Vatican City - Probe into gay prostitution ring rocks Vatican

Texas Mist

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Vatican City - The Vatican is at the center of a new sex scandal, this time involving two staff members being investigated for allegedly running a homosexual prostitution ring, according to media reports.

One of Pope Benedict XVI's ceremonial ushers and a member of an elite choir in St Peter's Basilica are linked to the probe, reports Reuters.

Wiretaps conducted by Italian officials originally led to corruption charges and the prostitution allegations emerged later, the news organization reports.

Excerpts of the wiretaps and police documents published in an Italian newspaper reveal that Ghinedu Thomas Ehiem, a choir member, was in regular contact with Angelo Balducci, and the topic of conversation was gay sex, according to the BBC News. Eheim allegedly found men for Balducci, according to the report.

Balducci, who was arrested last month on corruption charges, was an usher known as a Gentleman to His Holiness.

A police document prepared for magistrates said Ehiem and another man were part of "an organized network... to abet male prostitution," according to the BBC.

Ehiem reportedly admitted to finding male sex partners for Balducci.

The BBC reports that Pope Benedict XVI is aware of the investigation.


http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=126811

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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - One of Pope Benedict's ceremonial ushers and a member of an elite choir in St Peter's Basilica have been implicated in a gay prostitution ring, in the latest sexual scandal to taint the Vatican.

Ghinedu Ehiem, a Nigerian, was dismissed by the Vatican on Wednesday from the Giulia Choir after his name appeared in transcripts of police wiretaps, published by an Italian newspaper, in an unrelated Italian investigation.

The wiretaps were carried out in connection with a probe into corruption in contracts to build public works, including the planned venue in Sardinia of last year's G8 summit. The summit was eventually moved to the Abruzzo region as part of efforts to help it recover from an earthquake.

Among four people arrested last month in the corruption probe was Angelo Balducci, a engineer who is a board member of Italy's public works department and a construction consultant to the Vatican. Balducci was arrested on corruption charges and the allegations of prostitution emerged only later.

Balducci is also a member of an elite group called "Gentlemen of His Holiness," ushers who are called to serve in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on major occasions such as when the pope receives heads of state or presides at big events.


more here

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030401395.html
 
That's just freakingreat.

Just what we need.

Are we sure they're all "men"? I hope they find out. There so better not be kids involved here.
 
Can you imagine running a wiretap sting and it leading back to the Vatican!!! Lordy.

I agree, Filly, why do I get the sickening feeling that they're just going to skim some of the bad guys off the top and fail to dig deeper? There's almost what I'd called a professional predilection for the younger boys. I'll be shocked if some are not found.
 

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