Wikileaks Comes to the Vatican

Given the size of the cache of documents that Wikileaks promised to release on the world, it was inevitable that The Vatican’s day would come and come it has. Needless to say, the copies of cables between Embassy and Home Country touch on just about every possible issue confounding the Church: reaction on the part of the curia to the Irish Sex Scandal gets serious mention; Benedict’s, or rather Cardinal Ratzinger’s, concerns about the possibility of Turkey joining the European Union; the continuing hints of anti-Semitism within Church ranks; the enticement of Anglicans to join Rome, climate change, even the style and content of the Church’s communications strategy was the subject of some cables. John Allen jr. in the National Catholic Reporter elaborates on the full extent of the issues mentioned in the cables. Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register notes that not much of what is released in and of itself is a surprise. Paul Moses of Commonweal Magazine shares Pentin’s sense that the cables are not too surprising but delves further into the issue of the Vatican’s communication style, or lack thereof. The Vatican acknowledged the publication of the cables with simple; some might say elegant, minimalism all the while advising people to treat the cables with prudence. And of course the Pope and the Church are not alone in trying to work out exactly how to respond to this unprecedented exercise in ‘whistle blowing”. Michael Cook at Mercator tries to work through some of the twists and turns that Wikileaks is causing for everyone, concluding ultimately that the impact is pernicious, though if you scroll down the comments section it becomes clear that his opinion is not universally shared. Margaret Somerville of McGill tries a similar ethical examination and admits she “finds herself agreeing with Hilary Clinton”.