Pope Slams Vatican Leaks: “A Deplorable Act That Does Not Help”

From Reuters: 

Pope Francis on Sunday condemned the leak of sensitive Vatican documents as a deplorable crime but said it would not distract him from forging ahead with reforms at the Holy See.

The leaks are one of the biggest internal scandals to hit Francis’ papacy and were reminiscent of the “Vatileaks” furor that preceded the resignation of former Pope Benedict in 2013. The Italian media has dubbed the latest episodes “Vatileaks II”.

Making his first public comment about the leaks since the arrest last week of two people suspected of giving the documents to Italian journalists, he asked the faithful to continue praying for the good of the Church.

“I want to tell you that this sad fact will certainly not distract me from the work of reform that is moving ahead with the help of my aides and the support of all of you,” he told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday blessing.

Last week, the Vatican arrested two people – a high-ranking Holy See official and an Italian woman who works in public relations – for allegedly leaking the documents to the authors of two new books.

Both were members of a commission Francis set up several months after his election in March 2013 to advise him on financial and administrative reforms in the Holy See.

“Stealing those documents is a crime, it is a deplorable act that does not help,” he said, adding there was no need to leak them because change was happening.

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