The Pope and the CIA

[emad]

by Jarrett Murphy
April 8th, 2005 5:40 PM write to us

The public eulogies for Pope John Paul II may have ended, but another one lurks in the files of the Central Intelligence Agency. There, the pope's fight against Communism is depicted not as a crusade of uncompromising moral force, but as a careful, calculated political campaign.

Take the intelligence report on Poland of November 7, 1980, after the rise of the Solidarity movement, only a year or so after John Paul's historic first papal visit to his country. The author writes: "It is clear ... that the Church has decided to aid the regime at least indirectly by cautioning the trade workers and unions to pursue a moderate line." This theme is repeated a month later, when a secret State Department cable says the pope was "asking for calm and unity" in his homeland.

A special national intelligence estimate, or SNIE ("Gesundheit!") composed that December summed up the careful game the Vatican was playing: "The Church has significantly enhanced its effectiveness as a political force. But it has used its influence cautiously—usually behind the scenes—and has extended its support to the government in times of national crisis."

The SNIE adds that the pope had called for calm to head off a Soviet invasion and that he offered "support to both solidarity and regime but has avoided committing itself to an alliance with either." It might seem odd that the absolutist pope was playing both sides. But then again, the SNIE notes, "the regime can retain the support of the Church only so long as it eschews the use of force."

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0515,webmurphy,62890,6.html

CIA double-speak for "sure-we-don't-have-any-serious-stuff-about=Peter-Gelli"?????????

[papau]

1. I agree - the point was -like Christ - to abhor violence The Pope

found great fault in both capitalism and communism as practiced in his lifetime.

[emad]

2. CIA might be getting a bit uncomfortable: Italian Govt just announced

it was reopening the JP2 assasination file:

BBC News:
Thursday, 31 March, 2005, 15:03 GMT 16:03 UK

Italy revisits plot to kill Pope

Ali Agca was jailed in Italy until 2000, when a pardon was granted
Italy is to reopen an inquiry into the 1981 attempted murder of Pope John Paul II after Bulgaria pledged to grant it access to classified documents.

According to Italian media reports, they contain evidence that the attack was planned by the Soviet KGB.

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Agca, who has repeatedly said he was instructed by God, claimed Vatican officials had helped him plan the attack.

"Without the help of priests and cardinals, I would not have been able to carry out the action," La Repubblica website quoted him as saying.

"The devil is within the Vatican," he added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4397901.stm