Head of religious order 'framed rivals so he could win election'

Rome - The head of a religious order founded in the Middle Ages has been arrested on suspicion of bringing trumped-up charges against rivals in a bid to be re-elected.

The Camillians, also known as the Order of Ministers to the Sick, were founded in 1582 by a former soldier of fortune, Camillo de Lellis, and wear black cassocks emblazoned with red crosses.

Renato Salvatore, 58, was allegedly so desperate to be re-elected Superior General of the 440-year-old order that he cooked up false charges against two rival priests who were opposed to his nomination.

The allegedly unfounded charges resulted in the two priests, Rosario Messina and Antonio Puca, being detained and hauled off to a police station in Rome, with the result that they were unable to cast their votes against Father Salvatore at a general assembly of the order, which has close links to the Vatican.

Their absence resulted in Father Salvatore being re-elected head of the order.

Police intercepted a telephone call in which he allegedly thanked one of his co-conspirators, telling him: "Without you I would not have been able to pull it off."

The Italian tax police, the Guardia di Finanza, arrested Father Salvatore on Wednesday along with five other people allegedly involved in the plot, including two police officers who reportedly received tens of thousands of euros in bribes.

The group included Paolo Oliveiro, a businessman who allegedly helped concoct the false charges in the hope of currying favour with Rev Salvatore in order to win contracts for the upkeep of hospitals and clinics run by the order, which is dedicated to helping the sick.

"The crime involved members of the forces of order and was aimed at rich and powerful religious institutions engaged in projects with a strong social impact involving enormous sums of money," prosecutors investigating the alleged plot, which took place in May but has only just come to light, claimed in court documents.

"It is with great surprise and profound sadness that we learnt of the news that our Superior General has been arrested by the Guardia di Finanza in order to respond to acts attributed to him," said Father Paolo Guarise, the Vicar General of the order.

"We are praying in the hope that light can be shone on this affair. We invite all the members of the order to unite with us in prayer."

The order's charity work in more than 30 countries around the world has earned it the blessing of the Vatican.

Father Salvatore was chosen by Pope Benedict XVI to participate in a general synod of bishops in October last year, five months before the German pontiff decided to resign from the papacy.

The charitable order was first recognised by Pope Sixtus V in 1586 and given full status as an order in 1591 by Pope Gregory XIV.

Father Salvatore was first elected the head of the order in 2007.