(Newser)
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A member of an elite Vatican choir has been fired for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a senior Italian official who serves as one of Pope Benedict's ceremonial ushers. Wiretap transcripts seen by the Guardian suggest that the chorister provided numerous men—including at least one priest-in-training—to Angelo Badalucci, who is in jail on an unrelated corruption charge.
Badalucci—a member of a group of ceremonial lay ushers of the papal household called the "Gentlemen of His Holiness"—can be heard on the wiretaps discussing the physical details of the men he wanted brought to him and asking what time one man needed to be back at the seminary. Prosecutors say they uncovered evidence of a prostitution ring while probing Badalucci on charges of corruption in public works. The Vatican has yet to comment on the case.
