It’s not surprising that the Vatican shows up in the Epstein files since Epstein kept tabs on every powerful entity on the planet. But one email claims Epstein actually lived in the Vatican with Pope John Paul II at some point.
An email from Brandon Thompson, who appeared to be a contractor working on refinishing and lime-washing columns in one of Epstein’s homes, outlined the intricacies of the project to Richard Kahn at HBRK Associates, Epstein’s accountant.
“He wants me to finish each column different, as when he was living with Pope John Paul the Second in Vatican, he looked at variety of different columns captured in wars,” wrote Thompson. “He told me that every Pope demanded to have a column from every concurred [SIC] country, so there is a collection of different columns in Vatican.”
Of course there is no proof that Epstein lived with the Pope, although he and Ghislaine Maxwell visited with him in 2003 during a public audience. Just how intimate Epstein was with the Vatican is unknown, but in 2011 he claimed to have nearly possessed the Codex Vaticanus, one of the oldest and most important Church relics containing a majority of the Greek Old Testament and the majority of the New Testament. The Codex was famously seized by Napoleon in 1799 as a war trophy but was returned to the Vatican Library in 1815.
In an email to Boris Nikolic, who was a science advisor to the Bill Gates Foundation at the time and a close Epstein confidante, Epstein wrote, “I forgot to mention to Bill, that one of the first almost interactions with him was when I was the underbidder for the codex…The auctioneers told me that i shold drop out because if i owned them, no one would ever see them and they really should be in semi public hands.. I later had to settle for a present from the vatican of a special edition.”
One of the most revealing emails about Epstein’s alleged ties to the Vatican is a 2013 correspondence with Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton, former Harvard President and former chief economist at the World Bank. Epstein writes, “The most important change in the Vatican may not be Pope Benedict XVI sudden retirement but the change in leadership at ‘the Institute for Works of Religion,’ the Vatican’s bank. Because of the Vatican’s status as a sovereign country, it is exempt from transparency rules of not only Italy— but of the European Union. This status allows its elite clients to evade any scrutiny in their money transfers.”
“Last May,” continued Epstein. “Vatican Bank President Ettore Gotti Tedeschi was fired after Italian authorities opened an investigation into a far flung bribery scheme in which he was allegedly involved. Then 47 dossiers, including compromising about “internal enemies” of his in the Vatican were found in a search of his home. They had instructions how they were used in case something happened to him. Tcdeschi’s intercepted calls futhcr revealed that his concern was that he would be assassinated because he knoew the Vatican’s secrets. By late 2012, he was cooperating with the ongoing Italian investigation, It was at this point that the all-powerful College of Cardinals, in one of the last acts in the Benedict papacy, appointed German lawyer Ernst von Freyberg as President of the bank. The came the extraordinary resignation of Pope Benedict.”
Freyberg had a short tenure as Vatican Bank president. He was named in June 2012 as an interim leader, then appointed president in February of 2013. Von Freyberg quickly began to open up the bank and adopted a zero-tolerance approach to suspicious activities, advocating transparency. He was dismissed in July along with the Vatican Bank’s entire senior management team as part of extensive reforms to the Catholic Church’s central government.
Jean-Baptiste Douville de Franssu has been chairman of Vatican Bank’s advisory board since July of 2014.
Reading this gave me a small jolt of recognition for an experience I thought was just mine, and a stop at urbancreststudio produced more such jolts, content that universalises private experiences without flattening them is doing genuinely useful work and this site is providing that recognition function for me reliably across topics I read.
Generally I find the content on similar topics frustrating in specific ways and this post avoided all of them, and a look at urbanpathhouse continued that frustration free experience, content that sidesteps the standard failure modes of its genre is content with editorial awareness and this site has clearly studied what fails elsewhere consistently.
Decided to read this site for a while before forming a verdict, and the verdict after several pages is positive, and a stop at flarequills continued that pattern, judging a site requires more than one post and giving sites a fair sample is something I try to do for promising candidates rather than rushing to dismiss.
Now considering whether the post would translate well into a different form, and a look at freshguilds suggested similar versatility, content that could move into other media without losing its substance is content that has been built around ideas rather than around format and this site reads as idea first throughout posts.
Found this useful, the points line up well with what I have been thinking about lately, and a stop at ethicalstyleandliving added some angles I had not considered yet, definitely walking away with more than I came for which is the best outcome from time spent reading online for any kind of topic.
A piece that did exactly what it promised in the headline without overshooting or underdelivering, and a look at amidcarve continued that calibration, alignment between promise and delivery is a basic editorial virtue that many sites fail at and this site has clearly mastered the matching of expectation and substance throughout pieces.
Reading this on a difficult day was a small bright spot, and a stop at strengththroughstrides extended that brightness, content that improves a hard day is content that has earned a particular kind of place in my reading habits and this site is occupying that uplifting role for me today which I appreciate clearly.
Reading this as part of my evening winding down routine fit perfectly, and a stop at refinedclickpingexperience extended the wind down nicely, content that calms rather than agitates is what I want at the end of the day and this site provides that calming reading experience reliably which is increasingly rare across the modern web.
Reading this slowly and letting each paragraph land before moving on, and a stop at byrdcipher earned the same patient approach, content that rewards slow reading rather than speed is content with real density and the writers here are clearly producing work that benefits from the careful eye rather than the rushed scan.
Speaking as someone who reads a lot on this topic this site has earned a high position in my source rankings, and a stop at beechbraid reinforced that ranking, the informal ranking of sources for a topic is something I maintain mentally and this site has moved into the upper portion of those rankings clearly.
Felt the writer was being honest with the reader which is rare enough that I want to acknowledge it, and a look at carefullybuiltcommerce continued that honest feel, content built on actual knowledge rather than aggregated summaries is something I value highly and rarely come across in regular searches on the open internet these days.
Thanks for laying this out in a way that someone newer to the topic can follow, and a stop at premiumlivingstorefront kept that accessibility going, writing that meets readers at different experience levels without condescending is hard to do well and the writers here have clearly thought about who they are writing for.
Compared to the usual results for this kind of search this site stands well above the average, and a quick visit to galafactors kept the standard high, you can tell within seconds whether a site is going to waste your time or actually deliver and this one clearly delivers without any false starts.
Halfway through reading I knew this would be one to bookmark, and a look at curatedfuturegoods confirmed that early intuition, when bookmark intent forms before finishing a post you know the writing has cleared a quality bar that most content fails to clear and this site has cleared it on multiple visits already.
Comfortable reading experience throughout, no jarring tone shifts and no awkward formatting, and a look at inspiredhomelifestyle kept that smooth feel going, the kind of editorial polish that goes unnoticed when present but glaring when absent is something this site has clearly invested in across the broader content as well which deserves recognition.
Reading this slowly to give it the attention it deserved, and a stop at craftcanal earned the same slow read, choosing to read slowly is a small act of respect for content quality and very few sites earn that respect from me but this one did so without any explicit ask which is the cleanest way.
A genuine pleasure to find a site that publishes at a sustainable cadence rather than chasing the daily content treadmill, and a look at graingrove confirmed the careful publication rhythm, sites that prioritise quality over frequency are rare and this one has clearly chosen the slower pace which I appreciate as a reader.
The lack of unnecessary jargon made the post accessible without sacrificing accuracy, and a look at curlbento continued in the same accessible style, technical topics often hide behind specialised vocabulary but here the writer trusts the reader to keep up with plain language and that trust pays off nicely throughout the entire post.
Started a draft response in my head and ended without publishing it because the post said it well enough, and a look at astroboard produced the same effect, content that satisfies my urge to add to it by being complete enough on its own is rare and represents a particular kind of editorial completeness here.
Recommend this to anyone who values clear thinking over flashy presentation, and a stop at trendandbuy continued in the same understated way, this site has its priorities in the right place which makes it worth supporting through repeat visits and recommendations rather than just one passing read today before moving on quickly elsewhere.
Now realising the post solved a small problem I had been carrying for weeks, and a look at coilclose extended that problem solving function, content that connects to specific unresolved questions in my own life rather than just providing general interest is content with real practical impact and this site is providing that practical value.
Got something practical out of this that I can apply later this week, and a stop at gailcooperspeaker added more details to think about, this is exactly the kind of content I bookmark for future reference rather than the throwaway listicles that dominate most search results these days for almost any common topic.
Honest take is that this was better than I expected when I clicked through, and a look at brightorchardhub reinforced that, the bar for online content has dropped so much that finding something thoughtful and well constructed feels almost noteworthy now which says more about the average than about this site itself.
Stayed longer than planned because each section earned the next, and a look at amplebench kept that pulling effect going across more pages, the kind of subtle pull that good writing exerts on attention is something I find harder and harder to resist when I encounter it on the open web today.
Reading this in a quiet hour and finding it suited the quiet, and a stop at refinedlivingessentials extended the quiet reading mood, content that matches its own optimal reading conditions rather than fighting them is content that has been thoughtfully calibrated and this site reads as having a particular reading mood in mind throughout.
Thanks for the breakdown, it gave me a clearer picture of something I had been confused about for a while now, and a stop at boundboard closed the remaining gaps in my understanding nicely, no need to hunt around twenty other articles to put the pieces together which is a real time saver.
Picked a friend mentally as the audience for this and decided to send the link, and a look at autumnriverattic confirmed the send was the right choice, choosing whom to share content with is a small act of curation that I take more seriously than the public sharing most platforms encourage these days online.
Glad to find a site whose links lead somewhere worth going rather than back to itself for SEO juice, and a stop at mountainmiststudio kept that generous outbound feel, citing other peoples work with real respect rather than just for ranking signals is a sign of an honest operation worth supporting going forward.
Coming back to this one, definitely, and a quick visit to intentionalmodernmarket only made me more sure of that, the kind of writing that makes you want to set aside time later rather than rushing through it now while distracted by everything else competing for attention on the screen today across so many tabs.
Reading this with a notebook open turned out to be the right move, and a stop at beechcell added more material to the notes, content that justifies active note taking from a passive reader is content with real informational density and this site is producing notes worthy material at a high rate consistently.
Thanks for keeping the writing direct without losing the warmth that makes content feel human, and a stop at cormira carried both qualities forward, balancing professionalism and personality is a rare skill and the writers here have clearly figured out how to consistently land it across many posts which I notice.
Really like that there are no exclamation marks or all caps shouting throughout the post, and a quick visit to orqanta maintained the same calm voice, restraint in punctuation signals confidence in the content and this site clearly trusts its substance to do the persuading rather than relying on typographic emphasis.
Compared to the usual results for this kind of search this site stands well above the average, and a quick visit to byrdclap kept the standard high, you can tell within seconds whether a site is going to waste your time or actually deliver and this one clearly delivers without any false starts.
Liked that the post left some questions open rather than pretending to settle everything, and a stop at autumnbay continued that intellectual honesty, content that respects the limits of its own claims is more trustworthy than content that overreaches and this site has clearly figured out which positions it can defend confidently.
Reading carefully this time rather than scanning, and the depth shows up in places I missed first time around, and a look at carefullybuiltcommerce rewarded the same careful approach, content that holds up to multiple reads is content I want more of in my regular rotation rather than disposable scroll fodder daily.
Just want to acknowledge that the writing here is doing something right, and a quick visit to authenticlivingmarket confirmed the same standards run across the broader site, recognising good work is something I try to do when I find it because the alternative is silence and silence rewards mediocrity.
Quietly the writers approach to the topic differs from the dominant takes I have been encountering, and a stop at churnburst extended that distinctive approach, content that maintains a different perspective without explicitly arguing against the dominant ones is content with confident editorial identity and this site has that confidence throughout pieces.
Did not expect much when I clicked through but ended up reading the whole thing carefully, and a stop at craterbase kept that engagement going, sometimes the unassuming sites turn out to deliver more than the flashy ones which is something I have learned to look out for over time online lately and across topics.
Reading carefully this time rather than scanning, and the depth shows up in places I missed first time around, and a look at grippalace rewarded the same careful approach, content that holds up to multiple reads is content I want more of in my regular rotation rather than disposable scroll fodder daily.
Beats most of the alternatives on the topic by a noticeable margin, and a look at everydaytrendhub did not change that at all, this is one of the better corners of the open internet for this kind of content and I am glad I clicked through rather than skipping past quickly like I usually do.
Now noticing the post fit a particular gap in my reading without my having articulated the gap before, and a look at peoplesprotectiveequipment extended that gap filling effect, content that meets needs I had not consciously formulated is content with reader insight and this site has clearly developed that anticipatory editorial sense across many pieces.
Just sat with this for a bit longer than I usually would because the points are worth thinking about, and after futurelivingcollections I had even more to chew on, the kind of post that nudges your thinking forward without forcing the issue is something I have always appreciated in good writing online.
Worth observing that the post landed without needing a flashy headline to hook attention, and a stop at dustorchids did the same, content that earns engagement through substance rather than packaging is the kind I trust more deeply and this site has clearly chosen substance as the primary lever for reader engagement throughout.
Now feeling something close to gratitude for the fact this site exists, and a look at astrobrunch extended that gratitude, the rare site that produces this kind of response is the rare site worth defending in conversations about whether the modern internet is still capable of producing genuinely valuable independent content for serious adults.
Looking through the archives suggests this site has been doing this for a while at this level, and a look at amplebey confirmed the long term consistency, sites that have maintained quality across years rather than just a recent stretch are sites with serious editorial discipline and this one has clearly been at it for a while.
Solid recommendation from me to anyone working in the area, the perspective here is grounded, and a look at ethicalconsumercollective adds even more useful angles, the kind of site that becomes a reference rather than just a one time read which is a higher bar than most blogs ever reach today on the modern web.
Polished and informative without feeling overproduced, that is the sweet spot, and a look at etherledges hit it again, you can tell when a site has been built with care versus thrown together for the sake of having something to put online and this is clearly the former approach taken by the team.
Took longer than expected to finish because I kept stopping to think, and a stop at ehajjumrahtours did the same to me, content that provokes thought rather than just delivering information is in a different category and the team here is clearly working at that higher level rather than just cranking out posts.
Skipped to a specific section because I knew that was the question I had, and the answer was clean, and a stop at staycuriousandcreative similarly delivered targeted answers without burying them, content engineered for readers who arrive with specific needs rather than open ended browsing is increasingly valuable in a search heavy reading environment.
Better than most of the writing I have come across on this topic recently, simpler and more direct, and a look at globallysourcedstylehouse continued in that same way, a real outlier in a crowded space full of repetitive content that says little while taking up a lot of reader time today which is unfortunate.