Pope Francis appears to have
acknowledged the existence of a “gay lobby” at work inside the
Vatican.
Last week, in a private audience with
the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and
Women, Francis acknowledged receiving a report from his predecessor,
Benedict XVI, on the subject.
“The 'gay lobby' is mentioned, and it
is true, it is there. … We need to see what we can do,” Francis
said in Spanish, according to the Chilean
website Reflection and Liberation.
The
New York Times reported that the group to which Francis was
speaking has confirmed the remarks.
Italy's largest newspaper, La
Republica, reported ahead of the conclave in which Francis was
elected that the discovery of a “gay lobby” vying for power and
influence inside the Vatican contributed to Benedict's sudden
decision to step down in February.
The Vatican denied that Benedict had
received a document detailing a network of priests who were being
blackmailed, calling such reports “deplorable” and
“unverifiable.” The paper said that Benedict resigned the day
after he received the dossier compiled by three cardinals looking
into the so-called “Vatileaks” affair.
The paper claimed that the cardinals'
report described a group of gay priests who were being blackmailed by
laymen with whom they had links of a “worldly nature.”