Vatican priest propositions man in fight against evil

AFP/Getty Images

Sex scandals are nothing new to the Catholic Church, but rarely do they reach as high as the Vatican. Which makes this one all the more unusual: Monsignor Tommaso Stenico, a section head at the Vatican responsible for the clergy, was filmed propositioning a young man in his office.

Stenico was suspended by the Church while the matter is investigated. He insists he's not gay, and was actually posing as a homosexual to research a plot by satanists. He told the Italian media that he "wanted to carry out a study, probably for publication" to determine how "priests are ensnared." He added this:

I really believe that there is a diabolic plan by satanist groups who take aim at priests.

That's quite an interesting justification. I mean, who wants to entrap priests if not the devil? It's certainly a better explanation than Larry Craig's "wide stance."