Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone has accused the media of behaving like Da Vinci code author Dan Brown in their coverage of the Vatileaks scandal.

The Vatican's Secretary of State told the Italian Catholic weekly, Famiglia Cristiana that the media were "intentionally ignoring" the good things the Church does while dwelling on scandals.

He continued: "Many journalists are playing the game of trying to imitate Dan Brown," the author of The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. "They [journalists] continue to invent fairytales and repeat legends," he said.

The scandal involves the leak of sensitive documents, including letters written to Pope Benedict XVI, whose butler, Paolo Gabriele, is being held in a security cell in the Vatican after a large number of stolen documents were found in his home.

Above: Author Dan Brown, right, actor Tom Hanks, centre, and director Ron Howard, left, at the 2009 premiere of the film adaptation of "Angels & Demons" in Rome. Photo: CNS/Alessia Pierdomenico, Reuters