Rome, Italy, Jan 21, 2011 / 11:56 am
Italians are calling for truth in a possible sex scandal that threatens to cause serious damage to their current government. Amid the turmoil, Pope Benedict XVI has issued a call for a return to morality for those in public office.
Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is being investigated for allegedly engaging a minor in sexual relations for pay. While Berlusconi attempts to avoid being brought to trial for the judicial process in Milan, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano asked in an official statement this week that the competent authorities review the findings "as soon as possible."
The Vatican's Secretariat of State voiced its support for the president's call for clarity in the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. It reported the greater part of his statement on Jan. 18.
Asked for comment on Jan. 20, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone told Italian media that the Vatican is following the events "with attention and especially with concern."