NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- The family of Col. Alois Estermann, the Swiss Guard commander who was killed last year, has called for an end to "infamous calumnies" published in the Italian press.

      Since the formal conclusion of a Vatican inquiry into the deaths of Col. Estermann and his wife, Gladys Meza Romero, several Italian newspapers have published stories-- based entirely on speculation-- alleging that the Vatican covered up evidence of drug abuse, espionage, or homosexual affairs involved in the Swiss Guard killing. The Vatican inquiry-- conducted with help from Italian and Swiss police investigators-- found no evidence to support those rumors.

      In a statement issued today through the Vatican press office, the Estermann family-- joined by the Meza Romero family-- expresses confidence in the results of the Vatican investigation. The families indicate that they can forgive the man who apparently killed their loved ones: Corporal Cedric Tornay. But they have difficulty understanding the "unscrupulous" journalists who concoct "absurd and injurious" theories to dishonor the memory of those who died.