Vatican City, Feb 23, 2013 / 08:00 am
As the conclave to elect a new Pope approaches, the media has ramped up its speculation about why the Pope is resigning, causing the Secretariat of State to warn about "completely false and unverifiable" news stories aimed at swaying public opinion to influence the vote.
"It is deplorable that as we draw closer to the time of the beginning of the Conclave … that there is a widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories, that cause serious damage to persons and institutions," the Feb. 23 statement from the Secretariat of State said.
Italian newspapers and the international press have been filled in recent days with theories about both the reasons Pope Benedict XVI is stepping down and about how he will spend his last days.
One prominent example is a story run on Feb. 22 by the Italian daily La Repubblica. It alleged that a commission of three cardinals uncovered a gay network of priests at the Holy See who were being blackmailed.