Vatican Hit By Gay Sex Scandal

The Vatican has been thrown into chaos by reports that one of the Pope's ceremonial ushers, as well as a member of the elite Vatican choir, were involved in a homosexual prostitution ring.

The allegations came to light after Italian newspapers published transcripts of phone calls recorded by police, who had been conducting an unrelated corruption investigation.

The tapes appear to record Angelo Balducci, a Gentleman of His Holiness, negotiating with Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 29-year-old Nigerian Vatican chorister, about men he wanted brought to him for sexual purposes. Balducci was allegedly paying 2,000 euros ($2,714) for each man he met, according to the Irish Times.

Balducci is recorded describing precise physical details of the men he wanted. The transcripts record that during five months in 2008, Ehiem procured for Balducci at least 10 contacts with, among others, "two black Cuban lads," a former male model from Naples, and a rugby player from Rome.

A report by the Italian Carabinieri on the case said: "In order to organize casual encounters of a sexual nature, he availed himself of the intercession of two individuals who, it is maintained, may form part of an organized network, especially active in [Rome], of exploiters or at least facilitators of male prostitution."

The police probe into corruption resulted in Balducci and 4 others being arrested. Allegations of prostitution were only revealed later, and have resulted in Ehiem's dismissal from the Vatican choir.

Balducci held a high position within the Vatican and carried the coffin of Pope John Paul at his 2005 funeral. He has now lost his position as a Gentleman of the Holiness. His trial for corruption is still pending.

The Catholic Church has weathered a storm of controversy in recent years over allegations of sexual abuse by its members. Whilst homosexuality is not outright condemned within the Church, it is taught that homosexual acts are "are intrinsically disordered."

Comments

[Pinto Flounder]

04:20 PM on 03/13/2010

I feel conned by the Catholic Church in a different way. I really considered becoming a priest when in parochial grade school. But I really didn't feel worthy enough. ( I once brought tears to a Franciscan nun's eye in the 5th grade for my naughtiness). So I pursued a temporal life with a good education and a successful marrage of 38 years with 3 loving children and now grandchildren. But if it was gotten across to me in the 1950s that all Catholics, secular and laity, cannot be as worthy in God's eyes as the priest who can consecrate the host. After all the sex abuse scandals I realize that I am as much worthy in God's eyes as those who are his shepherds and teachers. Had i known then what i know now, i would be a priest today, if not a bishop, cardinal, or the next pope. Catholicism is a beutiful faith with beautiful traditions. It has had 2000 years of interpreting the holy scriptures and is approaching tempered steel status. Bad alloys of those officially religious should constantly be identified and purged.. That thes bad alloys are allowed to remain in the church will break the sword.

[applescruff]

11:01 AM on 03/09/2010

Just as no straight person ever had to decide to be gay or straight ,no gay person ever is presented with that choice either. You either are gay or straight. How sad that a society and it's religions force good people to choose between one lie or the other to live their lives. All in order to maintain their misconception about natural human behavior.

[TheBodySacred]

06:03 AM on 03/09/2010

Celibacy is both UNNATURAL AND UNBIBLICAL. It is not supported by scripture at all!

"Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication[sexual immorality], let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband" (1 Corinthians 7:1-2).

"This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach" (I Timothy 3:1-2).

[Hysterian68]

05:17 AM on 03/12/2010

Scripture doesn't support putting women or blacks into public ministry either, but who cares. Most of scripture is pure nonsense.

[TheBodySacred]

06:57 AM on 03/12/2010

Are you sure scripture teaches this, or is it society and certain churches that teach this? As we can see from this scandal, what the Bible teaches and what certain churches teach are not always the same.

[Hysterian68]

05:20 AM on 03/12/2010

Most of scripture is a tissue of lies, myths, and delusions.

[hallowellboy]

09:05 AM on 03/08/2010

What else is new?

[mamacat]

07:29 AM on 03/08/2010

A bunch of men living in sexual isolation are accused of inappropriate sexual conduct? Who could have seen that coming?

[rbryanh]

05:48 AM on 03/08/2010

Having grown up both gay and Catholic...

If given the choice of having your leg or head amputated, would you say you feel "attracted to" the idea of cutting off a limb? To claim "gays are attracted to the clergy" when the traditional alternative involved suicide or worse is a dubious, victim-blaming notion.

Of course "priesthood or death" is what logicians call a false dichotomy, but historically, young men faced with this Sophie's Choice haven't had "screw you and the dogma you rode in on" as an option. Catholicism focuses enormous energy and wealth on converting children, having almost always first coopted their parents. For gay kids, there's nowhere to run except into the arms of your oppressors, and the choice you're presented with there is to kill your heart, your soul, or your body - or perhaps some of each.

Finally, unlike being genetically inclined to homosexual behavior, "gay" is a cultural identification. The idea of a gay priest has about as much validity as that of an opera fan who punctures his ear drums to avoid music.

Ah, straight people. Even those of you who mean well never, ever get it.

[rbryanh]

05:20 AM on 03/08/2010

"Vatican Hit By Gay Sex Scandal"

Oh puhleeze, Mary.

It's certainly an appealing day dream as well as a classic Enquirer/HuffPost hysterical headline, but the Vatican is hit by a sex scandal - gay or otherwise - in the same way that the windshield of a car is hit by a fly.

This is not only the world's oldest organization, but one that's committed more human rights violations than every extant dictatorship (and democracy) on earth. In recent memory, the rapes of hundreds - likely thousands - of children have been publicized planet-wide, along with the details of millions paid in hush money. Aside from the misery of the victims and those who love them, has their been any significant result?

If the Pope himself were revealed hiring underage boys for sex, the Vatican would issue a press release or two and move on unchanged, continuing to promote uncontrolled breeding, demonize gay people, and condemn extra-marital sex. The PR agents in Rome wouldn't even have to write new propaganda - their first thousand such disclaimers, disavowals, apologies, and obfuscations were like stamped in clay tablets.

Scandal? I give it a week, tops. The faithful aren't bothered by these silly details and Holy Mother Church isn't sullied by them - not least of all because faith is the ability to believe whatever you like despite any amount of evidence to the contrary.

[lucylou]

08:57 AM on 03/08/2010

Always keep in mind...Bernard Law the "disgraced" Boston Bishop was demoted by our last Pope after the 'scandal' -- to a plum position -- in Rome, no less (meaning, you've reached the pinnacle of your career) to head up Rome's most important church: Santa Maria Maggiore

[Hysterian68]

05:22 AM on 03/12/2010

You're not describing the Vatican, you're describing the United States Government.

[lucylou]

03:56 AM on 03/08/2010

As my dad liked to quip, if you're gay, you basically had two choices: Join the Clergy or Throw a brick through a bank window...

[Cye]

04:36 AM on 03/08/2010

So true, lol.

I think gays are attracted to the clergy because they think the vow of chastity will "save" them from "sinful" pleasures of the flesh and their own uniquely "sinful" sexuality.

Its possible that it works for some, but overall it think it leads to an unhealthy suppression of the natural sexual impulse or, in some cases, its release in some very unhealthy behaviours.

[TheBodySacred]

06:21 PM on 03/08/2010

Celibacy is UNNATURAL, and UNBIBLICAL! It does nothing to stop the natural urges for sex!

[Lisa Howard]

02:52 AM on 03/08/2010

Like the Vote Against Gay Marriage message, this information needs to be screamed from the pulpits every Sunday!

[slybacon]

01:52 AM on 03/08/2010

it's okay, they forgive themselves.

[rbryanh]

04:08 AM on 03/08/2010

Oooh, you _are_ a sly bacon, aren't you?

[Mikeeee]

12:56 AM on 03/08/2010

It's ok, they have this under control. They blocked a 5 yr old from going to a catholic school because his parents are lesbians. See everything is under control, relax, be at peace. There's nothing to see here.

[NiagaraFalls08]

12:29 AM on 03/08/2010

Italy must not have that requirement to undergo a detailed background check to be involved in church activities. I was interested in helping archive documents, but they wanted my Social Secuirty number and complete life's history to keep on file forever probably in some database. Wonder who would have access to the info and how secure the data are. No thanks to that, and no volunteering from me. I doubt it I would have been alone with any children working in files archives.

[Donnat]

11:36 PM on 03/07/2010

No wonder the Vatican aligns itself with American conservative politics, they're all closeted gays too.

[olgraydawg]

11:31 PM on 03/07/2010

This was predicted by Nostradamus...so sad, all of the people whose lives have been spent propping up these organisms.

[olgraydawg]

11:28 PM on 03/07/2010

And these paragons of virtue withhold a wafer? That is brave, or stupid.