The Vatican Exposed: Money, Murder, and the Mafia

by Paul L. Williams and Sana Khatri

Book Overview

Over 50 billion dollars in securities. Gold reserves that exceed those of industrialized nations. Real estate holdings that equal the total area of many countries. Opulent palaces containing the world's greatest art treasures. These are some of the riches of the Roman Catholic Church. Yet in 1929 the Vatican was destitute. Pope Pius XI, living in a damaged, leaky, pigeon-infested Lateran Palace, could hear rats scurrying through the walls, and he...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591020654
• ISBN13: 9781591020653
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Review of "The Vatican Exposed"

This book is probably one of the Vatican's worst nightmares. It accurately exposes the various examples of financial corruption that the Vatican has been involved in, sometimes with either the blessing or the complicity of the pope. The book details the complex (and not to mention ancient) origins of the Vatican's wealth and subsequent misuse of it. But the book is not limited to financial corruption. The book also discusses the reprehensible connections between the Vatican and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who received a papal blessing in exchange for a generous monetary gift to the Vatican. Worse yet, it also examines the connections between the Vatican and the Nazi government in Germany before and during World War II. But the author doesn't stop there. Using noted journalist and author David Yallop's book "In God's Name: An Investigation into the Murder of Pope John Paul I," the author throws light onto a lesser known sin of the Vatican: the likely murder and subsequent cover-up of Pope John Paul the First ("the smiling pope"). Overall, this book was well-researched, and any Catholic wondering just how holy the "Holy See" really has been should read this.

Sad, Disturbing History

This is a quick, easily-accessible, highly disturbing history of modern corruption inside the Vatican. The murder (and the peopel and events surrounding it) of Pope John Paul I is extremely tragic. It is a shame those involved were not instantly shut down and justice allowed to prevail. This author has an amazing ability to compress vast amounts of material into brief, coherent passages. This is a quick, lucid read and actually enjoyable, despite the horror of its topic. A must read for anyone who wishes to understand the modern Catholic Church.

A Notated History Book

Mr. Williams traces the dark history of the characters inside the Vatican from prior to WWII to the recently deceased Pope's time. The history is of the dark side from Pius XI's actions and inactions with the Hitler Regime to Pope John Paul II's Vatican Banking scandals. Other reviewers have criticized the author for dwelling on the dark side and have accused him of fantasizing. The notes are there to check. His intentions weren't to point out the benevolence of the Vatican - they were to point out the side that up to recent times have not been brought to light. If a reader is truly interested in history, one has to have all the facts. Some of the facts are contained within Mr. Williams' book and I commend him for bringing them to our attention. Also contained are Appendices of THE LATERAN TREATY OF 1929, a chronological listing of Popes from Peter to John Paul II, and THE CONCORDANT BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND THE GERMAN REICH. The facts are noted within the chapters and the notes contained at the end of the book. One can use the notes as a further reading bibliography if desired. This book is 202 pages long and this reader read it in one Saturday sitting. If you're interested only in polemics, read something else. If you're interested in facts, even if they have warts, you need to read this book.

Great history book

Growing up in America, one of my favorite topics in school was history, be it American, Western, or world history. Never in all those classes did I come across anything like the tales told in this book. The author is a historian of Christianity, and in this book he gives an inside history of the Vatican, with an emphasis on the 20th century. Specifically, he tells the facts that the Vatican would not like people to know. The major events covered in this book are: 1. The Vatican's treaty with Mussolini and the Fascist Party in Italy whereby the Vatican would get its own land and country from Italy. In exchange, the Vatican would support the Fascists publicly and privately. This occurred in 1929, I think. 2. The Vatican's agreement with Hitler in the 1930s whereby the Vatican would pressure Catholics in Germany to not oppose Hitler. In return, the Nazis gave money to the Vatican in the form of a church tax levied on German Catholics. 3. The Vatican covering up for some of its officials who took part in the Holocaust. 4. The Vatican helping Nazi scientists escape to the US at the end of WWII. In return, the Allies kept secret knowledge about the Vatican's complicy in the Holocaust and private arrangements with the Axis powers. 5. The Vatican aligning itself with the Mafia after WWII to help secure inroads into foreign governments, and get good deals on investments world-wide. All in all, this was a very impressive book. It is quite short, and probably as easy to read as a Harry Potter book, though shorter than a Potter book. The book is written in chronological order, and there are a lot of references to various primary and secondary sources. I highly recommend this book.

A slight problem with 'image'

Genuinely shocking book if you are not up on the literature in this nook and cranny, dark and ominous--coreleonic. Beyond questions of shadow finance lies the sherlockian big one. It is hard to grasp how media manipulation can succeed here. It is a sad exploitation of innocent believers. At least enter the undeground by acquainting yourself with the facts.