Rome: Pope Leo XIV met Friday with members of Italy’s intelligence services and warned them not to use confidential information for blackmailing or other nefarious purposes.
Leo urged the 007s, as the Italian agents are popularly known, to do their work professionally and
ethically, always respecting the human dignity of those caught up in their investigations.
The audience was unusual, believed to be a first between a pope and Italy’s intelligence services, which are celebrating their centennial this year.
Italy’s secret agents work closely with Vatican law enforcement, particularly during this Holy Year when some 30 million pilgrims have flocked to Rome to visit the Vatican.
But he also reminded them
of the limits of their authority and the need to keep a moral compass, warning them against falling to temptations.
He said they must remain “vigilant to ensure that confidential information is not used to intimidate, manipulate, blackmail, or discredit politicians, journalists, or other actors in civil society.”
He didn’t elaborate. But a year ago, the Vatican opened a criminal investigation into the alleged leak of information about its “trial of the century” probe into a London property investment.
The leak emerged during a separate Italian investigation into the actions of an Italian financial police official who is accused of abusively accessing a national police database and providing information about politicians, businessmen and other
figures, to journalists.