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.
Big thanks to whoever wrote this, you saved me a lot of time hunting for the same info on other sites, and a stop at elveglide only added more useful detail without going off topic, that kind of focus is honestly hard to come across these days when most posts wander everywhere.
Thanks for putting in the work to make this approachable, plenty of sites cover the same ground but most do it badly, and a quick visit to modernheritagegoods confirmed this one stands apart, simple language and useful examples without anyone trying to sell me anything along the way which I really appreciated.
Looking through other posts here the consistency is what makes the site valuable rather than any single piece, and a stop at basketwharf extended that consistency observation, sites whose value lies in the ongoing pattern rather than in standout posts are sites I trust more deeply and this one has clearly built that kind of trust.
Worth your time, that is the simplest endorsement I can give, and a stop at fifeholm extends that endorsement across the rest of the site, this is one of those increasingly rare places that delivers on what it promises rather than over selling the content and under delivering on substance every time which I find frustrating elsewhere.
A piece that did not lecture even when it had clear positions, and a look at timberfordmarket maintained the same teaching without preaching tone, finding the line between informing and lecturing is hard and most sites land on the wrong side of it but this one has clearly figured out how to inform without becoming preachy.
Now planning to write about the topic myself eventually using this post as a reference, and a look at crustcleve would also serve in that future piece, content that becomes raw material for my own writing rather than just informing my reading is content with multiplicative value and this site is generating that multiplicative effect.
Now adding a small note in my reading log that this site is one to watch, and a look at cartcab reinforced the watch status, the few sites I track deliberately rather than encounter accidentally are sites I expect ongoing returns from and this one has cleared the bar for that elevated tracking based on what I read.
Quietly enjoying that I have found a new site to follow for the topic, and a look at claycargo reinforced the small pleasure of the find, the discovery of new high quality sources is one of the more durable pleasures of careful internet reading and this site has been generating that discovery pleasure at multiple points already today.
Reading this between two meetings turned out to be the highlight of the morning, and a stop at premiumhandpickedgoods continued that highlight quality, content that outshines the structured parts of a working day is doing something well beyond ordinary and this site has produced multiple such highlights for me already this week alone.
Most of my reading time goes to a small number of trusted sources and this one is now joining that group, and a stop at everdunegoods reinforced the group membership, the few sites that earn a place in my regular rotation are sites I expect ongoing returns from and this one has earned that elevated position consistently.
Coming to this with low expectations and being pleasantly surprised by the substance, and a stop at shopmeadow continued exceeding expectations, the recalibration of expectations upward across multiple positive readings is one of the actual rewards of careful browsing and this site is providing that recalibration at a steady rate apparently.
Now feeling slightly more optimistic about the state of independent writing online, and a stop at norigamihq extended that quiet optimism, sites like this one are the reason I have not given up on the open web entirely and finding them occasionally renews the case for paying attention to non algorithmic content sources today.
Bookmark added with a small mental note that this is a site to keep, and a look at jollymart reinforced the keep status, the verb keep rather than visit captures something about how I think about this kind of site and it is a higher tier of relationship than I have with most places online today.
If I had to defend the time I spend reading independent blogs this site would feature in the defence, and a look at futurelivingmarketplace reinforced that defensive utility, the ongoing case for non algorithmic reading is one I make to myself periodically and sites like this one provide the actual evidence that supports the case clearly.
Generally my attention drifts on long posts but this one held it through the end, and a stop at bonebow earned the same sustained focus, content that defeats my drift tendency is content with substantive pulling power and this site has demonstrated that pulling power across multiple pieces in a session that has now run quite long actually.
Looking back on this reading session it stands as one of the better ones recently, and a look at loftcrate extended that ranking, the informal ranking of reading sessions against each other is something I do mentally and this session ranks high largely because of this site and a couple of related pages here.
A piece that exhibited the kind of patience that good writing requires, and a look at balticclose continued that patient quality, hurried writing is easy to spot and this site reads as having been written without time pressure which produces a different feel than the rushed content that dominates much of the modern blog space.
Just nice to read something that does not feel like it was assembled from a content brief, and a stop at yorventa kept that handcrafted feel going, you can tell when a real human with real understanding is behind the words versus a templated piece churned out for an algorithm to find.
Honestly enjoyed not being sold anything for the entire duration of the post, and a look at curatedethicalcommerce kept that pleasant absence going across more pages, content that exists for its own sake rather than as a funnel to a paid product is increasingly rare and worth supporting where I can find it.
Felt the post was written for someone like me without explicitly addressing me, and a look at carefullychosenluxury produced the same fit, when content lands on its target without pandering you know the writer has done careful audience thinking rather than relying on demographic targeting or interest signals to do the work of editorial decisions.
Looking forward to seeing what gets published next month, and a look at shorevendor extended that anticipation across the broader site, finding myself looking forward to a sites future content rather than just consuming its existing content is a stronger commitment level than I usually reach with new finds and this site triggered that.
Halfway through I knew I would finish the post, and a stop at fifejuno also held me through to the end, content that signals its quality early and then sustains it is content with real internal consistency and this site has clearly figured out how to maintain quality from opening sentence through to closing thought.
Started reading expecting to disagree and ended mostly nodding along, and a look at bowclutch continued the pattern, content that wins agreement through evidence and reasoning rather than rhetorical force is the kind that actually shifts minds and this site clearly knows how to do that across what I have read so far.
Decided to write a short note to the author if there is contact info anywhere, and a stop at brightmoonridge extended that intention, the urge to thank the writer directly is a strong signal of content quality and this site has triggered that urge in me today which is a fairly rare event for my reading.
I really like the calm tone here, it does not push anything on the reader, and after I went through cerlix I felt the same way, just steady useful content laid out without drama, which is exactly what someone trying to learn something quickly needs to find rather than aggressive marketing.
If I am being honest this is the kind of site I quietly hope my own work will someday resemble, and a stop at elvegorge extended that aspirational feeling, finding work that models what I want to produce is part of why I read carefully and this site has been performing that modelling function for me lately consistently.
Felt the writer did the homework before publishing, the references hold up, and a look at caskcloud continued that documented care, content with traceable claims rather than vague assertions is the kind I trust and the lack of bald assertion in this post is one of its quietly impressive qualities for me.
A piece that earned its conclusions through the body rather than asserting them at the end, and a look at fernbureaus maintained the same earned quality, conclusions that follow from what came before are more persuasive than declarations and this site has clearly internalised that principle in how it constructs arguments throughout pieces.
Reading this slowly and letting each paragraph land before moving on, and a stop at kindvendor 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.
A piece that did not require external context to follow, and a look at frostrack maintained the same self contained quality, content that stands alone without forcing readers to chase prerequisites is more accessible and this site has clearly thought about how each piece can serve a fresh visitor rather than only existing members.
Started this morning and finished at lunch with a small sense of having spent the time well, and a look at marketwhim extended that satisfaction into the afternoon, content that fits naturally into the rhythm of a working day rather than demanding a dedicated reading block is increasingly the kind I prefer.
The examples really helped me grasp the points faster than abstract descriptions would have, and a stop at intentionalclickpinghub added a few more practical illustrations that drove the message home, the kind of writing that knows its readers learn better through concrete situations rather than vague generalities is rare and worth recognising clearly.
Liked the natural conversational tone throughout, never stiff and never overly casual either, and a stop at elevatedconsumerexperience kept that comfortable middle ground going, finding a tone that respects the reader without becoming distant or overly familiar is harder than it sounds and this site nails that balance consistently across many different pieces.
Well done, the kind of post that makes you slow down and actually read instead of skimming for keywords, and a look at designconsciousmarket kept me reading carefully too, that is a sign of writing that has been crafted rather than churned out for an algorithm to see today and tomorrow.
Bookmarking this for later, the kind of resource I want to keep nearby, and a quick look at xenialcart confirmed the rest of the site is worth the same treatment, definitely going into my reference folder for the next time the topic comes up at work or in conversation with someone who asks.
Now feeling the small relief of finding writing that does not condescend, and a stop at figfeat extended that respect for readers, content that treats its audience as capable adults rather than as people to be managed produces a different reading experience and this site has clearly chosen the respectful approach across all pieces.
Just dropping by to say thanks for the effort, it does not go unnoticed when a writer cares this much about the reader, and after I went through clearbrick I was certain this is one of the better corners of the internet for this particular kind of content which is genuinely refreshing.
Thanks for laying this out in a way that someone newer to the topic can follow, and a stop at baroncleat 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.
Strong recommendation, anyone interested in this topic owes themselves a visit, and a stop at wildmeadowchoice extends that recommendation across more of the site, this is the kind of resource that makes me more optimistic about the state of the open web than I usually am these days actually for once which is genuinely refreshing.
Thanks for putting in the work to make this approachable, plenty of sites cover the same ground but most do it badly, and a quick visit to aerlune confirmed this one stands apart, simple language and useful examples without anyone trying to sell me anything along the way which I really appreciated.
Now thinking about whether the writer might publish a longer form work I would buy, and a look at braceborn suggested the same depth would translate, content that makes me want to pay for related work in other formats is content that has earned commercial trust as well as attention trust and this site has both clearly.
Started smiling at one paragraph because the writing was just nice, and a look at goldencrestartisan produced a couple more such moments, prose that produces small spontaneous reactions in the reader is doing more than just transferring information and the writers here are clearly hitting that level fairly consistently throughout pieces.
However many similar pages I have read this one taught me something new, and a stop at itemwhisper added more new material, content that contributes genuinely fresh information rather than recycling what is already widely available is content with real informational value and this site is providing that informational freshness at a notable rate.
Felt mildly happier after reading, which sounds silly but is true, and a look at caspiboil extended that small mood lift, content that improves rather than degrades my mental state is content I want more of and the cumulative effect of reading sites that lift versus sites that drag is real over time.
Found something new in here that I had not seen explained this way before, and a quick stop at epicfife expanded the idea even further, the kind of writing that nudges your thinking forward a bit without forcing the issue is exactly what I look for online today and rarely actually find anywhere.
Liked the careful selection of which details to include and which to skip, and a stop at sernix reflected the same editorial judgement, knowing what to leave out is just as important as knowing what to include and this site has clearly figured out where that line sits for the topics it covers regularly.
Reading this triggered a small reorganisation of my own thinking on the topic, and a stop at opalwharf furthered that reorganisation, content that affects the shape of my mental model rather than just decorating it with new facts is content with structural rather than informational impact and this site provides that.
Glad to have another reliable bookmark for this topic, and a look at elegantdailyessentials suggested several more pages I will be marking too, building a personal library of trustworthy resources is one of the actual rewards of careful browsing and this site is earning a place on my permanent shortlist for the topic.
Thank you for keeping the writing honest and the points easy to verify against your own experience, and a stop at designfocusedclickping reflected the same approach, no exaggeration just steady useful content that I can take with me into my own work without second guessing every sentence I happen to read here.
Reading this gave me material for a conversation I needed to have anyway, and a stop at morningcrate added even more talking points, content that connects to upcoming social or professional needs rather than just being interesting in the abstract is the kind that earns priority placement in my attention these days routinely.