(ANSA) - Vatican City, June 18 - Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone has blasted journalists for allegedly lying and playing at being Dan Brown in their reporting of the leaking of confidential Church documents to the media.

"Many journalists play at imitating Dan Brown," Bertone told Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana referring to the author of bestsellers such as The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.

"They keep inventing tales and peddling legends".

There have been a number of reports of conspiracies inside the Vatican after the leaking of sensitive Church documents to the Italian press earlier this year created the so-called Vatileaks scandal.

Pope Benedict's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested May 25 for alleged involvement.

According to some theories, the documents were leaked by a group of people, including senior clergymen, who are unhappy about the way Bertone is managing Church affairs.

Bertone said that in recent months the Vatican had been victim of "foul play" and "lies" and that Pope Benedict XVI had "spoken of calumny".

The secretary of state added that "the church is united around the pope".

The leaked documents included letters to the pope and Bertone from the Holy See's ambassador in Washington, Carlo Maria Vigano', who was the deputy governor of Vatican City when they were written.

The letters contained allegations of corruption in the management of Vatican City.