Gay Prostitution Scandal Rocks the Vatican

When it comes to religious hypocrisy, nobody does it better than the Catholic church. At a time when the pope and his minions are ramping up their anti-gay rhetoric and complaining that anti-discrimination laws restrict their God-given right to discriminate, the Vatican finds itself at the center of one of the biggest gay sex scandals ever, involving a married-with-children servant of his holiness, Papa Ratsi.

The Guardian reports:
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.

The explosive claims about Balducci's private life have caused grave embarrassment to the Vatican, which has yet to publicly comment on the affair. While Catholicism does not condemn homosexuality outright, its teaching is that homosexual acts "are intrinsically disordered". The Catechism of the Catholic church states unequivocally: "Under no circumstances can they be approved."

Balducci serves as a member of the Papal Gentlemen an elite group of ceremonial ushers in the papal household. According to a 1968 ordinance, their charge is to "distinguish themselves for the good of souls and the glory of the name of the Lord". These are the guys who served as pall bearers at the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

The Guardian says that the tapes were recorded as part of an investigation into "charges of involvement in widespread corruption. A senior Italian government official, he is alleged to have to steered public works contracts towards favoured bidders."

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