NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      ROME (CWNews.com) - Italian newspapers reported on Wednesday that the Vatican has protested to Italian police for failing to inform them of a criminal probe into the cardinal of Naples.

      Police and magistrates raided the offices of Cardinal Michele Giordano last Saturday, seeking evidence of a link with the cardinal's brother, Mario, who allegedly is involved in organized crime in the city. At the crux of the Vatican protest is whether the probe violates a 1984 concordat defining the relationship between Italy and the Catholic Church. "The way in which a well-deserving bishop and cardinal has been treated points up the problems between the church and state," said Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls.

      Cardinal Giordano opened the question of the treaty violation on Sunday when he said the police had tapped his phone lines. "What if I were speaking with the Pope?" he said. The concordat specifically states that the Vatican or Italian bishops' conference should be notified before searches are carried out on church property except in urgent cases. Although phone tapping is not mentioned, Italy's own laws state that it can only be done when there is a serious suspicion of criminal activity.