up communion to the divorced and remarried).
Nor can Francis count on some of his powerful friends and allies, overwhelmed as they are by their own sex scandals or by having covered up for others: McCarrick and Farrell, Cardinals Roger Mahony and Godfried Danneels, on the Chilean bishops, on the very powerful number 3 in the Vatican Cardinal George Pell, currently on trial in Australia for multiple sex crimes. Pell wanted to resign as the Vatican Minister of Finance, but the Pope preferred a simple leave of absence. Moreover, when he was named as Number 3 at the Vatican Bergoglio himself could not possibly not have known about Pell’s abuses.
We ask by means of our newspaper to Pope Bergoglio and to Secretary of State Parolin: bring clarity to matters of McCarrick, Farrell and the commission of the three cardinals, to the moral questions which cannot be hidden away under a veil of silence. The reform of the church will take place by means of the truth.
Translated by Giuseppe Pellegrino.
