Berlusconi cancels L’Aquila visit for religious service, wants to avoid exploiting situation

Vatican: Berlusconi cancels L’Aquila visit

VATICAN CITY — Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi who is embroiled in a sex scandal has canceled a visit to L’Aquila for a religious service for the remission of sins.

Berlusconi was supposed to have participated in the observation Friday alongside Vatican No. 2 Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and then attend a dinner with him.

The Vatican press office announced the dinner was canceled to avoid exploiting the situation. Berlusconi’s office confirmed he wouldn’t go at all.

Berlusconi’s sex scandal prompted his second wife to announce she was divorcing him. His participation in the annual Pardon observation had raised eyebrows, since he was to attend with a former TV starlet-turned Cabinet minister to whom he once said he’d wed if he wasn’t married.