Did Pope Resign Over Links to Gay Sex Scandal at Vatican?

Did Pope Benedict XVI resign from the papacy because of evidence linking him to a gay scandal within the Vatican? The theory might not be as farfetched as it would seem, according to a leaked church report from an Italian newspaper. 

Published in La Repubblica, the church's report discusses a network of numerous gay Vatican prelates (high-ranking clergymen) that were being blackmailed by individuals who knew of the "network" and their salacious secret behavior, according to Gawker. The 300-page document reportedly details Vatican officials' meet ups for sex at various locales in and around Rome that included "a villa outside the Italian capital, a sauna in a Rome suburb, a beauty parlor in the center, and a former university residence that was in use by a provincial Italian archbishop," Gawker reported.

The report was put together by three cardinals who were investigating the "Vatileaks" affair - various Papal announcements that were stolen and then "leaked" by the Pope's butler in May 2012 - and was given to Pope Benedict the day he resigned from his post, according to The Guardian. After conducting the investigation, the cardinals discovered "various lobbies within the Holy See were consistently breaking" the sixth and seventh commandments, and were influencing the Vatican. La Repubblica quotes sources who are "very close to those who wrote [the cardinal's report]" as saying: "Everything revolves around the non-observance of the sixth and seventh commandments."

The seventh commandment is "Thou shall not steal"; the sixth prohibits adultery, but according to The Guardian is "linked in Catholic doctrine to the proscribing of homosexual acts."

The report also noted numerous factions within the church, including a group of officials who were "united by sexual orientation," and claimed some Vatican officials had come into contact with the "external influence" of laymen who they were connected with in a "worldly nature."

Pope Benedict's spokesperson has declined to confirm or deny the information, other than to say, "Let each one assume his or her own responsibilities. We shall not be following up on the observations that are made about this," according to The Guardian.

This isn't the first tie the Vatican has been linked to a gay sex scandal. As The Guardian noted:

"In 2007 a senior official was suspended from the congregation, or department, for the priesthood, after he was filmed in a "sting" organised by an Italian television programme while apparently making sexual overtures to a younger man.

In 2010 a chorister was dismissed for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting. A few months later a weekly news magazine used hidden cameras to record priests visiting gay clubs and bars and having sex."

Pope Benedict XVI will relinquish his post at the end of February. He is the first pope to resign from the papacy voluntarily since Celestine V, over 700 years ago, according to The Guardian.