The layman who served as one of the Vatican’s elite ushers, it turns out, quite the lay-man. Former papal public works executive Angelo Balducci employed Ghinedu Ehiem, a singer in the men’s choir that sings in St Peter’s Basilica, to procure young male seminarians and choir singers for Balducci’s romps, some of which even took place in the Chigi Palace, home of the Italian prime minister. After Italy’s center-left newspaper La Repubblica reported on the allegations, unearthed in wiretaps from a broad corruption investigation by police into the way public works contracts were issued by Italy’s Civil Protection Agency, Ehiem was dismissed from the Cappella Giulia choir. The Vatican is circling the wagons, denying the involvement of either priests or seminarians in Ehiem’s prostitution ring. From Gay News Watch:

In one wiretap from last December, [Ehiem’s assistant Lorenzo] Renzi is heard explaining the rules of engagement: “You’ll get up to 2,000 euros … Do not touch his balls. You need the money. Put on some music, take out the [inaudible], swallow the Viagra, and adelante!”

The big news, of course, is that we can now expand the traditional repertoire of “priest jokes.”

Elsewhere…

California – California newspapers are pointing out that the initial report that state Sen. Roy Ashburn was at a huge Sacramento gay club before being pulled over for a DUI has no sources backing it up. Still, that hasn’t stopped many, including West Sacramento’s openly gay mayor, from coming forward and saying they ‘knew all along.’ Maybe a reporter decided to take Ashburn down by faking a situation so he could reveal an open secret? (The Advocate, Joe.My.God)

D.C. – The heads of various services are lining up against a DADT repeal, potentially spelling trouble for the legislation when the US Congress has, in recent years, made a habit of abdicating practical civilian control of the military on important issues. (The Advocate, DC Agenda)

D.C. – An adoption anti-discrimination bill gets a re-boot. (DC Agenda)

California – Plan: 1) Find a homo, 2) shoot him in the face with the BB gun in a drive-by, 3) videotape the whole thing to make it so much easier to convict us of what amounts to low-grade terrorism. (Joe.My.God)

California – More details emerge in a horrendous kidnapping-rape-murder case in San Diego. (The Advocate)

Poland – The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Poland cannot discriminate against a same-gender couples, despite the country’s constitution declaration that marriage is the “union of a man and a woman.” (Towleroad)