A Vatican spokesman says Pope Benedict is pained by a deepening scandal involving leaked papal documents that shed light on power struggles inside the highest levels of the Roman Catholic Church.

Federico Lombardi also reiterated his denial that any cardinals are being investigated in the case, although Italian media reports have singled out an unnamed cardinal for having ties to the leaks.

On Monday, Lombardi said many Vatican officials were being questioned, but he did not elaborate.

Vatican officials are trying to contain rumors about the so-called “Vatileaks” scandal, in which confidential documents were leaked to Italian journalists. The documents shed light on church tax problems and power struggles.

Last week, Pope Benedict's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested and charged with stealing papal documents found inside his Vatican City apartment. Italian newspapers, quoting other whistleblowers in the Vatican, say the butler could not have acted alone and was possibly doing the bidding of more powerful figures.