Did Pope resign over dossier linking the church to 'gay network' inside the Vatican? Claims of blackmail and sex parties in secret report from three cardinals La Repubblica says report alleges clergy were 'united by sexual orientation' Vatican spokesman refuses to confirm or deny allegations The Pope's resignation has been linked to a secret dossier from three cardinals claiming a 'gay network' inside the Vatican, it emerged today. They uncovered an underground network of senior clergy who have organised gay sex parties and faced blackmail, according the the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. The paper claims the explosive allegations were made in a report into the so-called 'Vatileaks' scandal which was presented to the Pontiff on or around December 17 - the day he announced his retirement. Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi has refused to confirm or deny the details of the report which came in two volumes, 'hard-bound in red' with the title 'pontifical secret.' It was compiled by Spanish cardinal, Julián Herranz; Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi, a former archbishop of Palermo; and the Slovak cardinal Jozef Tomko. No confirmation or denial: Vatican spokesman Father Lombardi They launched the probe after the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested and charged with stealing and leaking papal correspondence revealing how the Vatican was a centre of intrigue and infighting. Now La Repubblica claims Pope Benedict XVI could not face the repercussions of dealing with the 300-page dossier. The paper says that the investigation alleges a gay lobby exists within the Church, and has some sort of control on the careers of those in the Vatican. The report is quoted as saying: 'The cardinals were said to have uncovered an underground gay network, whose members organise sexual meetings in several venues in Rome and Vatican City, leaving them prone to blackmail. They included a villa outside the Italian capital, a sauna in a Rome suburb, a beauty parlour in the centre, and a former university residence that was in use by a provincial Italian archbishop. La Repubblica says that the cardinals described a number of 'factions' in their report, including one in which individuals were 'united by sexual orientation'. The newspaper also alleges the dossier states that members of this group were blackmailed by laymen with whom they entertain relationships of a 'worldly nature' Father Ferederico Lombardi said in a statement: 'Neither the cardinals' commission nor I will make comments to confirm or deny the things that are said about this matter. Let each one assume his or her own responsibilities. We shall not be following up on the observations that are made about this. He has indicated that Benedict would meet with the three cardinals before stepping down on February 28, in one of his final private audiences. The dossier will stay in a secret papal safe and delivered to Benedict's successor when the Pope leaves office, claims La Repubblica. In 2010, Nigerian clergyman Ghinedu Ehiem, wjo was part of one of the Vatican's prestigious choirs, was dismissed after police wiretaps found him negotiating for male prostitutes. In 2007, a senior Vatican official was suspended after he was filmed in a television 'sting' while apparently making sexual overtures to a younger man. Italian newspapers have been rife for days with unsourced reports about the contents of the dossier that three cardinals prepared for Benedict after investigating the origins of the leaks. Now Monsignor Ettore Balestrero, a senior member of the Vatican's secretariat of state, has been sent 6,000 miles away to Colombia in South America as the fallout continues. Father Lombardi said Balestrero's transfer had been months in the works, was a clear promotion and had nothing to do with what the Vatican considers baseless reporting.