First there were sexual abuse cover ups. Then there was a string of private letters and documents published in Italian newspapers called “Vatileaks” suggesting trouble in Rome.
The head of the Vatican bank was dismissed and a recent twist saw the Pope’s butler arrested and charged with aggravated theft. The Catholic Church’s struggles have stretched beyond Rome: an influential group of American nuns was condemned for promoting “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”
The Vatican insists it’s working to restore trust in the church. But that doesn’t reveal much about how officials are handling this worsening public relations disaster.
Robert Mickens worked inside the Vatican at its radio station for 11 years and is now the Rome correspondent for The Tablet, an international Catholic weekly.