Analysis: What’s behind a sex scandal in the Italian Church

Rome, Italy, Mar 10, 2018 / 05:04 pm (CNA).- The recent outing of gay priests by a male prostitute has shocked the Italian Church and prompted several dioceses to address the issue of homosexual activity among their clergy.

Francesco Mangiacapra, a former lawyer who works as a prostitute, announced recently that in late February he forwarded to the Regional Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Campania a detailed record of his meetings and conversations with 34 priests and 6 seminarians.

The folder is 1,300 pages long, and contains Whatsapp conversations, texts, and photos. The priests involved are from the southern Italian region of Campania, surrounding the city of Naples.

Many priests and seminarians named in the dossier are from the Diocese of Teggiano Policastro, although the report was given to the Archdiocese of Naples.

Bishop Antonio De Luca of Teggiano-Policastro stressed that “the report on scandalous behaviours of some of the members of the clergy of many dioceses of Southern Italy causes great pain to our diocesan community.”

He added that the dossier was forwarded him by the curia of Naples, and this “will allow us to investigate the individuals named and to take the appropriate canonical initiatives established in these cases by the Holy See.”

Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Archbishop of Naples, underscored in a press release that “there are no names of priests belonging to the Archdiocese of Naples.” Beyond that, the Cardinal added, “the alleged fact are very grave.”

Cardinal Sepe concluded that if the allegations are proven true, “those who failed must pay and must be helped to repent of the evil they did.”

Since the news of the presentation of the dossier broke, Mangiacapra has appeared on several Italian television shows.

On one TV show, Mangiacapra said that his only aim is unmasking the “dirty life” of some the priests in Campania.

However, Mangiacapra’s modus operandi also sheds light on himself and on his work, giving the priest a lot of media exposure. This is the second scandal involving priests that has arisen from Mangiacapra’s allegations.

The prostitute is also the main witness and accuser in the investigation against Fr. Luca Morini, nicknamed Fr. Euro, a priest of the Italian diocese of Massa who is accused of cheating lay Catholics and priests, allegedly borrowing a huge amount of money later invested in diamonds and cocaine-filled parties.

The Italian Public Prosecutor will decide March 8 whether to indict Fr. Morini. The charges could be misappropriation, fraud and extortion.

The information about “Fr. Euro” came from a book by Mangiacapra, “Numero Uno. Confessioni di un marchettaro” (Number One. Confessions of a gigolo).

Both the Church and the Italian magistrates are now called to investigate and – in case Mangiacapra’s allegation are proven true – to punish those who are guilty.

However, both the dossier and the allegations against Fr. Euro seem to be part of Mangiacapra’s media campaign, which has led him to be a special guest on many radio and tv shows in Italy.

In many talk shows, Mangiacapra has advanced innuendos, violated the privacy of people investigated people and contributed to generate a “media circus” that is merely intended to attack the Catholic Church.

At the beginning of the dossier, Mangiacapra wrote: “I drafted this list of rotten apples not with the aim of digging up dirt on the Church, but rather with the aim of contributing to eradicate the rotten that would contaminate what is still good.”

Mangiacapra also attacked the “attitude of those bishops who have been already informed and that have not taken any measures,” saying a bishop should intervene when he hears allegations and not only when “a scandal breaks.”

Speaking in an Italian radio show, he added that “I am not going to sue anyone, but I did send a dossier to the Curia, since we are talking about sins, not about crimes.”

Was the Mangiacapra behaviour proper to tackle the issue? And what will happen in case these priests, whose names are now on newspapers, are found not guilty?

These questions are floating in Rome, and it is not the first time. Similar scandals have previously used to attack the Church, though investigations have not let to much.

In 2010, an undercover investigation by an Italian magazine generated the same scandal. The article denounced the habits of some homosexual Roman priests filmed while having intercourse.

The Vicariate of Rome, led at the time by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, delivered a strongly worded release condemning the behaviors of the involved priests and pledging to clean up the Church.

However, the cardinal also noted that “the intent of the article is evident: generate a scandal, defame all priests on the basis of declarations from one of the people interviewed claiming that ’98 percent of priests’ he knows are homosexual.”

These investigation led to the publication of a book (titled in English ‘Sex and the Vatican’): a sign that generating scandals about the Italian Church can offer further publicity.

Beyond the media campaigns, the problem of homosexual behaviour among priests has been addressed by Church in recent years.

In 2005, an instruction issued by the Congregation for Catholic Education – at that time entrusted with overseeing seminaries – stressed that “in accord with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, believes it necessary to state clearly that the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called “gay culture.””

The instruction – drawing from previous documents of the magisterium – had been under study for while.

In the end, it is obvious that the Church is aware of homosexual behavior among its priests, and should be. But, in the Italian Church, it seems clear that other motives can be in play in the drama of public exposés.


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6 Comments

  1. Every time I hear the phrase “new evangelization”, I think of this gay mess. You can’t evangelize people and families with children into a still unsafe culture….which culture happened in 26 countries, wasted $4 billion of largely lay donations and apparently is still extant to a surprising degree. Ecclesiastes 3:1 ” To everything there is a season; and a time to every purpose under heaven.” I smiled when Bishop Barron recently said he wanted to target teens for the new evangelization. Yaaa….because adults have more embarassing questions about security. Do I evangelize? Yes toward Scripture and the hidden prophecies like Samson looking like a crucifix right after he pushed the two columns away from his right and left….like the ark having the ratio of a man’s body ( Augustine ) in its proportions. I do not evangelize toward a parish and mine has a great pastor but the other priests are translucent to me. In the 14th century, St. Antoninus said most of the curia had mistresses and that led in the 15th century and early 16th to three Popes with prior children and one Pope with one during the papacy. I would think hetero sinners who have mistresses are unlikely to contaminate teens. No I’m not saying bring back straight sin in the clergy. I am saying that our interrogation of seminarians on orientation is ludicrously non invasive to allow 34 priests in one area to be probably involved since this accuser martials evidence and was a lawyer and knows how to stay unsued himself.

  2. “Many priests and seminarians named in the dossier are from the Diocese of Teggiano Policastro, although the report was given to the Archdiocese of Naples.

    Bishop Antonio De Luca of Teggiano-Policastro stressed that “the report on scandalous behaviours of some of the members of the clergy of many dioceses of Southern Italy causes great pain to our diocesan community.””

    “Scandalous behaviors” is a nice, mealy-mouthed way of putting it. The Archbishop of Naples put it more bluntly, and more truthfully: “Cardinal Sepe concluded that if the allegations are proven true, “those who failed must pay and must be helped to repent of the evil they did.””

    The man who wrote the expose’ may have mixed motives or even evil motives, but that’s irrelevant to the fact that if any of the priests or seminarians are actually guilty there should be dire consequences. And if their behavior was known by superiors already, there should be consequences there, too. Whatever the motives, Mangiacapra has pointed out a festering abscess that needs to be cured.

    • But do they even intend on putting the guilty amongst those accused back in civilian life? This sentence seems to say the opposite: “Cardinal Sepe concluded that if the allegations are proven true, “those who failed must pay and must be helped to repent of the evil they did.”
      Even if they repent, they are left with the sexual orientation that is not supposed to be allowed in the priesthood…per the 2005 instruction from the Congregation for Catholic Education. Here’s Paul in the Holy Spirit denigrating the mercy only actions that will probably take place….I Cor.5….
      ” 1 It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans—a man living with his father’s wife.
      2 And you are inflated with pride.* Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst.”
      ………..
      This is precisely the NT chapter by God that was largely ignored in the decades of shunting offenders from one parish to another. The Amish rarely have these problems or our divorce rate for multiple reasons….but one reason is that they see NT verses often ( not always ) as…to be followed literally. Our leaders see ancient-only-context…. where they should not.

      • ““in accord with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, believes it necessary to state clearly that the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called “gay culture.”””

        Isn’t it interesting that nobody seems to say things like “the Church, while we profoundly respect the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who commit axe murders or present deep-seated murderous tendencies…” Or leaving aside the seminary, nobody feels it necessary to say how very much we respect persons who are promiscuous with the opposite sex; or how very much we respect those who oppress the poor, or how very much we respect those who steal…

        • Leslie, I don’t understand the precise point you are making here. Are you complaining that the Church shows a more charitable approach to those who struggle with homosexual acts?

          • I think the point I made is quite clear: “I find it quite interesting that nobody seems to say things like ‘the Church, while we profoundly respect the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who commit axe murders or present deep-seated murderous tendencies…’ Or leaving aside the seminary, nobody feels it necessary to say how very much we respect persons who are promiscuous with the opposite sex; or how very much we respect those who oppress the poor, or how very much we respect those who steal…”

            So – since it is not said about people who “struggle with” those sins, why is it said about “those who struggle with homosexual acts?”

            You seem to be claiming that it is a “more charitable approach.” Why should there be a “more charitable approach” to those who are tempted to commit, or are committing or supporting, a sin that is at least as heinous and in some cases worse than those other sins? Are those other sinners less deserving of what you call a charitable approach? Why the difference?

            I find it interesting. Which is why I wrote, “Isn’t it interesting.”

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