The puzzle Pope 263 – Express

The Vatican never gave specific explanations of the causes of death of John Paul I. Neither lost time to refute the many versions that have arisen about the possibility of on the night of September 28, 1978, the ” Pope’s smile “- which became known as Pope Albino Luciani -. have been poisoned

Suspicions about the murder of the Vicar of Christ began to circulate as early as the next morning, when the Italian news agency ANSA revealed that the undertaker of Signoracci brothers had been called at five in the morning, contrary to the official time (5:30 a.m.) the death of the Pope. A myocardial infarction was entered justification on the death bulletin released by the Holy See ( see box below ). But now, almost three decades on the enigma that still overshadows the death of 263 successor of Peter, a Portuguese, Luis Miguel Rocha, promises in his novel “The Last Pope” unravel the plot woven around the Pope Luciani, incriminating one set of personalities of the Roman Curia, allied in this conspiracy of death with Freemasonry – including names arise Cardinal Jean-Marie Villot, then Secretary of State of the Holy See, the very private secretary of Pope Luciani, Father John Magee, and the American Cardinal Paul Marcinkus, who then chaired the Institute of Religious Works (the Vatican bank) and is currently fled the Italian court, which accused him of involvement in the death of Roberto Calvi, the chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, associated with a financial megafraude together with the IOR.

Interestingly, the success of the book of Luis Miguel Rocha (to be published in April next year) seems to be already secured. When, last October, at the Book Fair in Frankfurt – the largest international market for publishers to acquire new – the English literary agent Jessica Woolard showed some passages of history written by this young (29 years) and Porto unknown writer, logo an unusual number of publishers around the world have shown interest in the publication of the novel. In all, more than fifty countries which already secured the copyright. And if the story of “The Last Pope” part of the conspiracy that led to the assassination of John Paul I, the whole plot is based on the information contained in documentation that the Pope had in his apartment on the day of his death. This is where the fiction tread the territory of reality: in addition to documents on the radical change in the structures of the Roman Curia, the Pope was in possession of a list, annotated by itself, in which the Church people name (bishops, priests , officials and cardinals of the Roman Curia) is mixed with members of governments and institutions of high finance, political and military from across Europe. Their “sin” was being members of a secret organization with vested interests in the world …

After the death of John Paul I, different publishers bet on books, arguing in favor of assassination thesis, report a collusion between the P2 Lodge (Italian masonic institution) and Vatican dignitaries. All they reveal contradictions in the various official information from the Holy See Press Office and the reports of several witnesses, such as the fact that it was not done an autopsy of the body to the Pope Luciani and to have carried his embalming just 14 hours after death, when the Italian law requires them to respect a period of 24 hours. An unusual number of authors, supported by testimonies and the news agencies, questioned the truth circumspect Cardinals. Among the many books published, refer-”A Thief in the Night”, the Englishman John Cornweel, or “The Assassination of John Paul I” by David Yallop, a former aide to Pope Luciani who struggled to interview more than two dozen experts, officials and clergy of the Vatican, and Catholic movements leaders, boards of banks and police chiefs from several countries.

But “The Last Pope” was written based on the Vatican itself documentation – “in particular the roles that John Paul I had on hand the night of death,” says Luis Miguel Rocha, ensuring that present the evidence at the launch of the novel, assigned by a Vatican source “who is not a cleric or Portuguese.” The book sets out to unravel the changes that John Paul I was about to do in the Roman Curia, precisely on the day of his death (September 29). “An Italian journalist had sent the Pope a list of Vatican members names, governments ministers and clergy of various countries, including Portuguese, who belonged to the P2 Lodge”, the writer argues, adding that the Pope was preparing to make an authentic revolution in executive management of the Holy See. Among the many dismissed contained the names of Jean-Marie Villot cardinals and Paul Marcinkus.

“The Pope was aware that the Vatican laundered money Banco Ambrosiano and P2, had issued false actions in the US in the name of a front company and negotiated the manufacture of missiles in Argentina and other activities, “says Luis Miguel Rocha, never miss a sign denouncing the identity of his source in Rome and the position he held within the structure of the Catholic Church. And it was thanks to this incognito your ally who built his novel. “I opted for fiction to give credibility to the novel as documentary evidence,” he says, when asked why chose not limited to expose readers to the documentary evidence in his possession, along with their historical and explanatory notes.

John Paul I did not mean, however, carry only changes people in the government of the Holy See. It was not dismissing dignitaries or dishonest employees and replace them with people you trust. Luis Miguel Rocha ensures that Albino Luciani wanted another church model. “I wanted to be the last wealthy pope,” says the writer, adding that the Pope also wanted to change the programmatic project IOR. And not only. Their intentions still walked towards chart a new course for the Church doctrine. “John Paul I, who do not look kindly the position of the Vatican is against the pill, was preparing to allow Catholics to use artificial birth control, open the Church to women and approaching the other religions, only through dialogue, but in a practical way, “says the writer, shooting:” But all that disappeared on 28 September. ” “The Last Pope”, however, reveal to whom the documents were sent. This character, the main romance (and not the Pope, as the title would assume), is of Portuguese origin.

And how does a young, also Portuguese, born in Porto and profession of translator, proposes himself as great boldness? Luis Miguel Rocha – reserved for their private life – is limited to mention that, “finished the 12th grade,” worked at the Port for a television production company and then, through a website that asked translators, began in the art of pouring the language of Camões the novels of others. Later dares to seek work in London – “a fantastic city of opportunities,” recalls – where he also worked for regional television producers. Ali, came to write scripts for sitcoms. “I look at life with humor,” he says, recalling that also believes in God. “Not that that is announced by the Vatican. The Vatican God always wants something in return, is not infinite and unconditional, whatever we do,” stresses.

Once wrote a book – “The Fall Country” – that go unnoticed to the Portuguese players. “It gives account of Portugal dying in the New State of time, more precisely in the thirties,” explains on its website (www.ultimopapa.com), already visited by over 50,000 people. Now is your editor, Luis Corte Real, to recognize the success of “The Last Pope” at the Frankfurt Fair. The publisher responsible for Emergency Exit points out that the unexpected interest of his colleagues by the book – “particularly Americans and Spaniards” – even led some to propose to the author to change the identity of the main character. “Some were limited to read only a little over fifty pages,” says Luis Corte Real, stressing that the enthusiasm was so great that “even requested to Louis (the author) to change the place of residence, in the book is in Lisbon, and Portuguese nationality of the main ‘actor’ of the novel. ” The proposal was not accepted.

But this overwhelming effect – which has already started having financial results for the author, by a few as the Spanish group Santillana, who bought rights to all of Latin America – led that the Luis Miguel Rocha agent deliver the Dan Brown some excerpts from the book, that the author of “The Da Vinci Code” write a review for the cover of “The Last Pope”, whose story unfolds from the conclave that elect Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II … retreating until the day of the death of his predecessor. “A secret organization that made it to the top of the Vatican and the heart of the governments from all over Europe, it was she who led the Cardinals to choose the Polish cardinal, not only the Holy Spirit,” anticipates Luis Miguel Rocha.

The SMILE POPE

When Sister Vicenza put the coffee tray in the office of the Supreme Pontiff, around 4:30 in the morning of September 29, 1978, did not receive, as usual, no answer.

The nun surprised by the silence of John Paul I, who, in the interior of your room, always grateful for that gesture. Fifteen minutes later dared to knock on the papal bedroom door. But received no response, although notice that the reflection of a light passed under the door. And, therefore, dared to enter the room of the former Cardinal of Venice, she followed since 1959. Terrified, met Pope Luciani dead in position as if you were sitting, with few documents in his hands. This version, though insistently repeated by several members of the Roman Curia and Vatican officials, was never officially accepted. And it was no accident that the Venetian nun disappeared without a trace, until it is known who had died in June 1983.

The Secretary of State, Cardinal Villot, only made known, to Catholics and the world, the Pope’s death nearly three hours after the sister Vicenza have hit for the first time, the door of the papal apartments. The Cardinal did announce that the Pontiff was found dead around 5:30 am. Death was recognized as having occurred by 23 hours the previous day, which was renumbered as the official date of death of the Vicar of Christ. It was the second shortest pontificate in the history of the Catholic Church – the first outside the Lion XI in 1605, which lasted only 14 days. Elected Pope on August 26, Albino Luciani had occupied the “chair of Peter” for 33 days.

But in the meantime, among the clergy and Vatican officials, spread the rumor that he was poisoned. Strange signs foresaw that something abnormal had happened. The official news that the Pope had been found by his secretary, Father John Magee, when at 5:30 am headed to say Mass with the Pope, reacted immediately to Italian news agency ANSA, referring to the presence of Vicenza sister, as the first witness Corpse “Pope’s smile” … And the announcement of the cause of death of the Pope out a heart attack while reading the Imitation of Christ, a fifteenth century, perplexed all who had seen the Cardinal Villot to withdraw the fourth papal documents that the Pope had in his hands, the medicine bottle, glasses, personal photographs and your will, that never came to be known, contrary to what happened, for example, with John Paul II.

But what did however grow even more suspicious was the unusual incident of sudden death of orthodox dignitary Leningrad, Nikodem archbishop. Received in private audience by Pope John Paul I, on 5 September, the Russian prelate fell off his chair, suddenly, before the Pope. Given the strange death of Pope Luciani, the rumors pointed to the cup of tea served the Orthodox bishop intended would be the Roman Pontiff … And no less strange was the Vatican’s call received at 5am by two brothers Signoracci (Ernesto and Renato) – as the very confirmed to reporters that asked – for they were embalming the body of the deceased. So had the pontificate of 263 successor of Peter, who days before had dared to announce that God “is also a mother.”