Many people speculated about Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to resign this past February. At the elderly age of 85, it seems reasonable that Pope Benedict would claim declining strength and “advanced age” as his reason for stepping down. The media is debating on whether or not there were ulterior motives.Although the media has a duty to inform the public, how far is too far when it comes to uprooting the truth? What is newsworthy about facilitating opinions and theories as to the Pope decision?
            Almost instantly, connections were made between the Pope’s resignation and the “Vatileaks” scandal, which was first exposed in January of 2012. Vatican documents were released that allegedly exposed Vatican corruption and blackmailing. Allegedly the Pope’s butler leaked multiple documents and letters to Italian journalists that uncovered power struggles within the Vatican.One Italian journalist, Gianluigi Nuzzi went so far as to publish an entire book composed of the Pope’s letters and memos with his personal secretary, including details about the Pope’s personal finances, entitled “His Holiness: The Secret Papers of Benedict XVI.”  Despite the Vatican’s threats to take legal action against those who stole or disseminated private documents, Nuzzi justified his book, calling it an “act of transparency. NBC foreign correspondent Richard Engel informed Nuzzi in an interview that many Italians believe he is the man who brought down the Pope, comparing the magnitude of the Vatilieaks scandal with that of the Watergate scandal.More recently, the Pope faced the horror of reading the 300-page document of the Vatileak investigation’s findings that exposed blackmail, corruption and homosexual activity within the Vatican.  The panel of cardinals who conducted the investigation discovered an underground network whose members planned homosexual meetings, which made them vulnerable to blackmail from outside the Vatican.  These findings influenced the Pope’s decision according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.Even the Pope’s explanation about his declining health is being taken out of proportion. Italian gossip site Dagospia claims leukemia or another terminal illness was an influence. After the recent battery replacement of the Pope’s pacemaker, rumors are circulating about a worsening heart condition.The fact that Father Federico Lombardi attempted to dispel rumors about the Pope’s health situation, saying, “There isn’t any disease specifically — it’s all to do with deterioration and weakness in his body, as the holy pontiff has said in his statement.”Could it be possible that the Pope felt too old and feeble to carry out his papal duties? I have to wonder if the media expects a juicier story.And even if the Pope resigned due to scandal or controversy, is he obligated to explain himself? He should be able to quietly and humbly step down from his position if he feels overwhelmed by the Vatican scandal and unable to handle it properly instead of staying and potentially going down in flames.