The Vatican was today rocked by a sex scandal reaching into Pope Benedict's household after a Member of the Papal Chorus was sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for others.

Angelo Balducci, Balducci, a senior adviser to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, the department that oversees the Roman Catholic Church's worldwide missionary activities, was caught by police on a wiretap allegedly negotiating with Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 29-year-old  Member of the Chorus, over details of men Balducci wanted brought to him for sex.

Transcripts in the possession of the London Newspaper The Guardian suggest that numerous men may have been procured for Balducci, at least one of whom was studying for the priesthood.

The transcripts imply that over a period of around five months in 2008, Ehiem procured for Balducci at least 10 contacts with, among others, "two black Cuban lads", a former male model from Naples, and a rugby player from Rome.

The explosive claims about Balducci's private life have caused grave embarrassment to the Vatican, which has yet to publicly comment on the affair.

Balducci was arrested on 10 February, suspected of involvement in widespread corruption in Rome.

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It was during this investigation into corruption that wiretaps revealed his alleged sexual activity. 

According to prosecutors in Florence investigating the corruption scandal, there was a hidden side to Balducci's life. 

"In order to organise casual encounters of a sexual nature, he availed himself of the intercession of two individuals who, it is maintained, may form part of an organized network, especially active in [Rome], of exploiters or at least facilitators of male prostitution."

In an interview to be published tomorrow by the news magazine Panorama, Ehiem said he had been introduced to Balducci more than 10 years ago. 

He claims: "He asked me if I could procure other men for him. He told me he was married and that I had to do it in great secrecy."