The Vatican is renowned for its incredible culture, architecture, and monuments, as well as being the seat of the Papacy. It is also a hub of controversy, and has its fair share of dark secrets. Here is a more detailed look at some of the secrets about the Vatican.

Dark Secrets About the Vatican

1. The Chief Exorcist of the Vatican Performed 100,000+ Exorcisms

Although exorcism is believed to be a practice only seen in horror movies and is the Middle Ages, the practice continues to be alive in the Catholic Church. Father Gabriele Amorth is a late Priest and served as the chief exorcist of the Vatican. He served for 60 years, and is believed to have performed approximately 160,000 exorcisms. The exorcism rite, however, is not just limited to the late chief exorcist. It has been performed by various Popes over the years. In 2018, BBC reported that the Vatican welcomed 250 priests from across the world to an annual workshop.

2. The Vatican Helped Nazi War Criminals Escape the Allied Forces

After the victory of the Allied Forces in Germany to end World War II, the Nazis were forced to seek refuge outside Europe. Thousands of Nazis managed to escape to South American countries, specifically Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.

Harvard researcher Gerald Steinacher wrote a book that shows travel documents pointing to the Vatican having helped the Nazis travel to these countries. Steinacher argues that it was done with the hope of reviving European Christianity and fear of the growing influence of the Soviet Union. The Vatican, however, has refused to comment on these claims.

3. The Vatican Made Money from the Holocaust

In addition to aiding the escape of thousands of Nazis from Europe, the Vatican was also involved in helping smuggle Nazi looted art, golf, and other property belonging to Jewish families.

Gerald Posner, an American journalist, says that Bernardino Nogara, the financial advisor to the Vatican is believed to have been one of Nazi spies. He is believed to have instituted a horrifying scheme that allowed the Vatican to invest money in Italian insurance companies that kept the assets from the life insurance plans of the murdered Jewish families. Since the Vatican was an investor and not a direct insurer, they did not need to return any of the money made using the scheme.

4. Scandals of the Vatican Bank

The Vatican Bank, also called the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) has been involved in numerous scandals.

The most controversial is their dealing with Hitler. Gerald Posner, a historian, points out that the Vatican received Church Tax from Hitler every year.

A substantial amount of money was paid to the IOR, so that it cannot be tracked by western banks. The IOR was used to store billions of dollars, the details of which have never been publicly revealed.

5. Vatileaks

A book named ‘His Holiness’ was released in 2012, which is based on the leaked secret papers of Pope Benedict. The private documents were leaked by Benedict XVI's own butler to the author, Gianluigi Nuzzi.

After reviewing these documents, an internal investigation was held. The investigation revealed that individuals who were not from the Vaitcan were blackmailing gay bishops since they had broken their celibacy vows. Pope Benedict CVI went on to resign from the Papacy in 2013 due to this scandal.

6. The Apostolic Penitentiary

The Apostolic Penitentiary is a secret tribunal that investigates so-called ‘heinous’ crimes of individuals. It was supposedly found in 1179, and was kept secret until 2009. Only the pope can grant absolution to people brought to this tribunal. Examples of sins include attempting to assassinate the pope, a priest exposing the sin or identity of a person who has confessed to them, and so on. The pope acts as the head of this tribunal, and is called the Major Penitentiary, and can either offer absolution, or let the automatic excommunication stand.

7. Dead Man on Trial

In 897 AD, the Catholic Church put a dead man on trial. Known as the 'Cadaver Synod,' the posthumous trial of Pope Formosus was held by Pope Stephen VI, his successor. Formosus was accused of usurping the papacy, despite being dead for 7 months by that point. The body of the pope was exhumed, dressed in ecclesiastical attire, and brought to the papal court for judgment. A deacon was even appointed to speak on the dead Pope’s behalf. He was found guilty; all his acts as pope was declared null and void; his body was stripped off the garments and dressed in rags; his three fingers of benediction were cut off and his body was cast into River Tiber, where ancient Romans disposed off their infamous criminals for centuries.

Conspiracy Theories About the Vatican’s Secret Archives

1. Jesus Does Not Exist

There are reports that the Archives contain communication between Emperor Nero and Saint Paul regarding the existence of Jesus. Some conspiracy theorists believe that the Vatican is hiding proof that Jesus Christ did not exist.

2. Evidence of Extraterrestrial Life

Rumors suggest that the Vatican holds proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life, in the form of extraterrestrial skulls. Some sources say that the Archives contain proof that the pope is conspiring extraterrestrial beings to implant everyone on Earth with computer chips.

3. Three Secrets of Fatima

The controversial Third Secret of Fatima is believed to be a secret document hidden within the Archives. In 1917, three children from Portugal received prophecies, one of which was witnessed by thousands of people. The supposed suppression of this Third Secret fueled rumors that its contents were regarding a nuclear holocaust, natural disaster, and so on. The release of the contents of this Secret in 2000 did not do much to quell speculation.

4. Home to the Largest Collection of Pornography

Some conspiracy theorists believe that the Vatican Archives contain the largest collection of pornography in the world. Copenhagen’s Museum of Erotica confirms these speculations, in addition to writings by National Review founder William Buckley Jr, and scholar Camilla Paglia.

5. They are Controlled by the Illuminati

Some people believe that despite their dissolution in the medieval times, the Illuminati has solely built itself up, with its members placed in some of the most powerful positions across the world. One such powerful office is the Vatican, where many of its prominent members are believed to be part of the Illuminati.

6. It is Home to a Time Machine

Believed to have been built by an Italian scientist and priest, Father Pellegrino Maria Ernetti, the Chronovisor is a device that apparently allows people to view the future and past. Although there is no record of such a device, some people believe it is hidden somewhere in the Archives.

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