VATICAN CITY
AFP
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican’s number two, the reported target of a power struggle in the Church, alleged divisive forces at work on Monday as the Holy See said 23 people had been questioned in a leaks scandal.
In a rare outburst, the Vatican’s Secretary of State appeared to lash out at those who, according to religious observers, have been orchestrating the leak of secret documents from the tiny state in an attempt to oust him.
Tarcisio Bertone told the Famiglia Cristiana magazine that there was “a fierce and relentless attempt to create divisions between the Holy Father and his collaborators, and between the collaborators themselves.”
In interview extracts published Monday, Bertone turned on the alleged plotters, saying there was “something unjust” in wanting “to attack those who dedicate themselves with great passion and personal toil to the Church’s good.”
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