VATICAN CITY - Premier Silvio Berlusconi is coming under increasing criticism from the Catholic Church for his dalliances with young women, with the pope saying public officials must offer good moral examples and the scandal now on the agenda of the Italian bishops' conference.
Pope Benedict XVI didn't mention Berlusconi or the scandal by name Friday. But during an audience with the Rome police chief, he said public officials must "rediscover their spiritual roots and morals."
His comments echoed those a day earlier by his No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who said the Vatican was concerned about the scandal. Bertone said there must be a "more robust morality, a sense of justice and legality" among everyone, particularly those in public office.
