An Internet search for the Vatican through Google threw up a link to the website www.pedofilo.com, the Italian word for pædophile.

A spokesman for Google Italy, Simona Panseri, told ANSA it was not clear if this was a result of hacking.

The Vatican is battling allegations of abuse (sic) by paedophile priests (very sic) and allegations of high-level cover-ups in several European countries, after similar scandals(!) swept Australia and the United States in 2004.

A security photo of the White Hat hacker who is helping the Polizia with their enquiries.