Last Thursday, two books were presented in Rome, revealing, according to their authors and publishers, new data about corruption in the Vatican. Their appearance might not have been so loud if it had not been preceded by the arrest in the Vatican of two advisers to Pope Francis. Spanish priest Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda and Italian Francesca Chauchi were detained on charges of stealing and transferring secret documents to third parties. Father Balda holds the second-highest position in the Vatican's economic affairs prefecture, and Ms. Chauki, a public relations consultant, once served with a Spanish priest on Pope Francis' commission of advisers on economic and financial reforms.

Like his predecessor, Pope Francis has not had much luck with confidants.
Photo: Alessandra Tarantino, AP

The arrests were the most serious scandal of this kind since 2012, when the valet of the former pontiff Benedict XVI was put on trial and convicted of stealing confidential documents from the pope’s private chambers and selling them to representatives of the Italian media (see the material “Butler secrets” in “Power” N22 from June 4, 2012). There were rumors then that the publication of these documents played a role in Benedict XVI's unexpected decision to retire.

Vatileaks of Pope Francis