VATICAN police have allegedly busted up a homosexual orgy in an apartment that belongs to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — a department whose duties include dealing with clerical sexual abuse.

Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidianopublished the claims that alleged the occupant of the apartment is the secretary of cardinal Francesco Coccopa­l­merio, the head of the Pontifical Council for Legislative texts and a crucial adviser to Pope Francis.

Coccopa­l­merio is said to have been recommended for a promotion to bishop but this alleged incident and a period spent allegedly recovering from two drug overdoses are likely to affect that.

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The allegations come after George Pell was charged over sex offence claims last week.

Cardinal Pell was appointed to clean up the Holy See’s finances as the Pope moves to make a number of reforms that have angered conservatives.

The Pope’s reluctance to help in the case of terminally ill British boy Charlie Gard has also angered conservatives.

The heartbreaking case has made headlines around the world as the young parents fought for the right for their son to receive treatment for his extremely rare mitochondrial depletion syndrome.

Charlie is just the sixteenth reported case in the world and can’t breath unaided or move his arms and legs.

He has not been home since he was eight weeks old when his parents first started noticing his condition going downhill.

“Resistance to the Pope is growing,” a Vatican source told The Times.

“We have seen five troubling ­stories emerge in a matter of a few days. They have created turbulence. There’s not going to be a schism, but the Pope has lost credibility in the eyes of many.”