Pope Francis said a “gay lobby” exists inside
the Vatican, a surprising disclosure from a pope who has already delivered his
share of stunners, and a resurrection of church conflicts that had bedeviled
his predecessor’s papacy. “In the Curia,” Francis said, referring to
Catholicism’s central bureaucracy, “there are holy people. But there is also a
stream of corruption.”
“The ‘gay lobby’ is mentioned, and it is true,
it is there,” Francis continued. “We need to see what we can do.” Hints that
the Holy See contained a network of gay clergy surfaced last year in reports
about a series of embarrassing leaks to Italian journalists.
The “Vatileaks” scandal factored in Pope
Emeritus Benedict XIV’s shocking decision to resign earlier this year,
according to some church experts, as it impressed upon the 86-year-old pontiff
that the modern papacy requires a vigorous and watchful presence.
Francis’ enigmatic comments came during a
meeting Sunday with CLAR, the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of
Religious Men and Women, who head Catholic communities of priests, sisters and
monks. The Chilean website Reflection and Liberation, which focuses on
liberation theology, first reported Francis’ remarks. A Vatican spokesman told
CNN, “The Holy See Press Office has no official comment on the private meeting.”
Gay and lesbian Catholic groups did not
immediately respond to requests for comment. The Survivors Network of Those
Abused by Priests said, “structure, not sexuality, is the real issue.”
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