Smears Against Catholic Editor Linked to Vatican

The source of a bogus dossier that ousted the editor of a Catholic paper is now rumored to be the Vatican itself. Dino Boffo was forced to step down as editor of the Italian Bishops' Conference daily paper after a Bersluconi family paper printed a story labeling him a "renowned homosexual." Boffo says the editor of the other paper told him the fake documents came from "a very authoritative" Vatican source, the Independent reports.

The resignation of Boffo, a harsh critic of the premier's lifestyle, caused a deep rift between the Berlusconi government and the Vatican, and the new allegations could inflame tensions again. One cardinal says it is "unthinkable" that the fake documents came from the Vatican. The Berlusconi paper, he suggests, is pointing the finger at the Holy See to conceal the dossier's real source.
(More Dino Boffo stories.)