Brody's Notes... Head Of The Vatican's Department Of Public Works, Angelo Balducci, Arrested In Gay Male Prostitution & Corruption Probe

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 4 | The Roman and Italian media are reporting today that according to police sources, detectives investigating a series of illegal business dealings in the awarding of lucrative contracts by the Head of the Holy See's Department of Public Works, a new scandal has emerged from a series of authorised wiretaps. According to la Repubblica Italia newspaper, Angelo Balducci, Head of the Vatican's Public Works, and already under investigation in the illegal contracts probe, has now been named in a scandal stating he used an intermediary in an elite Vatican choir to solicit young male choristers and seminarians for prostitution.

Angelo Balducci   Photo By la Repubblica Italia 

Italians and most of the EU were greeted this morning by tabloid newspaper's headlines offering variations on the theme of; "Put on some music, swallow a Viagra, and adelante!" La Repubblica reported that Balducci regularly contacted Chinedu Ehiem Thomas, a Nigerian man who sings in St. Peter's Cappella Giulia, to engage the sexual services of young male members of the choir, along with seminarians and undocumented immigrants seeking residency status. The Cappella Giulia is the official choir of the St. Peter's Basilica and performs at many solemn Vatican functions not involving the pope, who is accompanied by the Sistine Chapel choir.
La Repubblica's Vatican correspondent, Elsa Vinci, reported that police sources close to the investigation said that Ehiem, who goes by the nickname Mike, and his assistant Lorenzo Renzi, allegedly arranged for prostitutes for Balducci several times a week. The two men are said to have operated a network of aspiring young priests, choir members and sometimes recruited foreigners seeking to secure their immigration status.

The scandal now envelops Balducci, a well-known and powerful local figure who is married with two children, who despite all this is said to have taken remarkable risks in setting up sexual liaisons even in Chigi Palace, home of the Italian prime minister, or immediately after a private audience with a cardinal. 
In the released transcribed wiretaps, Ehiem tells Balducci about one possible candidate: 

"Angelo ... I'll say no more. Two meters (6-foot-7), 97 kilos (250 lbs.), 33 years-old and completely active (top)."

In later calls, Ehiem offered fewer details:

"I have a situation in Naples."  "I have a Cuban situation."  "I have a German who just arrived from Germany." "I have two black guys." "I have the soccer player." "I have the dancer from RAI," the Italian TV network. Some of the young men were seminarians or attended ecclesiastical colleges in Rome. On one occasion, Balducci is heard saying, "He, when does he have to return to the seminary?" 

In another wiretap from last December, Renzi is heard explaining the rules of engagement:

"You'll get up to 2,000 euros ... Do not touch his balls. You need the money. Put on some music, take out the [inaudible], swallow the Viagra, and adelante!"

The Nigerian singer was dismissed yesterday, Wednesday, from the Cappella Giulia choir by Cardinal Angelo Comastri. Vatican sources denied the involvement of either priests or seminarians in the scandal.

Balduccci, who also served as a lay attendant to the Roman Catholic Pontiff, Benedict, has been asked to give up serving as a "Papal Gentlemen" Vatican sources confirmed earlier today. The College of Gentlemen is employed by the Prefecture of the Papal Household, who assigns them from time to time various services, such as accompaniment, and hosting of dignitaries & members of the Diplomatic Corps and Papal Chapel during papal audiences & other Vatican events. The Papal Prefecture did not intend to confirm or deny that Balducci is in fact already ousted from positions at the Vatican.

A spokesman for the Vatican said late today that the Holy See had no comment on the emerging scandal and the ongoing investigations.