plagiarist cardinal called out

A Peruvian newspaper has declined to print any more of a local cardinal's writings after the paper found that the prelate had plagiarized words of former popes without attribution.

It's part of the buck-and-shuffle of religious maneuvering -- using the sage words of forbears and then making it sound as if 1. the speaker/writer possessed a similar wisdom and 2. that his or her standing should therefore be elevated. It's just part of the gaming strategy, however cheap it may sound. I've seen/heard plenty of examples in Buddhism.

The Peruvian cardinal defended himself: "Cardinal Cipriani added that popes had no property rights over their words, as they were part of the heritage of the faith."

And you thought academics and politicians were the only slippery, self-serving customers.