About That Vatican Sex Scandal…

Angelo Balducci was arrested in early February, on suspicion of having steered public works contracts towards favored bidders. He hasn’t been charged. But during the investigation into these chargers, police found that Balducci, also a papal gentleman-in-waiting, was regularly arranging to have male sex workers brought to him.

Here’s a transcript of a conversation recorded from a wiretap with a chorister by the name of Thomas Chinedu Ehiem (and CNN just got the sleaze-factor seal of approval from us for running this):

Ehiem: I called you … because there are … if you are free … three or four situations that can be good … very, very good …

Balducci: …Hmmm!

Ehiem: Two black, Cuban men … really tall, tall, tall … so … if you are free … we can try to organize right away … that is, I saw both of them, Angelo … believe me that … they could be two excellent options.

That conversation happened in April of 2008. That August, there is record of another:

Ehiem says: Look, if you want I can have them come one after the other … it is possible … if you have some free time … I can arrange for the two of them.

Balducci: Which are the better ones?

Ehiem: The better ones are the ones I just told you about … one from Bologna and the other one from Rome.

Balducci: All right, then let’s do it for 3:30.

For 15 years, Balducci has been a member of the exclusive fraternity, the Gentlemen of His Holiness, the ceremonial ushers of the papal household. In the words of a 1968 ordinance, they are expected to “distinguish themselves for the good of souls and the glory of the name of the Lord.”

The Vatican has yet to respond. There appears to be no provision for the dismissal of a Gentleman of His Holiness.

Image by Joao Maximo. Information from the Guardian.