Why Did Pope Benedict XVI Resign? Newspaper Reveals Possible Secret Sex Report As Reason

Pope Benedict XVI has attributed his shocking and unprecedented resignation to age and poor health, but another reason, according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, is a secret report that details Vatican sex and fraud scandals.

La Repubblica says there is a secret report that reveals sex scandals within the Vatican. The report was in response to Vatileaks revelations, and Pope Benedict XVI was given the 300-page document by three cardinals on Dec. 17, reports The Guardian.

The details in this secret document helped push the pope to resign, reports La Repubblica. The report is said to reveal sexual politics inside the Vatican and groups of prelates, high-ranking clergy members, divided by their sexual orientation, reports The Guardian. The report also asserted that a group of gay prelates was being blackmailed.

The report also revealed meeting places of gay priests for their sexual encounters, reports La Repubblica, including “A villa outside Rome, a sauna in Quarto Miglio,” as well as a university residence, a beauty parlor and rooms inside the Vatican itself. The report also named names, including Monsignor Tommaso Stenico, who was suspended following an Italian television program that attempted to out gay priests.

The report also discussed actions that went against the Sixth and Seventh Commandments, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and “Thou shalt not steal” respectively, reports Discovery News. It is believed the reference to the seventh amendment is in regards to the Institute for Works of Religion, better known as the Vatican Bank, which is facing its own scandal surrounding possible fraud and money laundering, reports Discovery News.

According to The Guardian, the three cardinals tasked with the report were Salvatore De Giorgi, Jozef Tomko and Julián Herranz. Pope Benedict XVI’s statements after his resignation have included references to the inner workings of the Vatican and at his final public Mass he described the face of the Vatican as “disfigured,” notes The New York Times.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said, “Neither the cardinals' commission nor I will make comments to confirm or deny the things that are said about this matter. Let each one assume his or her own responsibilities. We shall not be following up on the observations that are made about this.”

According to La Reubblica, Pope Benedict XVI will discuss the report with the three cardinals on the last day of his papacy -- next Thursday -- and the report will also be given to the next pope.