Pope Benedict XVI has evicted 20 Cistercian monks from a 500-year-old monastery in Rome on account of “financial and liturgical irregularities”, a Vatican spokesman said yesterday.
The monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Santa Croce in Gerusalemme), which hosts some of the Church’s holiest relics, attracted attention after hosting a performance by a lap dancer-turned-nun and welcoming celebrities such as Madonna. Spokesman Fr Ciro Benedettini added: “The church remains open but the monks are awaiting transfer.”