Pope Benedict XVI could be the target of an assassination plot, according to a document published on Friday by the Il Fatto Quotidiano daily which the Vatican dismissed as “delirious”.
The newspaper published a confidential document dated December 30, 2011 which was apparently sent by retired Colombian cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos to the Vatican warning of unspecified plans to kill the pope.
Castrillon Hoyos reportedly met the pope in January to discuss the threat. The document from the Colombian cardinal says that the plot was mentioned by the archbishop of Palermo Paolo Romeo during a visit to China in November. Romeo reportedly said that he had heard of a plot to assassinate the pope “within the next 12 months” but did not give further details.
Asked about the reported comments on Friday, however, Romeo said that the words attributed to him were “absolutely without basis.” “It is so outside of reality that it should not be given any consideration,” Romeo was quoted by Italian news agency ANSA as saying.
