Pope Confesses a Gay Lobby Exists in the Vatican; May Have Been Reason for Pope Benedict to Quit

Pope Francis has acknowledged the existence of a gay lobby in the Vatican and says he is consulting advisers on what to do about it, the Newsmax website reports today (June 11, 2013).

Speaking informally to a confederation of religious groups from Latin America, the Pope said: "In the Curia, there are also holy people, really, there are holy people."

But, he added: "There also is a stream of corruption, there is that as well, it is true... The 'gay lobby' is mentioned, and it is true, it is there... We need to see what we can do."

The Pope's words -- reported on the Rorate Caeli website -- follow the completion of a secret report on the leaking of Vatican documents. The commission report -- led by three retired cardinals -- was presented earlier this year to Benedict XVI and Francis.

Rumors over the existence of such a group in the Vatican have circulated for years and the extent of the problem is thought to have influenced Benedict to resign -- the first Pope to resign in nearly 1,000 years. But until now, successive Popes never have publicly acknowledged the existence of such a group.