The departure of Pope Benedict is now being linked to an internal Vatican report detailing the gay romps of a number of priests and the blackmail (which included photos) by the male prostitutes involved that followed, reports the Daily News.
The 300-page dossier — compiled by three cardinals investigating the theft of Vatican documents — was given to the Pope on Dec. 17, the same day he decided to resign, an Italian newspaper reported Friday.
Just days after receiving the report, Pope Benedict railed against gay marriage and homosexuality, calling it "the manipulation of nature" …
Members of the gay lobby included high-ranking Catholic clergy who organized sex romps at a Rome sauna, a suburban Rome villa and a beauty parlor, according to the report. The group was also known to meet at a university residence used by an Italian archbishop.
Quoting a high-placed Vatican source, La Repubblica revealed members of the gay faction were being subjected to "external influence" or blackmail, from laymen with whom they had relationships of a "worldly nature."
Read more at the Daily News.