Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo told an Italian newspaper that,
The torture [of Iraqi prisoners]? A more serious blow to the United States than Sept. 11. Except that the blow was not inflicted by terrorists but by Americans against themselves
And the Vatican certainly knows a lot about bad publicity from torturous interrogation procedures.
Source:
Prison Abuse Said Bigger to U.S. Than 9/11. Associated Press, May 12, 2004.