September 27, 2011 - 5:44AM
AFP
A senior Catholic cardinal has condemned Italian leaders whose behaviour violates public dignity, but did not name the prime minister who is accused of paying for sex with a 17-year-old pole dancer.
Silvio Berlusconi, who is 74, faces a series of legal cases, including one related to the dancer and alleged prostitute nicknamed Ruby.
An Italian court on Monday excluded 10 witnesses who had been scheduled to testify on his behalf in a fraud case.
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Judges in this case said they blocked the witnesses because the trial had dragged on too long and statute of limitation complications were looming.
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, head of the conference of Italian bishops, meanwhile condemned "behaviour that, if proven, is difficult to reconcile with institutional decorum".
"Anyone who chooses to be active in politics must be conscious of a measure of sobriety, discipline and of the honour that (politics) entails," the cardinal said.
Bagnasco also denounced "behaviour that is contrary to public dignity".
He scolded the media for reporting on "licentious behaviour and improper relations", and said continued coverage of scandals surrounding public figures could undermine Italy's image abroad.
Berlusconi has been previously criticised by the Catholic church over the Ruby scandal, which has created a media firestorm in Italy.
Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday called for "an increasingly intense ethical renewal for the good of beloved Italy" in a telegram to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, sent as he set off on a four-day trip to Germany.
It is a tradition for the Pope to send a message to the Italian president when leaving on international visits.
The head of the Milan court judging the fraud charges involving Berlusconi's business empire Mediaset, Edoardo D'Avossa, said on Monday the trial risked running past the statute of limitations," and so there was no time for 10 additional witnesses.
The trial was suspended in April 2010 after the adoption by Berlusconi's government of a temporary immunity law.
It resumed on February 28 after the law was partially scrapped in January, and judicial officials said the statute of limitations could come into force in 2013.
Berlusconi is accused of artificially inflating the price of distribution rights for films bought by television companies belonging to him and then setting up slush funds abroad in order to pay less tax in Italy.
All 10 of the excluded witnesses were supposed to testify for the defence, but, according to the documents provided by Berlusconi's own lawyers, none of the prospective witnesses can be found, the judges also noted.
The billionaire tycoon turned politician has a long history of legal entanglements dating back to when he first entered politics in the early 1990s but has always either been exonerated or seen his trials expire.
Berlusconi, whose popularity ratings have dropped to a record low, also faces accusations of bribery, revealing court secrets.
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