Vatican police break up ‘gay orgy at cardinal’s house’

Vatican police broke up a gay orgy at the home of a senior cardinal last month.

Officers raided the home belonging to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the department in charge of tackling clerical sexual abuse and other major issues.

It’s claimed the main inhabitant of the flat was the secretary of Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, head of the Pontifical Council for Legislative texts and a key adviser to the Pope.

Cardinal Coccopalmerio had apparently recommended his aide for a major promotion to the rank of bishop, but this latest scandal is likely to stand in the way of his career ambitions.

The secretary also spent some time recovering from two drug overdoses – one in a hospital in Rome, and another in an Italian monastery. His struggles with drugs are also said to be preventing him from progressing.

The allegations about the orgy were published last week by the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.

It comes during a rocky period for the Pope, who is facing increasing scandal and conflict within the Catholic Church.

One senior cardinal hired to tackle the Vatican’s finances, Cardinal George Pell, has just taken a leave of absence to defend himself against sexual abuse charges in Australia.

And Cardinal Gerhard Müller, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has not had his tenure renewed.

Both cardinals were seen as doctrinal conservatives who were standing in the way of the Pope’s progressive, more merciful reforms on questions of marriage, divorce and communion, according to The Times.

‘Resistance to the Pope is growing,’ a source told the paper. ‘We have seen five troubling stories emerge in a matter of a few days.

‘They have created turbulence. There’s not going to be a schism, but the Pope has lost credibility in the eyes of many.’