Americans veto conclave briefing
2013-03-06 20:23
Vatican City - The Vatican's penchant for secrecy has won
out over American-style transparency.
The US cardinals in Rome for the conclave to elect the
next pope cancelled their popular daily press briefings on Wednesday after some
details of the secret proceedings under way ahead of the election were
purportedly leaked to Italian newspapers.
The Vatican denied it had exerted any pressure on the
American cardinals to keep quiet.
But the Vatican spokesperson, the Reverend Federico
Lombardi, made clear that the Holy See considered this week's pre-conclave
meetings, in which cardinals are discussing the problems of the church, to be
secret and part of a solemn process to choose a pope.
"The College (of Cardinals) as a whole has decided
to maintain a line of an increasing degree of reserve," he said.
The spokesperson for the US cardinals, Sister Mary Ann
Walsh, said Wednesday's briefing was cancelled after concern was expressed by
other cardinals on Wednesday morning "about leaks of confidential
proceedings reported in Italian newspapers”.
She said as a precaution, all interviews had been cancelled.
During an interview with AP, Walsh said Italy's La Stampa
newspaper had on Monday and Tuesday reported details of comments individual
cardinals made in the closed-door meetings that were cited as a violation of
their oath of secrecy.
That prompted the decision to observe a media blackout.
She dismissed speculation that the Vatican and cardinals
from other countries simply didn't appreciate the openness of the Americans,
saying: "I don't think anyone was angry at the Americans, they were angry
at La Stampa."
"In true old-style Catholic school teacher fashion,
someone talks and everybody stays after school," Walsh said.
She added that the Americans had been assured that the
Vatican was pleased with their briefings.
Media briefed by the Americans
Italian newspapers and international media, including AP,
have reported on the unique briefings the Americans were providing, and how
they contrasted with the near-silence from other cardinals and the
comparatively sedate Vatican briefings.
In a press conference on Tuesday, cardinals Daniel
DiNardo of Texas and Sean O'Malley of Boston held a lively and informative
30-minute chat with some 100 reporters and two dozen television crews from
around the globe.
They revealed no details of their closed-door
discussions.
But they nevertheless provided journalists with insight
about the process from two people actually involved.
"We're trying to help people have a greater
understanding of what the process is and the procedures and background
information," O'Malley told reporters.
"Right now that's about all we can share with you
but we're happy to try to do it."
The Americans were the only cardinals who were holding
daily briefings; other individual cardinals have given occasional interviews to
individual media.
Separately on Wednesday, the Vatican said only one
voting-age cardinal remained absent, Vietnamese Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham
Minh Man.
Lombardi said he was expected on Thursday, meaning a date
for the start of the conclave could be decided then.
- AP
