Plots, Intrigues, Betrayals

"The part of the report that shocked the pope the most was that which brought to light the existence of a network of alliances and acts of blackmail of a homosexual nature in several areas of the curia [the powerful Vatican bureaucracy]. The report will, in effect, be the 118th cardinal inside the conclave. It will be passed by Benedict to his successor, and in all probability there will be a meeting between 'the two Popes' after the election [to discuss it]."
Ignazio Ingrao, Vatican analyst

The Roman Catholic Church has made its position well known. But little understood, it seems. On the position of homosexual activity, that is. The Church will not deny presence, comfort and position to gays, but they must, like their heterosexual counterparts, remain strictly chaste, forego all sexual activity, remaining true to their marriage to the Church. Priestly celibacy is a cornerstone of the Catholic Church, unequivocally.

But these are all human beings. Just as the traditional Turkish/Persian seraglio was known as a place of sometimes sinister intrigues, so too is the Holy See, a place where holy communion with the Almighty is assumed to take precedence over all Earthly preoccupations infused with the human elements of plots, intrigues and betrayals. The human urge to have faith in the Almighty struggles with nature's investiture in her creatures of the instinct for survival.

Survival in biological terms equates with genetic inheritance; passing on one's genes to new generations. The conundrum here, needless to say, is that male-on-male couplings do not result in fertilization, pregnancy and childbirth. When nature's plans go awry they are just as readily corruptible as any other element within her grand plans for evolutionary biology.

Evidence has been uncovered through the VatiLeaks scandal of a gay network within the Holy See. Claims have been made that these revelations conspired to convince Pope Benedict to resign his position, to leave the unfolding scandal and the situation within the sacred enclaves of the Holy See to a more energetic younger mind capable of bending his intellect and his emotions in service of defending the Vatican against these destabilizing forces.

There are hints of venality, of power grabs, of jackals of the night on the prowl, aligning their interests and positioning for power while blackmailing gay clerics. Tracked to the revelations of the pope's butler purloining private papers and his conviction of aggravated theft. The documents, released to scrutiny, portrayed the pontiff as confused by age and infirmity, incapable of facing the disequilibrium of contesting interests at the Vatican.

Goodness and light no longer prevail; they have been undercut by the intolerable but inevitable presence of human fragility and competing claques. Rivalries, allegations of corruption appear to point to the cardinals all being fully appraised of the details to enable them to better exercise their collective judgement in making their final selection for replacement of Pope Benedict.

Explanations to be forthcoming to the select committee of cardinals enjoined to commit themselves to a decision that will affect the fortunes of the Church and the billion faithful who depend on its wisdom. The dispatch of Benedict's one-time top official in the secretariat of state to Colombia. The role of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, once thought of as a future pope.

The Church's anti-terror, anti-money-laundering commitments, the Vatican Bank's opaque and sometimes sinister machinations through its Institute for Religious Works; job terminations, suicide, suspicions, wrong-doing, puzzling agendas.