Fr Lombardi criticises Vatileaks story in Italian daily

(Vatican Radio ) The Director of the Vatican Press Office, Fr Federico Lombardi, has criticised a spurious Vatileaks story in “La Repubblica”, one of Italy’s top-selling daily newspapers and identified its source as an article that appeared in Germany’s “Die Welt” online a week ago.

In a statement issued earlier today, Fr Lombardi says the story adds nothing to the “Die Welt” article which was ignored by most of the German press precisely because of the inaccuracies it contains and the accusations it makes against certain individuals without producing any proof whatsoever.

Fr Lombardi reiterates how the fact of being heard by the Vatican investigating commission does not mean being suspected of wrongdoing and says that the individuals named in the article have indeed testified before the commission but this is no way implies they are “accomplices” to the fact – as the article claims.

Calling this affirmation “extremely serious”, Fr Lombardi goes on to stress the “caution” he himself has always applied when speaking about the investigation currently underway: a caution aimed at respecting the secrecy of the proceedings and at avoiding the circulation of unconfirmed reports concerning the issue. Encouraging unfounded suspicions with regard to people who have served the Holy Father with dedication, says Fr Lombardi, is totally unacceptable.

The Director of the Vatican Press Office goes on to address the false accusations and incorrect information included in the “La Repubblica” story: he clarifies how supposed interviews with the wife of the Pope’s butler and an anonymous Vatican official never actually took place, he denies the existence of a supposed Vatican hacker, and he says that the alleged questioning of three cardinals by the investigating commission is a fabrication.

Fr Lombardi concludes by reiterating the complexity of the case and by suggesting that readers have a right to greater honesty in news reporting.