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1991-08-24
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Murder in The Papacy
ALL INFORMATION IN THIS PAPER COMES FROM:
"In God`s Name", by David A. Yallop
This paper will present a very, VERY encapsulated glimpse into the
above book. These `glimpses` will be quotes taken from the book. For the
complete story, I suggest getting the book itself. Yet the quotes here
will emphasize the many things `wrong` with the sudden death of `the
smiling pope`.
I also suggest reading the files "PAPACY1.ZIP" and "PAPACY2.ZIP" from
the VISALIA BBS before reading this file.
All numbers in parentheses following quotes indicate the page number
of the above book from which the quote has been taken. For example, (99)
means the quote was taken from page 99 of the book. ANY CAPITALIZATION
FOR EMPHASIS IN THE QUOTES HAS BEEN ADDED BY MYSELF.
The Pope-to-be was formally named Albino Luciani. He was a meek,
quite man. Evidently he was also a man with high ideals and morals. That
is the first thing that was `wrong` with him. The Vatican is not an
innocent organization; it is a secretive business run for profit.
Doubters please read "PAPACY2.ZIP". As it happened, these qualities
eventually cost Albino Luciani his life.
FROM THE BOOK`S PREFACE:
The diffidence and humility emanating from this small, quiet,
65-year-old Italian had led many to conclude that his papacy
would not be particularly noteworthy. The well informed,
however, knew differently: Albino Luciani HAD EMBARKED ON A
REVOLUTION.(1)
"On September 28, 1978, he had been pope for 33 days. In
little more than a month he had initiated various courses of
action that, had they been completed, would have had a direct
and dynamic effect on us all."(1)
"The....`smiling pope` intended to REMOVE THE SMILES FROM A
NUMBER OF FACES ON THE FOLLOWING DAY."(1)
"...the lights were still on in the Vatican Bank. Its head,
bishop Paul MARCINKUS, had more pressing problems on his mind
than the evening meal.... Word had reached Marcinkus that the
new pope had begun a personal inspection of the Vatican
Bank..."(2)
"The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Jean VILLOT was
another..still at his desk on that September evening. He
studied the list of appointments, resignations to be asked
for, and transfers the pope handed him one hour previously. He
had advised, argued, and remonstrated, but to no avail.
Luciani had been adamant."(2-3)
"The evidence the pope had acquired indicated that within the
Vatican there were over 100 Masons, ranging from cardinals to
priests. This despite the fact that Canon Law stated that to
be a Freemason ensured automatic excommunication. Luciani was
further preoccupied with an illegal Masonic Lodge that had
penetrated far beyond Italy in its search for wealth and
power. It called itself `P2`. That fact...made P2 anathema to
Albino Luciani."(3)
"Villot had looked at the Vatican dossier on..Luciani. He had
also read the secret memorandum that Luciani, then bishop of
Vittorio Veneto, had sent to Paul VI before the papal
announcement of Humanae Vitae, an encyclical that prohibited
Catholics from using any..form of birth control. His own
discussions with Luciani had left him in no doubt where the
new pope stood on the issue. There was to be a dramatic change
in position..."(3-4)
-----
A quick note here: Readers may wonder why an issue such as birth
control would place the pope in danger. The reason is that the Catholic
church`s main influx of new members is through the family unit.
Catholics are ORDERED to make their children Catholics.
If this influx were lessened by birth control, that would lessen the
growth of the Catholic church. FEWER CATHOLICS MEANS LESS MONEY COMING
INTO THE VATICAN. Thus, this prospect posed a real problem to the
money-hungry thieves running the Vatican`s enormous financial interests.
-----
"In Buenos Aires, another banker, Roberto CALVI, had Pope John
Paul I on his mind... The Bank of Italy had been secretly
investigating Calvi`s Milan Bank since April. he was doing
everything in his considerable power to thwart the Bank of
Italy and his financial empire, FROM WHICH HE WAS IN THE
PROCESS OF STEALING OVER $1 BILLION. Careful analysis
of...Calvi`s position in September...makes it clear that if
Pope Paul had been succeeded by an honest man, then Calvi`s
faced TOTAL RUIN.
"THERE IS NO DOUBT....THAT ALBINO LUCIANI WAS JUST SUCH A
MAN."(4)
"In New York, Sicilian banker Michele SINDONA had also
been...monitoring Pope John Paul`s activities. For over three
years Sindona had been fighting...attempts to have him
extradited. The Italian government wanted him brought to Milan
to face charges involving fraudulent diversion of $225
million. The Mafia also had a contract out on U.S. Attorney
John Kenney, who was chief prosecutor in the extradition
proceedings. The fee being offered..was $100,000.
If Pope John Paul I continued to dig into the affairs of the
Vatican Bank, then no amount of Mafia contracts would help
Sindona in his fight... The web of corruption at the Vatican
Bank, which included the laundering of Mafia money through
that bank, went back beyond Calvi, back to Michele Sindona."
(4-5)
"In Chicago another prince of the Catholic church worried..
Cardinal John CODY, head of one of the richest archdioceses in
the world. Cody ruled over 2 1/2 million Catholics and nearly
3,000 priests, over 450 parishes with AN ANNUAL INCOME THAT HE
REFUSED TO REVEAL IN ITS ENTIRETY TO ANYONE. IT WAS, IN FACT,
IN EXCESS OF $250,000,000. The (new) pope had decided that
Cody was to be replaced."(6-7)
"Over...these men lurked the shadow of another, Licio GELLI.
Men called him `Il Burattinaio` - the puppetmaster..... He
controlled P2, and through it controlled Italy. If
Marcinkus...or Calvi were threatened...it was in Gelli`s
direct interest that the threat be removed...."(6)
--------
Thus the stage is set. Following are random quotes, indicating the
paths of individuals that led to the murder of Albino Luciani. The
`pieces` all add up to the total picture.
Following now are quotes that attest to the moral quality and high
ethics of Luciani.
--------
"One of Luciani`s contemporaries described...Luciani:
"...`I met Luciani..in 1929. He was then sixteen. He was
always amiable, quiet, serene...unless you stated something
that was inaccurate - then he was like a spring. I learned
that in front of him one had to speak carefully. Any muddled
thinking and you were in danger with him`....."(15)
"....(After becoming bishop at Vittorio Veneto)...he (Luciani)
talked to the four hundred priests who were now answerable to
him. A number had offered him gifts, food, money. He declined
these. When they were all gathered he attempted to explain the
reason:
`I come without five lire. I want to leave without five
lire`..."
"He had the choice of living in a luxurious apartment in the
city, or a more spartan life in the castle of San Martino. He
chose the castle."(21)
"No priest of the diocese ever had to make an appointment to
see his bishop. If one came, he was seen. Some considered this
democracy a weakness."(22)
"On October 11, 1962, there were 2,381 bishops...in Rome
for....the Second Vatican Council. Among them was Luciani.
Luciani also experienced during the council his own road to
Damascus. It was the council`s declaration `On Religious
Freedom`.
"This was the generation that had taught Luciani in the
Belluno seminary that religious freedom was confined to Roman
Catholics: `Error has no rights`. Luciani had, in turn, taught
his own pupils this same appalling doctrine. Now, at the
Second Vatican Council, he listened with growing wonder as
bishop after bishop challenged the concept.
"He (Luciani)....concluded that the `error` had been in the
concept he had been taught."(23)
"It was also typical of the man..that he published an article
explaining how and why he had changed his mind:
`If you come across error, rather than uprooting it or
knocking it down, see if you can trim it patiently, allowing
the light to shine upon the goodness and truth that is usually
not missing even in erroneous opinions`....."(24)
"ALBINO LUCIANI HAD VERY SET IDEAS ABOUT WEALTH AND MONEY,
PARTICULARLY CHURCH WEALTH.... HE BELIEVED IN A ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH OF THE POOR, FOR THE POOR."(24)
"....(life`s) experiences produced in Luciani a deep
compassion for the poor, a TOTAL INDIFFERENCE TO THE
ACQUISITION OF PERSONAL WEALTH, AND A BELIEF THAT A CHURCH,
HIS CHURCH, SHOULD NOT ONLY BE MATERIALLY POOR, BUT SHOULD
ALSO BE SEEN TO BE SO."(25)
"In August 1962...Luciani was confronted by an example of
error of...another kind. Two priests in the diocese had become
involved with a smooth-talking sales representative who also
speculated in property. One of them came to Luciani,
confessing that the amount of money missing, much of it
belonging to small savers, was in excess of 2 billion lire.
"Back in his diocese he called together his 400 priests.
NORMAL PRACTICE WOULD HAVE BEEN TO HAVE CLAIMED ECCLESIASTICAL
IMMUNITY. TO DO SO WOULD ENSURE THAT THE CHURCH WOULD NOT PAY
A PENNY. Speaking quietly, Luciani told his priests:
"...`It is true that two of us have done wrong. I believe the
diocese must pay. I also believe that THE LAW MUST RUN ITS
COURSE. We must not hide behind any immunity. In this scandal
there is a lesson for all. IT IS THAT WE MUST BE A POOR
CHURCH. I intend to sell ecclesiastical treasure. I further
intend to sell one of our buildings. The money will be used to
repay every single lira that these priests owe.`
"One of the priests served a one-year sentence..the other was
acquitted."(24-25)
--------
Albino Luciani was chosen to be the bishop of Venice, under pressure
from the pope. On December 15, 1969, he was officially appointed.
--------
"Before leaving Vittorio Veneto, Luciani was presented a
donation of one million lire (approximately $16,000 at the
time). He quietly declined the gift and after suggesting the
people should donate it to their own personal charities,
reminded them what he had told his priests eleven years
earlier: "`I came without five lire. I want to leave without
five lire.` ...Luciani took with him to Venice a small pile of
linen, a few sticks of furniture, and his books."(37)
"Tradition decreed that the entry of a new patriarch be a
splendid excuse for gaily bedecked procession of gondolas,
brass bands, parades, and countless speeches. Luciani had
always had an intense dislike of such pomp and ceremony. He
cancelled the ritual welcome and confined himself to a single
speech....."(25)
"It was customary for the patriarch of Venice to have his own
boat. Luciani had neither the personal wealth nor the
inclination for what seemed to him an unnecessary
extravagance. When he wanted to move through the canals,
he....would catch a water bus."(38)
"One such priest (in Luciani`s diocese), a property owner....
increased the rent on one of his houses, discovered that the
tenant, an unemployed schoolteacher, could not afford the
increase. He promptly served an eviction notice.
Luciani...remonstrated in vain with the priest, who shrugged
his shoulders at this whimsical patriarch who quoted Christ:
`My kingdom is not of this world.` The priest proceeded with
the eviction of his tenant. Luciani immediately wrote a check
enabling the family to live in a pensione until they found a
permanent residence. Today the teacher has a photocopy of the
check framed and hanging in his living room."(39)
--------
During 1972, Luciani had begun to learn of the Vatican`s partial or
total ownership of banks in Italy and elsewhere. This knowledge alerted
him for the first time that Marcinkus and Calvi were deeply involved
with money laundering and other illegal activities. He was, of course,
powerless to do anything about it. He also learned that the current pope
knew of some of the illegal activities, but chose not to act.
--------
"....during March 1973, the pope made Luciani a cardinal.
Whatever his deep misgivings about the IOR (the Vatican Bank),
Luciani considered that he owed the pope complete and
unswerving loyalty."(46)
"...in May 1973, Luciani found himself playing host....to a
visitor from Rome, Giovanni Benelli.... In particular, he had
an extraordinary story to tell (Luciani). It concerned the
American Mafia, NEARLY $1 BILLION IN COUNTERFEIT BONDS,
and....Paul Marcinkus.(46-47)
"On April 25, 1973, Benelli had received some very unusual
guests in his offices at the Secretariat of State in Vatican
City: William Lynch, chief of the organized crime and
racketeering section of the U.S. Department of Justice, and
William Aronwald, assistant chief of the strike force in the
Southern District of New York. Two members of the FBI had
accompanied them.
"...(Benelli`s staff) listened while William Lynch told of a
police investigation that had begun in the world of the New
York Mafia and had led inexorably to the Vatican. He told the
priests that a package of $14.5 MILLION of American
counterfeit bonds had been carefully and painstakingly created
by a network of members of the Mafia in the United States. The
package had been delivered to Rome in July 1971, and there was
substantial evidence to establish that the ultimate
destination of those bonds was the Vatican Bank.
"Lynch also advised them that much of the evidence, from
separate sources, also indicated that someone with financial
authority within the Vatican had ordered the fake bonds. He
pointed out that other evidence strongly indicated that the
$14.5 million WAS MERELY A DOWN PAYMENT AND THAT THE
COUNTERFEIT BONDS ORDERED WERE IN FACT WORTH A TOTAL OF $950
MILLION.
"Lynch then revealed the name of the `someone with financial
authority` who had masterminded the illegal transaction. On
the basis of the evidence in Lynch`s hands, it was Bishop Paul
Marcinkus."(47-48)
--------
NOTE: For the full story of the above crime, I suggest reading "The
Vatican Connection", by Richard Hammer. Rather than detailing the
lengthly crime story here, someone interested in it should read the
above book.
Suffice to say that the crime involved MANY, MANY other people, from
the Mafia as well as from the Catholic church.
For the purposes of this file, suffice to say that persons inside the
Vatican were able to avoid prosecution due to the lack of concrete
evidence; a larger factor was the fact that the Vatican State is a
country unto itself. Trying to apprehend or charge persons within that
country is virtually impossible. The Vatican conspirators in this crime
had erased their trail fairly well, which resulted in quite a few
deaths. In the end, there was no justice served within the Vatican.
We now return to our story here, with more quotes about Luciani`s
character and other relevant quotes.
--------
"Underneath his humility and gentleness was a man who, by his
environment and his vocation, was exceptionally strong....he
refused to become involved with the warring factions in Rome.
The power plays inside the Vatican left Luciani on occasions
puzzled as to why some of these men had become priests at all.
In an Easter sermon in 1976 he observed:
`Some are in the church only as troublemakers. They are like
the employee who first moved heaven and earth to get into the
firm but once he had the job was perpetually restless, and
became a pestilential hair shirt on the skin of his colleagues
and superiors. Yes, some people seem only to look at the sun
in order to find stains on it.`"(58)
--------
".....he could and did accept divorcees. He also easily
accepted others who were living in what the church calls
`sin`."(60-61)
"Luciani`s own dilemma was that he was committed to an
unswerving obedience to the papacy..... What he did on a
one-to-one basis with members of his diocese frequently bore
no resemblance to the Vatican line. By the mid-1970s he had
moved even farther toward a liberal position on artificial
birth control."(61)
-----
"....by 1976 Sindona was wanted by the Italian authorities on
a range of charges and was fighting his extradition from the
United States..... In June 1976 the Italian authorities, while
continuing their fight to bring Sindona to justice, had
sentenced him `in absentia` to a prison term of 3 1/2 years,
the maximum they could give for the offenses. Many bishops
felt that Pope Paul VI should have moved Marcinkus from the
Vatican Bank when Sindona`s bubble had burst in 1974. Now, two
years later, Sindona`s friend was still controlling the
Vatican Bank."(63)
-----
"....Luciani....gave an extraordinary demonstration of his own
abhorrence of a wealthy, materialistic church. He exhorted and
authorized all his parish priests and rectors of sanctuaries
to sell their gold, necklaces, and precious objects. The
proceeds were to go to the Don Orione center for handicapped
people. He advised that he intended to sell the bejeweled
cross and gold chain that Pope John had given to Luciani when
he had made him a bishop. "He also announced that he intended
to sell to the highest bidder a valuable pectoral cross with
gold chain and the ring of Pope John.(65)
"...(Luciani said in a letter):
"..`One day I was sitting on the banks of a river. I took from
the water a round stone and I broke it. Inside it was
perfectly dry. The stone had been lying in the water for a
very long time but the water had not penetrated it. Then I
thought that the same thing happened to men in Europe. For
centuries they have been surrounded by Christianity but
Christianity has not penetrated, does not live within
them.`.."(65)
--------
"...Pope Paul VI died at 9:40 P.M. on Sunday, August 6, 1978.
The throne was empty."(68)
"Straightforward, overt running for the Vatican throne is
considered bad form in the higher reaches of the Roman
Catholic church. Candidates are not encouraged to stand up and
announce publicly what their program or platform will be. In
theory there are no canvassing, lobbying, or pressure groups.
In practice there is all of this and more.... As the hot
August days went by, phone calls, secret meetings, and
preelection promises ensured that the Holy Spirit was being
given considerable worldly assistance."(73)
--------
To illustrate the rapid switching between various candidates in the
voting, the author listed the following results. It should be noted,
however, that Luciani DID NOT actively seek the papacy, and never in a
million years did he ever expect to be chosen pope.
APPROXIMATE VOTING RESULTS:
Ballot #1:
Siri...............25
Luciani............23
Pignedoli..........18
Lorscheider........12
Baggio..............9
Ballot #2:
Siri...............35
Luciani............30
Pignedoli..........15
Lorscheider........12
Ballot #3:
Luciani............68
Siri...............15
Pignedoli..........10
Ballot #4:
Luciani............99
Siri...............11
Lorscheider.........1 (that of Luciani)
"Villot spoke: `Do you accept your canonical election as
supreme pontiff?`......
"Luciani eventually responded: `May God forgive you for what
you have done in my regard...I accept`...."(92)
"The man from the mountains of northern Italy who as a small
boy had wanted more than anything to be a parish priest, stood
on Saint Peter`s balcony on the evening of Saturday, August
26, 1978, as Pope John Paul I."(95)
"...(in Luciani`s acceptance speech)..Albino Luciani gave
notice that he intended to put the church back where it
belonged: back to the world and the words of Christ; back to
the simplicity and honesty of its origins. If Christ returned
to earth, Luciani wanted him to find a church he would
recognize - one free of political interests, free from the
big-business mentality that had corroded the original
vision."(96)
"He had not spelled out to the listening world on this, his
first day, exactly how he intended to make his dreams of a
poor church a reality, but within hours he embarked on a
course of action that was of vital importance if his vision
was to be realized."(98)
"Before his election, Luciani had been aware of the many
complaints about Vatican finances that had been aired to
Cardinal Villot; complaints about the way that Bishop
Marcinkus ran the Vatican Bank; complaints about his
(Marcinkus) involvement with Michele Sindona.... He had known
as early as 1972 that there was something terribly wrong with
the whole structure and philosophy of Vatican finance, but he
had been powerless. NOW HE HAD THE POWER. On Sunday, August
27, 1978, as he sat eating dinner with Cardinal Villot, the
new pope instructed his newly confirmed secretary of state to
initiate an investigation immediately. There was to be a
review of the ENTIRE FINANCIAL OPERATION OF THE VATICAN, a
detailed analysis of every aspect.
"...`NO DEPARTMENT, NO CONGREGATION, NO SECTION IS TO BE
EXCLUDED,` Luciani told Villot."(100-101)
"Thus ...Luciani, a man totally committed to the belief that
the Roman Catholic church should be a church of the poor, set
into motion an inquiry into the wealth of the Vatican."(102)
"...`Vatican Incorporated` is a vital part of this structure.
It exists in brick and mortar. It exists within certain
philosophies. ..Marcinkus of the Vatican Bank is credited with
the observation that `you cannot run the church on Hail
Marys.` Obviously the power of prayer has been devalued along
with many of the world`s currencies in recent years."(103)
"The real value...of the Vatican investment in 1968 IN ITALIAN
SHARES ALONE WAS AT THE VERY MINIMUM $202 MILLION. To that
must be added the value of the Vatican`s real-estate holdings
particularly in Rome and the surrounding districts, as well as
all non-Italian investments."(116)
"For a bank president, Marcinkus constantly displayed an
alarmingly poor memory - with the U.S. investigators as well
as with Italian reporters....his financial dealings with
Sindona were large and continuous from the late 1960s
until....1975. In 1971 Sindona had played a crucial role in
Marcinkus` sale of Banca Cattolica to Roberto Calvi (see next
quote) for $46.5 million and had made an illegal $6.5 million
kickback to Calvi and Marcinkus. This, like the later losses
inflicted on the Vatican by Sindona, was far from
`fantasy`..."(157)
"The only thing that was average about Roberto Calvi was his
height. His ability to dream up crooked schemes for laundering
Mafia money, exporting lire illegally, evading taxes,
concealing the criminal acts buying shares from his own bank,
rigging the Milan Stock Exchange, for bribery, for corruption,
for perverting the course of justice, arranging a wrongful
arrest here, a murder there - his ability to do all of this
and more puts..(him)..in a very special criminal class."(161)
"When..(Calvi)..heard the name of the new pope - Luciani - he
was shocked. Virtually any of the other 110 cardinals would
have been preferable... He was equally aware that Luciani was
a man with a formidable reputation for personal poverty and
for intolerance of any shady dealings on the part of the
clergy. The episode of the two priests and the speculating
salesman in Vittorio Veneto (see quotes from pages 24-25) was
legendary throughout northern Italy."(175)
"Now, in September 1978, Albino Luciani, the man who was
dedicated to a poor church...had a task as supreme as his
position. If his dream to be the last `rich father` was to
become a reality, then `Vatican Incorporated` - that massive
multinational corporation - would have to be dismantled. The
Papal States might have been lost forever, but in their place
was an extraordinary moneymaking machine.
"The was the Administration of the Patrimony of the `Holy See`
(APSA), with its president, Cardinal Villot; its secretary
Monsignor Antonetti; and its Ordinary and Extraordinary
Sections. The Ordinary Section administered all the wealth of
the various congregations, tribunals, and offices. It
specifically administered a great deal of the real estate of
the papacy. In ROME ALONE THIS AMOUNTED TO OVER FIVE THOUSAND
RENTED APARTMENTS. IN 1979, ITS GROSS ASSETS WERE OVER $1
BILLION.
(175)
"The Extraordinary Section, the Vatican`s other bank, was as
active in its daily stock speculations as the IOR, controlled
by Marcinkus. It specialized in the currency market and worked
closely with Credit Suisse and the Societa de Banque Suisse.
ITS GROSS ASSETS IN SEPTEMBER 1978 WERE OVER $1.2 BILLION.
"The Vatican Bank..HAD GROSS ASSETS OF OVER $1 BILLION. ITS
ANNUAL PROFITS BY 1978 WERE OVER $120 MILLION; 85 PERCENT OF
THIS WENT DIRECTLY TO THE POPE TO USE AS HE SAW FIT. Its
current accounts numbered over 11,000. Under the terms by
which the bank was created by Pius XII during the Second World
War, these accounts should have belonged primarily to
religious orders and religious institutes. When..Luciani
became pope, only 1,047 accounts belonged to religious orders
and institutes, 312 to parishes, and 290 to dioceses. The
remaining 9,351 were the property of diplomats, prelates, and
`privileged citizens`; a significant number of this last
category were not even Italian citizens. Those who were
included: Sindona, Calvi, Gelli, and Ortolani. Other accounts
were held by leading politicians of every stripe, and major
businessmen. Many of the account holders used the facility as
a conduit through which to export currency out of Italy
illegally. Deposits were NOT subjected to ANY
taxation.(176-177)
"The..APSA and the Vatican Bank were..Luciani`s major problems
that had to be overcome before the church could revert to its
early Christian origins. There were many others, not the least
(was) the wealth that had been acquired over centuries. This
took many forms, including a multitude of art treasures.(177)
"The Vatican`s patronage is there for all to see; the
Caravaggios, the Raphael tapestries, the Farnese gold altar
cross and candlesticks by Gentile de Fabriano, the Belvedere
Apollo, the Belvedere Torso, the paintings of Leonardo de
Vinci, Bernini`s sculptures. Would the words of Jesus Christ
be heard less clearly in some place more modest than the
Sistine Chapel with its majestic `Last Judgment` by
Michelangelo?....
"WHAT WOULD JESUS CHRIST HAVE FELT IF HE HAD RETURNED TO EARTH
IN SEPTEMBER 1978 AND BEEN ALLOWED INTO THE VATICAN CITY?
"What would the man who declared `My Kingdom is not of this
world` have felt if he had wandered through the departments of
APSA with its team of clerical and lay stock analysis, each an
expert in his own field, following the day-by-day and often
minute-by-minute fluctuations of the shares, securities, and
investments that APSA owns throughout the world? What would
the carpenter`s son have made of the IBM equipment that
functioned both in APSA and the Vatican Bank? What would the
man who compared the difficulty of a rich man entering the
Kingdom of Heaven with a camel passing through the eye of a
needle have said about the latest stock market quotations from
London, Wall Street, Zurich, Milan, Montreal, and Tokyo that
are heard endlessly in the Vatican?....What would have been
His opinion of the annual collection of Peter`s Pence that
went directly to the pope? (This annual collection, considered
by many to be an accurate barometer of the popularity of the
pope, had under the charismatic John XXIII produced between
$15 MILLION AND $20 MILLION A YEAR).(177-178)
"Luciani`s aspirations quickly became clear: TOTAL REVOLUTION.
He was intent on taking the church back to its origins, back
to the simplicity, honesty, ideals, and aspirations of Jesus
Christ."(179)
"Luciani was an object lesson on how to win the battle for
mankind`s heart, mind, and soul. For the first time in living
memory a pope could talk to his people in a manner and style
they could understand. The sigh of relief from the faithful
was almost audible. The murmurs of delight continued through
the Indian summer of 1978. Luciani began to take the church on
the long walk back to the Gospel."(181)
"The VATICAN CENSORSHIP OF THE POPE(`S WORDS) BECAME A
CONSTANT FEATURE DURING SEPTEMBER 1978."(184)
"On August 28, the beginning of his papal revolution was
announced. It took the form of a Vatican statement that there
was to be NO CORONATION. There would be no `sedia gestatoria`,
the chair used to carry the pope, no tiara (crown) encrusted
with emeralds, rubies, sapphires and diamonds. No ostrich
feathers, no six-hour ceremony. In short, THE RITUAL WITH
WHICH THE CHURCH DEMONSTRATED THAT IT STILL LUSTED AFTER
TEMPORAL POWER WAS ABOLISHED.
"The spectacle of a pontiff carried in a chair like a caliph
from `Arabian Nights` was supplanted by the sight of a supreme
pastor quietly walking up the steps to the altar. With that
gesture Luciani abolished a thousand years of history and
moved the church a little farther back down the road toward
Jesus Christ."(184-185)
"The triple-decked, beehive-shaped tiara was superseded by the
`pallium`, a white woolen stole around the pope`s shoulders.
The monarch had made way for the shepherd. The era of the poor
church had begun."(185)
"Thus the papacy of John Paul I began, a papacy with clear
aims and aspirations... Before the inaugural mass Luciani had
addressed the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican. HIS
OWN DIPLOMATIC STAFF VISIBLY BLANCHED when he observed on
behalf of the entire Roman Catholic church:
`We have no temporal goods to exchange, no economic interests
to discuss. Our possibilities for intervention are specific
and limited and of a special character. THEY DO NOT INTERFERE
WITH PURELY TEMPORAL, TECHNICAL, OR POLITICAL AFFAIRS`..."
(186)
"...`We have no public goods to exchange...` Luciani had just
pronounced the death sentence on Vatican Incorporated."(186)
--------
Thus, Albino Luciani had unknowingly signed his own death
certificate. It should be obvious that this man meant to try to change
things that very many people did not want changed. The issues really had
nothing to do with Christianity at all. They had to do, directly or
indirectly, with MONEY.
--------
"Within three weeks of his election...Luciani took the first
significant steps toward reversing the...church`s position on
artificial birth control. WHILE THOSE STEPS WERE BEING TAKEN,
THANKS TO L`OSSERVATORE ROMANO (VATICAN RADIO), AND
OFF-THE-RECORD BRIEFINGS BY CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE ROMAN
CURIA, THE WORLD`S PRESS HAD ALREADY FIRMLY ESTABLISHED A
COMPLETELY FALSE IMAGE OF LUCIANI`S VIEWS ON THE TOPIC."(192)
"..in September, while the world`s press unquestioningly
repeated the LIES of L`Osservatore Romano...Luciani was heard
in the papal apartments talking to his secretary of state,
Cardinal Villot:
`I will be happy to talk to this United States delegation on
the (birth control) issue. To my mind we CANNOT LEAVE the
situation as it currently stands..`"(192)
"Luciani moved with an urgency that had been lacking in his
predecessor`s last years. He was determined that WITHIN HIS
FIRST HUNDRED DAYS the church should at least begin to change
direction, particularly with regard to Vatican Incorporated."
(197)
"As the days of September ticked by, Calvi moved around the
South American continent... If Marcinkus fell, a new man would
soon discover the state of affairs and the true nature of the
relationship between the Vatican Bank and Banco Ambrosiano...
The Bank of Italy would be informed, and..Calvi would spend
the rest of his life in prison."(203-204)
"If by some miracle..Luciani were to drop dead before
Marcinkus was removed, then Calvi would have time. Not much
time, of course. But a lot can happen between the death of one
pope and the election of another. Surely it would not produce
another pope who wanted to reform Vatican finances? He turned
as always to Gelli and confided his worst fears. As they
conversed in several South American cities......Calvi began to
feel relieved. Gelli had assured him. THE `PROBLEM` COULD AND
WOULD BE REMOVED."(204)
"Without consulting anyone, (Luciani) would go for walks in
the Vatican gardens. A simple diversion, one might think, but
(it)..threw Vatican protocol and the Swiss Guard into total
confusion. He had already caused consternation...by talking to
men on sentry duty and by requesting that they refrain from
kneeling at his every approach. He (Luciani) observed...: `Who
am I that they should kneel to me?`
"Monsignor...Noe....begged him not to talk to the members of
the guard and to content himself with a mute nod. The pope
asked why. Noe spread his hands wide in amazement. `Holy
Father, it is not done. No pope has ever spoken to them.`
"....Luciani smiled and continued to talk to the guards. It
was a far cry from the early days of (pope) Paul`s reign, WHEN
PRIESTS AND NUNS WOULD DROP TO THEIR KNEES TO CONVERSE WITH
THE POPE EVEN WHEN THEY WERE CARRYING ON A TELEPHONE
CONVERSATION WITH HIM."(208)
"Luciani began to explore the Vatican with its 10,000 rooms
and and halls and its 997 stairways, 30 of which were secret.
He would suddenly take off from the papal apartments either
alone or with `Father` Lorenzi for company. Equally suddenly
he would appear in one of the curial offices. `Just finding my
way around the place,` he explained on one occasion to a
startled Archbishop Caprio, the deputy head of the Secretariat
of State.
"They did not like it. They did not like it at all. The Curia
was accustomed to a pope who knew his place, one who worked
through the bureaucratic channels. This one was everywhere,
into everything, and what was worse, he wanted to make
changes.
"That issues so petty should take up a pope`s time is an
illuminating comment on the values and perspectives of certain
elements in the Roman Curia."(209)
"Although some of Luciani`s time was taken up by Curia trivia,
most of his waking hours were devoted to more serious
problems. HE HAD TOLD THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS THAT THE VATICAN
RENOUNCED ALL CLAIMS TO TEMPORAL POWER."(210)
"When the foreign minister, Monsignor Agostino Casaroli, came
to the pope with seven questions concerning the church`s
relationship with various Eastern European countries, Albino
Luciani promptly gave him answers on five of them and asked
for a little time to consider the other two.
"A dazed Casaroli returned to his office and told a colleague
what had occurred. The priest inquired: `Were the correct
solutions?`
"..(Casarroli replied:) `In my view, totally. IT WOULD HAVE
TAKEN ME A YEAR TO GET THOSE RESPONSES FROM (pope) PAUL`..."
(211)
"..Luciani....continued to work his way through the mountain
of problems left by (former pope) Paul. One such was Cardinal
John Cody, head of one of the WORLD`S WEALTHIEST and most
powerful dioceses, Chicago."(213)
"When Cody arrived in Chicago he had the reputation of being
an excellent manager of finances, a progressive liberal who
had battled...for school integration in New Orleans, and a
very demanding prelate. He soon lost the first two attributes.
In early June 1970, while treasurer of the American church he
put $2 million into Penn Central stocks. A few days later the
shares collapsed and the company went bankrupt. He had
illegally invested the money during the administration of his
duly elected predecessor, to whom he refused to hand over the
account books until well after the loss. He survived the
scandal.
"Within weeks of his arrival in Chicago he had demonstrated
his own particular brand of progressive liberalism toward some
of his priests. In the files of his predecessor, he discovered
a list of `problem` priests, men who were alcoholic, senile,
or unable to cope. Cody began to make Sunday afternoon
excursions to their rectories. He then personally dismissed
the priests, giving them two weeks to leave their homes. There
were no pension funds, no retirement schemes, no insurance
policies for priests in Chicago in the mid-60s. Many of these
men were over seventy. Cody simply tossed them out into the
street.
"He took similar action with regard to closing convents,
rectories, and schools. On one occasion, by order of Cody, A
WRECKING CREW BEGAN TO DEMOLISH A RECTORY AND A CONVENT WHILE
THE OCCUPANTS WERE SHOWERING AND HAVING BREAKFAST."(214)
--------
A quick note here. Isn`t it amazing that a church that professes to
be the True Church of Jesus Christ could knowingly allow these things to
go on? Yet, I am sure the Catholic `faithful` in Chicago STILL attended
masses and other `feast days` of their beloved church during the
above-mentioned atrocities. Such is the power of the Catholic
brainwashing system.
My own mother, in a recent conversation, told of the current pastor
at the Catholic church in my former home town. The pastor is cruel and
heartless. One Sunday, during his sermon, he told the people, "I asked
Saint Peter to send me to hell. Instead, he sent me to Cameron (Texas)."
Yet my mother would never dream of leaving her cherished church.
Amazing.
--------
"The man (Cody) who fought for integration in New Orleans
became known in Chicago as the man who closed Catholic schools
in the inner city, claiming that the church could no longer
afford to run them; this in a diocese with an annual revenue
APPROACHING $300 MILLION.(215)
"When the cry of `racist` went up, Cody defended himself by
stating that MANY OF THE BLACKS WERE NON-CATHOLICS AND THAT HE
DID NOT FEEL THE CHURCH HAD A DUTY TO EDUCATE MIDDLE-CLASS
BLACK PROTESTANTS."(215)
"...he (Cody) began to monitor the day-by-day movements of
priests and nuns he suspected of disloyalty. Dossiers were
assembled. Secret interrogations of friends of `suspects`
became the norm. WHAT ALL THIS HAD TO DO WITH THE GOSPEL OF
CHRIST IS UNCLEAR."(216)
"The total assets of the Roman Catholic church in Chicago
were, by 1970, OVER $1 BILLION."(217)
"The Vatican`s Chicago connection was by the early 1970s one
of its most important links with the U.S. The bulk of Vatican
Incorporated`s investment in the U.S. stock market was
funneled through Continental Illinois. On the board of the
bank, along with David Kennedy, A CLOSE FRIEND OF MICHELE
SINDONA, was a Jesuit priest named Raymond C. Baumhart. The
large amounts of money that Cody funneled to Rome became an
important factor in Vatican fiscal policy. CODY MIGHT NOT BE
ABLE TO HANDLE HIS PRIESTS, BUT HE DID KNOW HOW TO MAKE A
BUCK."(217-218)
"Over the years the Cody-Marcinkus friendship became
particularly close. They had so much in common, so many vested
interests. In Chicago, with its very large Polish population
unwittingly aiding him, Cody began to divert hundreds of
thousands of dollars via Continental Illinois to Marcinkus in
the Vatican Bank. Marcinkus would then divert the monies to
the cardinals in Poland.
"The cardinal took out further insurance by spreading
Chicago`s wealth around certain sections of the Roman Curia.
When Cody was in town - and he made over 100 trips to Rome -
he distributed expensive presents wherever they would do him
the most good. A gold cigarette lighter to this monsignor, a
Patke Philippe watch to that bishop."(218)
"As September 1978 drew to an end, John Cody became convinced
that Luciani would act where (former pope) Paul had not.
Cody`s friends in Rome advised him that whatever course of
action this new pope decided on, one thing was certain; HE
WOULD SEE IT THROUGH."(223)
"On September 7, 1978, during a private audience, his friend
Vittore Branca expressed concern about the weight of the
papacy. Luciani responded:
`Yes, certainly I am too small for great things. I can only
repeat the truth and the call of the Gospel as I did in my
little church at home... Between the parish priest at Canale
and me there is a difference only in the number of faithful,
but the task is the same, TO REMEMBER CHRIST AND HIS
WORD.`..."(226-227)
"Although his speeches in general audiences....were recorded
(he spoke on faith, hope, and charity), Luciani`s pleas that
these virtues be shown toward, for example, drug addicts, WENT
UNREPORTED BY THE CURIA, WHICH CONTROLLED THE VATICAN MEDIA."
(227)
"...he (Luciani) began to talk of the difficulties of guiding
and governing:
`Although for twenty years I have been bishop of Vittorio
Veneto and Venice, I admit that I have not yet learned the job
well. In Rome I shall put myself in the school of Saint
Gregory the Great, who writes: [the pastor] should, with
compassion, be close to each one who is subject to him;
forgetful of his rank, he should consider himself on a level
with the good subjects, BUT HE SHOULD NOT FEAR TO EXERCISE THE
RIGHTS OF HIS AUTHORITY AGAINST THE WICKED....`
"Without a knowledge of events within the Vatican, the members
of the public merely nodded wisely. The Curia knew precisely
to what the pope was alluding. This was in Vatican style an
elegant, oblique pronouncement of events to come."(228)
"After weighing every consideration Luciani had decided that
Cody must be removed."(237)
"..(in a conversation with Cardinal Villot on September 27,
1978)..Luciani made it clear that he had no intention of
leaving Marcinkus in Vatican City, let alone the Vatican Bank.
Having personally assessed the man during a forty-five minute
interview earlier in the month, Luciani had concluded that
Marcinkus might be more gainfully employed as an auxiliary
bishop in Chicago. He had not indicated his thinking to
Marcinkus, but the cool politeness he had shown had not gone
unnoticed.
"Returning to his bank offices after the interview, Marcinkus
had confided to a friend: `I may not be around here much
longer.` To Calvi via the telephone and to his colleagues in
the bank he now observed: `You would do well to remember that
this pope has different ideas from the last one. There are
going to be changes around here. Big changes.`
"Marcinkus was right. Luciani advised Villot that Marcinkus
was to be removed IMMEDIATELY. NOT IN A WEEK`S OR A MONTH`S
TIME. THE FOLLOWING DAY."(240)
"...(during Luciani`s conversation with Villot Luciani asked
Villot)..`what do you think?`
"Villot shrugged. `These decisions will please some and
distress others. There are cardinals within the Roman Curia
who worked hard to get you elected who will feel betrayed.
They will consider these changes, these appointments contrary
to the late Holy Father`s wishes.`
"Luciani smiled. `Was the late Holy Father planning to make
appointments in perpetuity? As for the cardinals who claim to
have worked hard to make me pope - understand this - I have
said it many times, but clearly it needs to be said yet again.
I did NOT seek to become pope. I did not want to be pope. YOU
CANNOT NAME ONE SINGLE CARDINAL TO WHOM I PROPOSED ANYTHING.
NOT ONE WHO WHOM I PERSUADED IN ANY FORM TO VOTE FOR ME. It
was not MY wish. It was not my doing. THERE ARE MEN HERE
WITHIN VATICAN CITY WHO HAVE FORGOTTEN THEIR PURPOSE. THEY
HAVE REDUCED THIS TO JUST ANOTHER MARKETPLACE. That is why I
am making these changes.`
"...(Villot replied): `It will be said that you have betrayed
(former pope) Paul.`
"..(Luciani:)..It will also be said that I have betrayed John.
Betrayed Pius. Each will find his own guiding light according
to his needs. MY CONCERN IS THAT I DO NOT BETRAY OUR LORD
JESUS CHRIST."(243)
"The discussion continued for nearly two hours. At 7:30 P.M.
Villot departed. He went back to his own offices nearby and,
sitting at his desk, studied the list of changes. Then,
reaching into a drawer, he pulled out another list - perhaps
it was just coincidence. Each of the clerical personnel
Luciani was removing was on the list of alleged Masons, the
list that the disenchanted P2 member Pecorelli had published."
(243)
"...(after the meeting with Villot) he (Luciani) picked up the
notes on the dramatic changes he had discussed with Villot.
Luciani walked to the door of his study and opening it saw
Father Magee and Father Loranzi. He said good night to them
both: `Buona notte. A domani. Se Dio vuole.` (Good night.
Until tomorrow. If God wishes.)"(245)
"It was a few minutes before 9:30 P.M. Albino Luciani closed
his study door. He had spoken his last words. His dead body
would be discovered the next morning. The circumstances
surrounding that discovery make it abundantly clear that the
Vatican perpetrated a cover-up."(245)
"Cody. Marcinkus. Villot. Calvi. Gelli. Sindona. At least one
of these men had decided on a course of action that was
implemented during the late evening hours of the 28th or the
early morning hours of the 29th. That course of action was
derived from the conclusion that the `Italian Solution` must
be applied. The pope must die."(245-246)
---------------------------------------------------------
"The most efficient way to kill the pope was by poison - by a
drug that when administered would leave no telltale signs.
Research indicates that there are over two hundred such drugs.
The drug digitalis is one example. It has no taste. No smell.
It can be added to food, drink, or medication."(247)
"Whoever planned to murder the pope in such a way would have
to have an intimate knowledge of Vatican procedures. They
would have to know that there would be no autopsy.
"On conducting an external examination of the body the Vatican
doctors would simply conclude that death had been caused by a
heart attack."(248)
"The conspirators, then, would have been fully aware that
there is nothing within the apostolic laws requiring that an
autopsy be carried out.(249)
--------
"At 4:30 A.M. Friday, September 29, Sister Vincenza carried a
container of coffee to the study as usual. A few moments later
she knocked on the pope`s bedroom door and called out, `Good
morning, Holy Father.` For once there was no reply. Vincenza
waited for a moment, then padded away quietly. At 4:45 A.M.
she returned. The tray of coffee in the study was untouched.
She had worked for Luciani since 1959 in Vittorio Veneto. Not
once in eighteen years had he overslept. Anxiously she moved
to the bedroom door and listened. There was no sound. She
knocked on the door, timidly at first, then with greater
force. Still nothing but silence. There was a light shining
from under the door. She knocked again. Still there was no
answer. Opening the door she saw Albino Luciani sitting up in
bed. He was wearing his glasses, and gripped in his hands were
some sheets of paper. His head was turned to the right, and
the lips were parted, showing his teeth. It was not the
smiling face that had so impressed the millions but an
expression of agony. She felt his pulse. Recently she
recounted that moment to me (the author of the book):
`It was a miracle I survived. I have a bad heart. I pushed the
bell to summon the secretaries, then I went out to find the
other sisters and to awaken Don Diego.`..."(249)
"A half-dazed Diego Loranzi stared in shock at the lifeless
body of Albino Luciani. Next to respond was Father Magee. For
the second time within two months he looked on a dead pope....
"Now, after a mere thirty-three days as pope, Albino Luciani
had died alone."(249-250)
"Father Magee`s first action was to telephone Secretary of
State Villot, residing two floors below. LESS THAN 12 HOURS
EARLIER, ALBINO LUCIANI HAD TOLD VILLOT OF HIS IMPENDING
REPLACEMENT.... NOW, FAR FROM BEING A FORMER SECRETARY OF
STATE, VILLOT ASSUMED THE ROLE OF `CAMERLENGO`, VIRTUALLY THE
ACTING HEAD OF THE CHURCH. By 5:00 A.M. Villot was in the
pope`s bedroom and had seen for himself that Albino Luciani
was dead."
(250)
"If Luciani died naturally, Villot`s (following) actions and
instructions are completely inexplicable. His behavior becomes
understandable only when related to one specific conclusion:
Either Cardinal Jean Villot was part of a conspiracy to murder
the pope, or he saw clear evidence in the papal bedroom
indicating the pope had been murdered, and he promptly
determined that to protect the church that evidence must be
destroyed.
"On the small bedside table was the medicine that Luciani had
been taking for low blood pressure. VILLOT POCKETED THE
MEDICINE. FROM THE DEAD POPE`S HANDS HE TOOK THE NOTES ON THE
PAPAL TRANSFERS AND APPOINTMENTS. THESE HE POCKETED AS WELL.
THE POPE`S LAST WILL, WHICH HAD BEEN IN THE DESK IN HIS STUDY,
WAS REMOVED. HIS GLASSES AND SLIPPERS DISAPPEARED FROM THE
BEDROOM. NONE OF THESE ITEMS HAVE EVER BEEN SEEN AGAIN."(250)
"Villot then CREATED for the shocked members of the pope`s
household a TOTALLY FICTITIOUS account of the circumstances
leading to the finding of Luciani`s body. HE IMPOSED A VOW OF
SILENCE CONCERNING SISTER VINCENZA`S DISCOVERY AND INSTRUCTED
THE HOUSEHOLD THAT NEWS OF THE DEATH WAS TO BE SUPPRESSED
UNTIL HE INDICATED OTHERWISE."(250-251)
"Despite Villot`s stricture that the news not leak out,
(father) Lorenzi telephoned Antonio Da Ros, who had been
Luciani`s physician for over twenty years. Lorenzi vividly
recalled the doctor`s reaction. `He was shocked. Stunned.
Unable to believe it. He asked me the cause, but I didn`t
know. Doctor Da Ros was equally mystified. He said he would
drive to Venice immediately and catch a plane to
Rome.`..."(251)
"The news was now starting to spread through the Vatican
village. In the courtyard near the Vatican Bank, Sergeant
Roggan met Bishop Paul Marcinkus. It was 6:45 A.M. WHAT THE
PRESIDENT OF THE VATICAN BANK, WHO LIVES IN THE `VILLA STRITCH
ON VILLA DELLA NOCETTA` IN ROME AND IS NOT KNOWN AS AN EARLY
RISER, WAS DOING IN THE VATICAN AT THAT TIME OF THE MORNING
REMAINS A MYSTERY. THE VILLA STRITCH IS A TWENTY-MINUTE DRIVE
FROM THE VATICAN.
"Roggan blurted out the news: `The pope is dead.` Marcinkus
just stared at the sergeant of the Swiss Guard. Roggan moved
closer to Marcinkus. `Papa Luciani. He is dead. They found him
in the bed.`
"Marcinkus continued to stare at Roggan, without displaying
any emotion. Eventually Roggan moved on, leaving Paul
Marcinkus staring after him."(252)
"Doctor Buzzonetti made a brief examination of the body. He
informed Villot that the cause of death was acute myocardial
infarction, a heart attack. The doctor set the time of death
at about 11:00 P.M. To establish that the time of death was
11:00 P.M. and the cause myocardial infarction on the basis of
such a brief examination is a medical impossibility."
(252)
"Villot had already decided before Buzzonetti`s examination,
which took place at approximately 6:00 A.M., THAT THE BODY OF
ALBINO LUCIANI SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY EMBALMED. Even
before....5:15 A.M. Villot had acted to ensure a rapid
embalmment."(252)
"The Signoracci brothers..had embalmed the last two popes. Now
a dawn telephone call AND A VATICAN CAR THAT ARRIVED AT 5:00
A.M. were the beginning of what was to be a long day for the
Signoracci brothers. FOR THEM TO BE CONTACTED SO EARLY CLEARLY
ESTABLISHES THAT THE VATICAN GAVE THE RELEVANT INSTRUCTIONS TO
THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE, WHICH EMPLOYS THE BROTHERS, AT SOME
POINT BETWEEN 4:45 AND 5:00 A.M."(252-253)
"Finally at 7:27 A.M., SOME TWO AND THREE-QUARTER HOURS AFTER
THE DEATH HAD BEEN DISCOVERED, Villot felt sufficiently in
control of events:
"..`This morning, September 29, 1978, about five-thirty, the
private secretary of the pope, contrary to custom not having
found the holy father in the chapel of his private apartment,
looked for him in his room and found him dead in bed with the
light on, like one who was intent on reading. The physician,
Dr. Renato Buzzonetti, who hastened to the pope`s room,
verified the death, which took place presumably toward eleven
o`clock yesterday evening, as sudden death that could be
related to acute myocardial infarction.`(253)
"Even with 2 3/4 hours in which to concoct a story, Villot and
those who advised him...botched the job."(254)
"Later bulletins stated that the secretary...was Father Magee,
who according to the Vatican usually said Mass with the pope
at 5:30 A.M., and that WHEN HE DIED THE POPE HAD BEEN READING
`THE IMITATION OF CHRIST`......"(254)
"This embellishment, involving as it did a book that Luciani
revered, might have seemed like inspired thinking to Villot.
THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THERE WAS NOT A COPY IN THE POPE`S
BEDROOM OR FOR THAT MATTER IN THE ENTIRE PAPAL APARTMENTS.
LUCIANI`S COPY WAS STILL IN VENICE."(254)
"The Vatican finally dropped this particular lie, after having
maintained it until October 2 - for four days. Within those
four days the false information given out by the Vatican had
become, in the minds of the people, the reality, THE TRUTH."
(254)
"And people were deceived by other false information that came
out of the Vatican. There was, for example, the tale of Father
Magee going to the pope`s bedroom shortly before 10:00 P.M. on
the 28th. According to this story, which emanated directly
from the Roman Curia, Magee had told the pope about the
murdering of a student in Rome. `Are those young people
shooting at each other again? Really, it is terrible.`
"These were widely reported around the world as being the
pope`s last words. They provided the added bonus of giving a
possible explanation for the unexpected death of Luciani; he
died of shock after hearing such appalling news."(254)
"Another Vatican fabrication, which played a role in Villot`s
announcement, was that `Luciani generally said Mass with Magee
at 5:30 A.M.` Mass in the papal apartments was not UNTIL 7:00
A.M. ....Luciani spent the time between 5:30 and 7:00 A.M. in
meditation and prayer, usually alone, sometimes joined at
about 6:30 A.M. by Magee and Lorenzi. THE IMAGE OF MAGEE
BECOMING ALARMED BY LUCIANI`S NONAPPEARANCE AT FIVE-THIRTY IS
SIMPLY VATICAN FANTASY."(254-255)
"Meanwhile, the cardinals who were gathering in Rome debated
about whether or not there should be an autopsy. If..Luciani
had been an ordinary citizen of Rome, there would have been no
debate. There would have been an autopsy. ITALIAN LAW STATES
THAT NO EMBALMING CAN BE UNDERTAKEN UNTIL AT LEAST TWENTY-FOUR
HOURS AFTER DEATH WITHOUT DISPENSATION FROM A MAGISTRATE.
"For men with nothing to hide, Villot and other members of the
Roman Curia continued to act in incomprehensible ways. WHEN
MEN CONSPIRE TO COVER UP IT IS INEVITABLY BECAUSE THERE IS
SOMETHING TO HIDE."(256)
"The contrast to Pope Paul`s death was startling. THEN, there
had been little public emotion; NOW there was a flood. On the
first day a quarter of a million people filed past the body.
The public speculation that the death was not natural grew by
the minute. MEN AND WOMEN WERE HEARD AS THEY PASSED THE BODY:
"...`WHO HAS DONE THIS TO YOU? WHO HAS MURDERED YOU?`...."
(256)
"It was from a cardinal residing in Rome that I learned of the
most extraordinary reason given for the cover-up:
"..`He (Villot) told me that what had occurred was a tragic
accident. That the pope had unwittingly taken an overdose of
his medicine`.."(257)
"On two occasions I have interviewed Professor Giovanni Rama,
the specialist who was responsible for prescribing the
Effortil, Cortiplex, and other drugs to alleviate Luciani`s
low blood pressure.... Rama`s observations regarding a
possible accidental overdose are illuminating:
"..`An accidental overdose is not credible. He was a very
conscientious patient. He was very sensitive to drugs... We
were always very prudent in prescribing medicines`..."(257)
"Some of the key evidence that would have established the
truth had already been destroyed by Villot - the medicine and
the notes Luciani had made that detailed the vital changes.
The extent of Villot`s panic can be gauged from the
disappearance of...Luciani`s will. It contained nothing of
significance with regard to his death, yet it disappeared
along with the other vital pieces of evidence. Why the pope`s
glasses and slippers also vanished remains a mystery."(258)
"In the course of the day everything else within the papal
apartments belonging to Albino Luciani was removed..... By
6:00 P.M. the entire nineteen rooms of the papal apartments
were totally bereft of anything remotely associated with the
papacy of Luciani. It was as if he had never been there, had
never existed. At 6:00 P.M. the papal apartments were sealed
by...Villot. They were to remain unopened until a successor
had been elected."(258-259)
"When the two Signoracci brothers (the embalmers) had examined
the body....they had concluded from the lack of rigor mortis
and the temperature of the body that DEATH HAD TAKEN PLACE NOT
AT 11:00 P.M. ON THE 28TH BUT BETWEEN 4:00 AND 5:00 A.M. ON
THE 29TH. They were given independent confirmation of their
conclusion by Monsignor Noe, WHO TOLD THEM THAT THE POPE HAD
DIED SHORTLY BEFORE 5:00 A.M.
"I have interviewed both brothers at length on three separate
occassions. THEY INSIST THAT DEATH OCCURRED BETWEEN 4:00 AND
5:00 A.M. AND THAT THE POPE`S BODY WAS DISCOVERED WITHIN ONE
HOUR OF HIS DEATH."(260)
"At the Vatican`s insistence, NO BLOOD WAS DRAINED FROM THE
BODY, NOW WERE ANY ORGANS REMOVED. Formalin and other
preservatives were injected into the body through the femoral
arterial, and vein passages. The three hours the process took
was considerably longer than the norm. The process took so
long BECAUSE OF THE VATICAN`S INSISTENCE THAT NO BLOOD BE
DRAWN OFF, contrary to normal practice in which the blood is
drained or cleared with a solution of salt water that is
circulated around the body. A small quantity of blood, of
course, HAVE BEEN MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FOR A FORENSIC
SCIENTIST TO ESTABLISH THE PRESENCE OF ANY POISONOUS
SUBSTANCES."(260)
"When Italian medical experts began to state categorically the
need for an autopsy to ascertain the precise cause of death,
the panic within the Vatican reached new heights. It was clear
that...they (medical experts) would not accept without an
autopsy the Vatican`s assertion that...Luciani died of acute
myocardial infarction."(261)
"The doubts and concerns..were overruled. Acutely aware that
the controversy would grow unless public attention could be
distracted, Villot and his colleagues totally reversed the way
they had reasoned in August. THEN the conclave had been
delayed until almost the last possible moment. NOW the delay
was to be as short as possible. It was a shrewd ploy. Curial
cardinals, in particular, reasoned that after the funeral the
media would become preoccupied with Luciani`s possible
successor. If they could hold out until the funeral took place
in a few days` time, they would be safe. Furthermore, any of
the majority of the cardinals yet to arrive would be
confronted with decisions already made."(263)
"With regard to an explanation for the sudden death,the Roman
Curia disinformation service had achieved a remarkable coup.
Writer after writer talked about a long record of
illness."(264)
"Some (church `sources`) talked of Luciani`s heavy smoking, of
the `fact` that he had only one lung, of his several bouts of
tuberculosis. Since his death others have been told by Vatican
sources about his four heart attacks, about the fact that he
suffered from phlebitis, a painful circulatory disease, and
about his struggle with emphysema, a chronic illness of the
lungs. THERE IS NOT A WORD OF TRUTH IN ANY OF IT."(265)
"....Cardinal Bernelli...remarked: `It seemed to me that their
[the Roman Curia`s] aim was twofold. To minimize Luciani`s
abilities would reduce the sense of loss and consequently
reduce the demands for an autopsy. Second, the Curia was
preparing for the next conclave. They wanted a curial
pope.`..."(265)
--------
The Vatican then began a ruthless `smear` campaign, designed to
humiliate even the memory of the late pope. It was almost as if killing
the man was not enough. Writers were anxious to hear and print anything
that came from the ubiquitous `highly placed sources within the
Vatican.`
--------
"...`The (papal) audiences (of Luciani) attracted the
immediate sympathy of the public, but had disappointed and
sometimes worried church officials. The pope expressed a
philosophy of existence that on occasion resembled the
`Reader`s Digest`; common sense, a little at that, which broke
the grand theological flights of Paul VI. Clearly he did not
have the culture and intellectual training of his
predecessor.`
- Vatican correspondent Robert Sole for Le Monde"
"..`We followed first with eagerness, then with a growing
sense of the ridiculous, his generous efforts to discover who
he was. He smiled, his father was a Socialist, he rejected the
tiara for a simple stole, he spoke informally at audiences.`
- Commonweal"
(266)
-----
"One of the many expressions the residents of Vatican City are
fond of quoting is, `NOTHING is leaked from the Vatican
without a very specific purpose`......"(267)
"The fifteen doctors on the staff of the Vatican`s health
services steadfastly refused to comment on the desirability of
performing autopsies on dead popes. Edoardo Luciani, however,
failed to help the Vatican`s position when he was asked about
his brother`s health:
`The day after the enthronement ceremony, I asked his personal
doctor how he had found him, bearing in mind all the pressures
he was now subjected to. THE DOCTOR REASSURED ME, TELLING ME
THAT MY BROTHER WAS IN EXCELLENT HEALTH AND THAT HIS HEART WAS
IN GOOD CONDITION`...."(268)
"Asked if his brother had ever had any heart trouble, Edoardo
replied: `As far as I know, ABSOLUTELY NONE`.... It did not
fit well with the Vatican-orchestrated fantasy."
(269)
"Meanwhile, the protests....about one particular LIE had
finally borne fruit. The Vatican announced:
`After the necessary inquiries, we are now in a position to
state that the pope, when he was found dead...was holding in
his hands certain sheets of paper containing his personal
writings such as homilies, speeches, reflections, and various
notes`...(269)
"The fact that Luciani was holding his personal notes on the
various crucial changes he was proposing to make has been
confirmed to me BY FIVE DIFFERENT SOURCES."(270)
"The strain grew greater when the world`s press began to
comment on a number of disturbing aspects. For a pope to have
no one monitoring his welfare from midevening until the
following day struck many observers as wrong...If observers
had known the full extent of Vatican efficiency, their outrage
would have been even greater. Vatican inefficiency was such
that there was a potential not only for premature (natural)
death BUT ALSO FOR MURDER."(270)
"In Mexico City, the bishop of Cuernavaca...publicly demanded
an autopsy. The bishop ordered a detailed statement to be read
out in all churches in his diocese. The Vatican machine moved
fast. The detailed statement, like much else in this affair,
vanished from the face of the earth...."(270)
"The organization of traditionalist Catholics known as
Civilita Christiana indicated just how deeply dissatisfied
they were. Secretary...Antico revealed that he had sent an
official appeal for a full judicial inquiry into the
death....to Vatican City`s chief justice."(271)
"NO VATICAN DOCTOR HAD, VIA AN OFFICIAL DEATH CERTIFICATE,
TAKEN PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY WITH REGARD TO THE DIAGNOSIS OF
THE CAUSE OF ALBINO LUCIANI`S DEATH."(272)
"IT HAS BEEN ALLEGED, BUT NOT CONFIRMED, THAT THE POPE HAD
PRESSED A BEDSIDE ALARM AND THAT THE ALARM LIGHT WAS IGNORED
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT."(272)
"On October 3 at 7:00 P.M. a curious event occurred. The gates
of St. Peter`s were closed to the public for the day. The
church was deserted except for the four Swiss Guard members
posted at the corners of the catafalque, the traditional
twenty-four-hour protection accorded to the body of a dead
pope. At 7:45 P.M. a group of about 150 pilgrims from Canale
d`Agordo, Albino Luciani`s birthplace, accompanied by the
Bishop of Belluno, were quietly led into the church through a
side entrance. The group had only just arrived in Rome and had
been granted special permission by the Vatican to pay their
respects to a man many of them knew personally, after the
official closure for the day. Clearly someone in Vatican City
with plans of his own with regard to the body of the pope had
not been advised. WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF THEIR ARRIVAL THE
PILGRIMS FOUND THEMSELVES BEING BUNDLED UNCEREMONIOUSLY INTO
ST.PETER`S SQUARE.
"Vatican officials had appeared together with a group of
doctors. Everyone else was ordered to leave. The four Swiss
Guards were also dispensed with. Large crimson screens were
placed all around the body, preventing anyone who might still
be in St. Peter`s from seeing what the doctors were doing.
This sudden medical examination continued until 9:30 P.M. When
it was concluded, a number of the pilgrims...who had remained
outside asked if they could finally pay their last respects to
the corpse. The request was denied."(272-273)
"There was no announcement after the examination and, despite
being deluged with questions....the Vatican press office
continued to maintain a total silence..."(273)
"When the Vatican press office finally spoke officially, it
reduced the ninety-minute examination to twenty minutes. It
also stated that everything was found to be in order and that
subsequently the pilgrims from Canale d`Agordo were allowed
back in. Apart from the errors or deliberate lies inherently
contained within the press statement there are a number of
other disquieting facts. PROFESSOR CESARE GERIN, CONTRARY TO
THE VATICAN INFORMANTS..WAS NOT PRESENT. ...THE SIGNORACCI
BROTHERS ALSO INSISTED THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN PRESENT DURING
THIS BIZARRE EVENT."(273-274)
"TO THIS DATE NO DEATH CERTIFICATE HAS EVER BEEN MADE
PUBLIC... The continued refusal to make the death certificate
available means that NO DOCTOR IS PREPARED TO ACCEPT PUBLICLY
THE LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR DIAGNOSING THE CAUSE OF ALBINO
LUCIANI`S DEATH."(274)
"Doctor Seamus Banim is a heart specialist with twenty years`
professional experience. ..he said:
"...`For a doctor, any doctor, to diagnose myocardial
infarction as the cause of death is wrong.... He (the doctor)
is taking a very grave risk, and he certainly would not be
entitled to take such a risk and make such a diagnosis in this
country. Such a diagnosis CAN ONLY BE GIVEN AFTER AN
AUTOPSY.'..."(278)
"...Albino Luciani DID NOT HAVE A BAD HEART. SOMEONE WITH A
BAD HEART DOES NOT, AS THE PATRIARCH DID EVERY YEAR FROM 1972
TO 1977, CLIMB MOUNTAINS. We would go to Pietralba, near
Bolanzo, and we would climb the Corno Bianco, from fifteen
hundred to twenty-four hundred meters, at a good speed.`
- Monsignor Mario Senigaglia,
secretary to Luciani, 1970-1977"
(283)
"The Vatican LIED when it stated that an autopsy on the pope
was forbidden under Vatican rules. The Vatican LIED when it
stated that an autopsy on a pope had never been performed. The
pope`s will. The pope`s health. The time of his embalming.
The exact nature of the medical examinations that took place
on the body before the funeral. THE VATICAN LIED ABOUT EACH
AND EVERY ONE OF THESE ASPECTS."(287)
"The Vatican LIED when it stated that the initial discovery of
the dead body was made by Father Magee at `about 5:30 on the
morning of September 29`..."(289)
"In the papal apartments, there was beside the pope`s bed an
alarm clock that did not ring. I have questioned both of the
papal secretaries as well as other members of the papal
apartments very closely about this. ALL of them are certain
that on the morning Albino Luciani was found dead, the alarm
clock he had set every day for many years did not ring. It was
set for 4:45 A.M. His body was not officially found until
after 5:30 A.M. Diego Lorenzi, who slept so near the pope`s
bedroom that he could usually even hear the pope moving
around, heard no alarm."(289)
"If Magee found the body at `shortly after 5:30 A.M.`, why
were the Vatican morticians...summoned FORTY-FIVE MINUTES
EARLIER?..."(290)
"Was there a secret autopsy on the eve of the pope`s funeral?"
(290)
"What were the examining doctors doing behind screens in a
locked church for nearly 1 1/2 hours?.."(291)
"Why was Bishop Paul Marcinkus wandering in the Vatican at
such an early hour on September 29?..."(292)
--------
"Whoever murdered Albino Luciani was clearly gambling that the
next conclave and the next pope would not hold to Luciani`s
instructions... Would any kill merely to buy a month`s grace?
If the `right` man was elected, that month would be extended
indefinitely.
"...Villot and Cody...were in the perfect position to
influence the next conclave. Marcinkus was not without
influence. Neither were Calvi, Sindona, and Gelli."(293)
--------
"When voting in the conclave to select a successor to Albino
Luciani began on Sunday, October 15, 1978, the Holy Spirit was
noticeably absent."(300)
"....a compromise candidate (was elected), Cardinal Karol
Wojtyla, (who) bears little resemblance to Albino Luciani.
Wojtyla has given countless demonstrations that all he has in
common with his predecessor is the papal name John Paul.
(300-301)
"Despite...efforts..., the papacy of John Paul II has been a
case of business as usual."
"On being elected, the current pope learned of the changes
that Luciani had proposed making. He was advised of the
various meetings and discussions that his predecessor had had
on a variety of problems. The fiscal information collected by
Benelli, Felici, members of the APSA, and others on behalf of
Luciani was made available to Wojtyla. He was shown the
evidence that had led Luciani to conclude that Cardinal Cody
of Chicago should be replaced. He was shown the evidence that
indicated that Freemasonry had infiltrated the Vatican. He was
told of Luciani`s dialogue with the U.S. State Department and
of the meeting scheduled with the congressional subcommittee
on population and birth control. In short, pope John Paul II
was in the position to bring all of Luciani`s plans to
fruition. NOT ONE of Luciani`s proposed changes became a
reality. Whoever had murdered the pope had not murdered in
vain."(301)
"Villot was again appointed secretary of state. Cody remained
in control of Chicago. Marcinkus...continued to control the
Vatican Bank and continued to ensure that the criminal
activities with Banco Ambrosiano flourished. Calvi and his P2
masters Gelli and Ortolani were free to continue their massive
thefts and frauds under the protection of the Vatican Bank.
Sindona was able, at least in the short term, to maintain his
freedom in New York......"(301)
"With the election of Wojtyla...with regard to the
infiltration of the Vatican by Freemasons, for example, the
Vatican, through the current pope, has now not only taken on
board various Masons from various lodges BUT IT HAS ALSO
ACQUIRED ITS OWN IN-HOUSE VERSION. ITS NAME IS `OPUS DEI`
(GOD`S WORK)."(302)
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