Although the Vatican has never had its own intelligence agency - at least officially - since World War II, the streets of Rome have been filled with spies. Passing through sacristies, safe houses in the city, and inaccessible corners of the world's smallest sovereign state, a clandestine network of undercover monsignors and cardinals was dedicated to exposing moles, directing high-risk diplomatic operations during the tensest moments of the Cold War, and investigating murders of priests and any other scandal that could jeopardize the stability and prestige of the Holy See of the Catholic Church. That complex web of secrets, confidences, under-the-table maneuvers, and even confessions left hardly any trace... Or perhaps no one dared to pull the covers for fear of the consequences.
Days after the release in US theaters of Conclave, a successful thriller about the power games of the process of electing a new Pope after the unexpected death of the incumbent pontiff, Vatican Spies: From the Second World War to Pope Francis (Hurst) arrived in bookstores, still untranslated into Spanish, by French historian Yvonnick Denoël (1970). "I have been writing articles and books on intelligence for over 15 years," says this 20th-century espionage specialist via email, particularly focusing on everything related to the CIA and the Mossad. "As a researcher and editor, I am very aware of the essays and news published on these matters. After compiling hundreds of references and volumes, I concluded that there was no reliable and comprehensive book detailing the relevance of intelligence in the contemporary history of the Holy See."
"My book echoes the information that Pius XII provided to Britain and France in 1940 about an imminent German attack," the French historian explains
Drawing from recently declassified archives by foreign intelligence services that worked for, with, or against the Holy See, Denoël weaves an intricate network of connections that reveals 80 years of underground wars (Vatican cardinals against prominent members of the USSR), dirty laundry (the disputes between the Jesuits and the Opus Dei leadership), and secret negotiations (such as those between John XXIII and Nikita Khrushchev, then Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR), sometimes to fight against communism in South America and other times to support the leaders of Solidarity in Poland, the first independent union in the Soviet bloc. "The Vatican archives from this period are mostly inaccessible, and will remain so for some time, and this is a very important aspect to understand my work," Denoël assures.
To clarify everything that happened in the darkest corners of the Vatican, the historian turned to archives of Western intelligence services, as well as those of their counterparts in Eastern Europe, which came to light after the fall of the Wall. "For my book, I also relied on the testimonies of former CIA agents or Italian, French, and other services that worked with the Vatican." In addition, Vatican Spies echoes an abundant literature produced by former Vatican correspondents in which we find the best and worst of each side, depending on the interests of the moment. "It took me a long time to compile all the documentation, but I would be lying if I said that the biggest problem I encountered was access to sources, as I initially thought. The most complicated part, without a doubt, was organizing all that information and giving it a coherent meaning."
Denoël's story, written on the margins of the official version, begins in World War II. "It was an extraordinarily dense period in terms of events that defy the logic of the narratives that have been told to us since then." According to the author, the Vatican did not really influence the course of the war, but was involved in surprising maneuvers. "I don't want to reveal all the keys of the book, but I would highlight the information provided by Pius XII to France and Britain in early 1940 about an imminent German attack, which was not believed, and particularly audacious financial operations that could have caused a scandal after the war. I also talk about escape routes for allied soldiers that were soon replaced for use by the Nazis... The Pope was well aware of all this."
Later, in the context of the Cold War, the Vatican tried to adapt its role as a spiritual guide for its faithful spread throughout the world to the increasingly demanding and pragmatic demands of the new geostrategic landscape. "This is when the Pope becomes not only a politician, but also a diplomat always in contact with states and other religions, a theologian, a business leader, a media star, a moral authority, a manager of assets, and much more," Denoël lists. "Everything that happens in this new globalized world has an effect on the Vatican, especially when key individuals often hold multiple positions simultaneously and accumulate responsibilities. My book does not address the spiritual management of the Church, but the management of its diplomatic resources and intelligence services as a strategy to safeguard its worldview."
Each Pope, "depending on their character and personal priorities," took charge of defining the degree, magnitude, and even the intensity of intelligence operations during their tenure. "Common sense tells us that it would be most logical to delegate these daily management competencies to the Secretariat of State, but reality tells us that they often directed these functions remotely. John Paul II, for example, established a secret network of prelates from Eastern Europe scattered in the Curia with obscure official functions." One of the best-documented contributions of Denoël's book is precisely the role played by the personal assistants of many popes. "Little known to the general public, their function and utility were crucial for coordinating secret operations, as they could move and meet with people without attracting attention or leaving traces."
Some historians have attributed the Vatican's success in its intelligence activities to its very calculated neutrality. "The Holy See was not always as neutral as it strives to appear, especially during the Cold War. On the contrary, the powers of that time attributed intentions to it that it did not have. Think, for example, of Mussolini and Hitler, who distrusted the possible intrigues of Pius XII during World War II and dedicated significant resources to spying on him, while he remained extremely cautious." One of the conclusions Denoël reaches in Vatican Spies is that the Holy See, despite the efforts of the investigations carried out in recent years, remains an impregnable and indecipherable fortress. "It is very difficult to identify the prelates involved in intelligence activities, and there is no way to monitor them all and reliably track them."
The French specialist devotes several pages to the trajectory of Pope Francis. "As a historian, I must be cautious in describing the Vatican intelligence of recent years, because the sources are scarcer than for earlier periods," reflects the expert. "Despite these limitations, I managed to tell the story behind the secret efforts that led to the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States, a process in which the envoys of Pope Francis played a fundamental role." Even more controversial are the ongoing negotiations with China to merge the two churches, the official and the clandestine, or the recent cases of financial corruption within the Curia itself, which led to the downfall and condemnation of a powerful cardinal. "Furthermore, the Pope's security remains a very sensitive issue that keeps the Vatican and foreign services on edge."
So much so that in Esperanza, the second installment of his memoirs hitting bookstores these days following La vida. Mi historia a través de la Historia, the pontiff mentions at least two assassination attempts planned against him during his visits to Baghdad, Ur, Mosul, Qaraqosh, and Erbil. "They were thwarted thanks to the swift intervention of the British services, who intercepted crucial information related to the assassination and immediately informed the Iraqi police, who timely alerted the Vatican Gendarmerie to take action." As detailed by Pope Francis in his autobiography, a young female suicide bomber, laden with explosives, was heading to Mosul to detonate during his visit. Simultaneously, a van had sped off from a remote city with identical intentions.
"The Vatican is very concerned about the security of Pope Francis, whom the British services saved from a suicide attack in Iraq," explains Denoël
According to the data and testimonies gathered by Denoël, the impact of Vatican espionage on current diplomatic relations is considerably less than in the past. "The most significant impact occurred at the end of the Cold War, during the pontificate of John Paul II," he confirms. "After that, there was a progressive loss of influence, for example, during the first Gulf War. That said, the Vatican is still capable of influencing certain issues, and its analyses and interventions are frequently sought by international actors." For the historian, the internal management of the Holy See does not differ much from other foreign ministries, except for one significant detail: "There, they do not work with urgency but always with an eye on the long term. I'm not talking about years, but decades and even centuries. That is the key to their success."
Chapter by chapter, Denoël unravels the modus operandi of the Curia. "The first step is to create collaborative alliances with Western services of the caliber of the CIA on common interests, such as combating international communism." On the table: information, training, and material, logistical, and financial support in coordinated operations. In certain circumstances, silence also holds value, and even a price. "This happened, for example, when John Paul II refrained from publicly addressing the murders of priests and nuns committed by extreme right-wing dictatorships in Latin America allied with the United States." In other cases, extraordinary situations require equally surprising solutions: explaining why the Vatican aligned with Russia in opposition to the first Gulf War.
The author dedicates the last category to classic confrontations between enemy blocs through telephone and electronic espionage, hunting for moles, disinformation campaigns... "Here, anything that can be named and has strategic utility is valid," Denoël asserts. "In all these scenarios, and some more, the Vatican perceives any geopolitical conflict or tension as a temporary and passing episode: today's enemy will necessarily be tomorrow's friend, hence the ongoing dialogue with China." According to the French historian, their most effective intervention occurred in Poland throughout the 1980s. "The material, financial, and human support that John Paul II provided to the Solidarity union helped shake communism to its core and, in a domino effect, precipitated the fall of other regimes with similar characteristics in the East."
A MATTER OF FAITH... AND STRATEGY
And what about the values of the Catholic faith? Where does the model of rectitude and exemplary behavior of the Vatican stand? How does this organized theocracy deal with ethical contradictions when much is at stake? "The world of intelligence does not operate based on parameters of morality, and the Vatican has managed to navigate that terrain perfectly without feeling the need to impart doctrine or set an example," he asserts. "Priests involved in intelligence or counterintelligence operations must accept a certain degree of deception and manipulation. However, and this is crucial: I have not found any evidence of homicide committed by Vatican spies. Moreover, when Eastern moles were exposed within the Vatican, the punishment often involved exile to a monastery, without the need for a trial."
"In the Vatican, they do not work with urgency but with a focus on the long term: not talking about years, but decades, even centuries," says the author of 'Vatican Spies'
According to Denoël's reasoning, the supposed crossroads (doctrine, politics, espionage, and spirituality) is not a true dilemma, as long as one can find a way out of the impasse. "No geopolitical entity, regardless of its nature, religious or corporate, can ignore intelligence or escape espionage from other countries," he points out. "In that sense, the Vatican is not an exception." The issue, according to the author, is that they cannot acknowledge it officially. "Firstly, it would contradict their pastoral message, and secondly, it would endanger many priests in hostile countries, wrongly risking them being suspected of espionage. In reality, the Vatican represents a very small piece on the vast chessboard of international intelligence, but we must acknowledge that they have had some remarkable successes in the 20th century."
For Denoël, the greatest challenge of Vatican Spies (which has received excellent reviews and significant media coverage) was knowing where to draw the line. "There is so much information that I could dedicate a book to each character in this story, which would go against the goal I set out to achieve, which is to provide some insight on sensitive issues like the murder of a prelate in Africa or a conspiracy by ultraconservative billionaires against the Pope in the USA. Some of these diplomatic matters have an intelligence dimension, such as the genocide in Rwanda, during which the Curia got entangled and took undesirable positions. The most striking for me was discovering that in several cases of priest murders, like the monks of Tibhirine, the Vatican knew a lot but chose not to make it public due to State matters."
The controversy stirred by Vatican Spies in bookstores on both sides of the Atlantic has not caught Denoël by surprise. "It has been less than I expected," he acknowledges. "Perhaps because in the prologue, I warn that this is not a story about the religious activity of the Vatican but about a series of facts, information, and verified testimonies." The author has not added an ounce of intensity to the scandals recounted in his pages. "Except for a couple of exceptions in France, the reaction from mainstream media and the Catholic press has been favorable, and many copies are being sold." So far, he has not noticed any interference in his phone or received any strange messages in his email. "Everywhere there are traitors and corrupt individuals. Not to mention that working in the Vatican does not guarantee holiness. And that is something most Catholic readers have understood."