The Entity: The Vatican Intelligence Service

By Antonella Colonna Vilasi

The Entity relates to the special Vatican Secret Service agency that was founded in 1566. For five centuries, the Vatican has used a secret spy service, called the Holy Alliance, or later, the Entity, to carry out its will. Forty Popes have relied on it to carry out their policies. In her book Vilasi delves deep into the history of this agency and takes an in-depth look at its historical background, structure, and its main leaders. It also highlights some of the events related to the same history of the Church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524661717

Antonella Colonna Vilasi

Antonella Colonna Vilasi is president of the Research Center on Intelligence–UNI. She is the author of “The History of M16,” “The History of the CIA,” “The History of the Italian Secret Services,” and “The History of Mossad.”

Book preview

© 2016 ANTONELLA COLONNA VILASI. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/05/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-6169-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-6170-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-6171-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016912298

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1. The first steps of the Vatican Secret Services

1.1 The Intelligence at the time of Moses and Joshua

1.2 Pope Pius V and the birth of the Entity

1.3 Elisabeth I: the Queen who mocked the Entity

1.4 The French network

Chapter 2. Europe after the revolution

2.1 Napoleon and the Vatican

2.2 The Carbonari uprisings

2.3 The American Civil War

Chapter 3. The latest events

Bibliography

Sites

INTRODUCTION

The Secret Services normally spread limited or incomplete information, although lately in some countries many documents and testimony have been made public. So it happened in the U.S. and in the impenetrable Soviet Union.

But there is a Nation, the smallest in the world, with the oldest Intelligence, whose secret presence is confused with the legend. Even the name transmits a sort of anxiety, because the information available give an image of indefinite essence, but definitely dangerous and treacherous for his elusiveness.

The Vatican State, in less than one square kilometer contains a lot of artistic treasures, but also a great learning. And is the only Nation in the world that has been proven to keep its secrets. In the long corridors of the immense library Archive, centuries of inconvenient documents are preserved, and if disclosed they could clarify many events, from the birth of Christ to the present age.

The Vatican has always officially denied the existence of an Intelligence network at his service, but the Popes have always had strong political influence, not just religious. Thus the necessity to have their own Intelligence.

The Pope Secret Service is called the Entity or the Holy Alliance, full of mysterious and occult nuances. We can imagine that the Popes have always used infiltrated in the various Courts and Governments (but also among the people), useful to the Papal political management. However, in order to have the information on a real organization comparable to an Intelligence network, it is necessary to go through the overall history of the Church.

Chapter One

THE FIRST STEPS OF THE VATICAN SECRET SERVICES

1.1 THE INTELLIGENCE AT THE TIME OF MOSES AND JOSHUA

The Intelligence is closely linked to the political power; knowing what the enemy thinks and does has always been considered a basic factor, and in decisive historical phases could reveal the winning move. The spies on many occasions had important secret tasks, and thanks to their efforts major changes in the history of civilization occurred, guided by the invisible hand of power.

Having first-hand information on the opponent is not a privilege to be underestimated. In the Bible the Jews used to spy against the enemies, and even took advantage of the spies within the various tribes of Israel, in conflict one another. In the New Testament it is written that the political forces used some indicators to oppose the emerging Christian religion (an example of counter-Intelligence) and some members of the early Christian Church deployed their spies in order to protect themselves.

Many historical episodes can be mentioned as Intelligence operations, although this terminology it was not yet used, even if they do not leave room for doubts. Judas himself could be considered as an indicator of the Sanhedrin, given his role in the capture and killing of Jesus.

In none of the two Testaments the espionage is described as a problem, but just a few actions are cited. Consequently, the information was in a narrative context, with all the limits of the case.

The first mention of espionage in the Old Testament is found in the story of Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers. Once in Egypt, he managed to acquire a prestigious position in the Government and had to judge his brothers, who had not recognized him. The fact that his brothers declared that they were in Egypt only to buy food, because of the famine that oppressed their country, convinced Joseph to imprison them on charges of espionage for seeking the undisclosed information on that country.

Moses took advantage of the espionage, after having freed the Jews from the Egyptian yoke.

After the departure from Egypt the Jews camped in Paran, near the border of the Promised Land; the same Moses, following a divine suggestion, sent the spies ahead to check what they would face in the Land of Canaan. God indicated that the leadership of the Jewish people could be taken by the heads of each of the 12 israelite tribes.

At the time the Jews were divided into 12 tribes, or families, each of which was ruled by an internal hierarchy. It was a society under the complete control of the patriarch, who decided for administrative, legal and military matters. Moses was in charge of all the leaders of the tribes, though he could exercise his authority only after obtaining the consent of the majority of the patriarchs. Moses then, under a divine suggestion, was the first to conduct real Intelligence operations; later Joshua took his place and found himself in the same situation: at that time, the Israelites had completed their stay in Paran and they were ready to enter the Promised Land.

Nevertheless, the two leaders opposed in terms of methodology and Intelligence procedures, and also with reference to the staff to be employed.

Moses chose 12 prominent persons, one for each of the 12 tribes, and he sent them to the Promised Land to collect useful information. To provide evidence that it was effectively a land flowing with milk and honey, he had instructed his spies to return with samples of fruit and vegetables. The spies spent 40 days in the Promised Land; once they returned, they spoke in public in front of Moses and the 12 tribes.

The information matched in reference to the city, the number of inhabitants, the configuration of the ground and that the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey. But ten of the twelve spies, however, had reported that the inhabitants of the Promised Land, were not only performant at a physical level, but also very well organized, and if the Israelites had attempted an invasion they would come out with a heavy defeat. Only two spies continued to argue that they could invade those lands, but the majority of them were skeptical.

Moses was greatly embittered by the loss of faith of his people, especially after the positive experiences of the escape from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea. The lack of faith caused the loss of the status of God’s chosen people, even though Moses could able to maintain, although with strain, the status quo. Nevertheless, God does not forgive easily those who question his words and punishment soon arrived. In fact, he condemned them to remain in the desert a year for each day that the spies passed in the