A Dying Cardinal (re: 1977 investigation of the Roman Curia)

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Dai_Yoshida

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I just read this on the newsflash from Dr. Robert Moynihan, editor of Inside the Vatican magazine.

The following is drawn from an interesting 2007 article by Msgr. Vincent Foy, the oldest diocesan priest in the Archdiocese of Toronto, a canon lawyer by training.

"About 1977 the Pope (Paul VI) asked Bishop Gagnon to conduct an investigation of the whole Roman Curia. There were widespread rumors of corruption and infiltration by enemies of the Church. These led to the often-repeated saying of the Pope that the smoke of Satan had entered the Church [my emphasis]. This was an immense task, which took many months of intense work and many interviews.

"Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, in a (2001) interview with Latin Mass magazine, reprinted in Christian Order this year (2007), gives this account, based on a conversation of Bishop Gagnon with an Italian priest, Don Luigi Villa of the diocese of Brescia.

"Bishop Gagnon (she said) ‘compiled a long dossier, rich in worrisome details. He requested an audience with Pope Paul in order to deliver personally the manuscript to the Pontiff. This request for a meeting was denied. The Pope sent word that the document should be placed in the offices of the Congregation for the Clergy, specifically in a safe with a double lock. This was done, but by the very next day the safety box was broken and the manuscript mysteriously disappeared. This theft was reported even in L’Osservatore Romano (perhaps under pressure because it had been reported in the secular press). Cardinal Gagnon, of course, had a copy, and once again asked the Pope for a private audience. Once again his request was denied. He then decided to leave Rome and return to his homeland in Canada’… (end of Hildebrand quote)

(still Foy writing) “Bishop Gagnon wrote me on June 10th, 1979, about ten months after the election of Pope John Paul II (October 1978). He said, in part, 'He (the Pope) must feel that if he started changing or contradicting the VIPs around him he would be engaged in a constant battle and would not be left enough time or strength to preach and write — all you can do for the Church is to pray and fast. We should not judge him — but I am waiting for his settling down after Poland to tell him that I am sorry for him and cannot continue working in the present set-up…”

Full article can be seen here:

catholicexchange.com/2009/07/16/120416/

I have never heard about this before.
Anybody have information or thoughts?
 
Dai—Thank you for this interesting and provocative thread. As in all matters religious, hopefully the truth will out and prevail!
 
This has been written up before in a strange book called “The Entity” and I think Dr. von Hildebrand has also told the story. In any event, Dr. Moynihan confirmed it in a death bed interview with Cardinal Gagnon. If you subscribe to the “Inside the Vatican” newsflash by email you can see it there. I’ll copy part of the text below:

"Two years ago, on July 22, 2007, I wrote this report to myself; it has never previously been published:

"I am writing this at 11:06 on Sunday morning in Montreal. It is a perfect summer day under an azure sky with a light breeze blowing over the square cobblestones of the piazza in front of the Cathedral of Our Lady – Notre Dame – in the center of Montreal.
"I first thought I would not be able to get in to see the cardinal. The courtyard was empty, a sign said the rectory was closed on Sundays, when I looked in there was no one inside, and there was no white bell. So I walked around the basilica, then inside it, spoke with an usher, and he told me I could go back to the sacristy. There, I met a priest, who told me to go back to the same door of the rectory at 116 rue de Notre-Dame. I went back, and pushed the asterisk number. No answer. Again. No answer. Then I saw a man sitting inside at the desk. He had not been there before. I knocked on the window. He buzzed and the door opened and let me in. (The following conversation then occurred.)

==============================

“Who are you and what do you want?”

“I am an old friend of Cardinal Gagnon. I would like to see him.”

“He is very weak, too weak to see anyone.”

“I called some days ago, they said I could see him briefly.”

“Come, we will go and ask…”

“Your eminence, many years ago, you helped me. I wanted to thank you for that. You helped me at the very start of my career…”

“You have written well,” he said. “Continue. Your work is important.”

The other priest was insistent now. “Come,” he said. “It is time.”

“Your Eminence,” I said, “you have done so much for the Church…”

He was silent, and his eyes closed.

“Your Eminence, you must be tired. All the struggles over the years…”

Silence.

“Robert, it is time to go,” said the priest who had brought me to him.

“Your Eminence, the study you made for Pope Paul VI in the 1970s…”

He opened his eyes and looked directly into mine.

“The study that was stolen,” I said.

He knew what I was talking about, I feel sure. He knew immediately and clearly.

“Did you keep any copy of the document?”

“No,” he said, and I felt a great weariness in him. “They ordered me to destroy every copy,” he said. “And I obeyed.”

“So there are no copies of your report?”

“No,” he said. He closed his eyes. He seemed enormously, extraordinarily tired. I felt like I was almost cruel, to continue to push him to think, to recall, to speak…

The other priest called to me again. “Robert,” he said. “Don’t ask him anything else. It is enough now.”

But I had one more question.

“Is there anyone else you confided in, who knows the content of your report?”

“There is someone,” he said, with a sigh, and closed his eyes as if he were going to fall into a slumber out of his great weariness.

“Who?” I asked.

“Monsignor…” and he coughed as he said the name, and a little spittle came out onto his thin, dry lips…

“Who?” I asked again. “I couldn’t hear what you said…”

I bent my head closer to his lips. I put my ears only an inch or two from his mouth.

“Monsignor (name),” he said, and whispered the name. “He helped me prepare the report.”

“Monsignor (name)?” I said, repeating the name.

“Yes,” Gagnon said.

“Monsignor (first name) (last name)?” I said, giving both his first and last names.

“Yes,” said Gagnon. “We worked together on it. He knows everything that it contained.”

My heart skipped a beat. I had not obtained the report itself. But I had gotten something almost as good: a living witness…

“Go talk to him,” Gagnon said. “As you see, my time remaining in this world will be brief now… You must pray for me.”

“I will pray for you,” I said.

“The other priest said, 'Come, come, he is too tired now…”

If you wish to subscribe to “Inside the Vatican’s” newsflash you can sign up at this link
: insidethevatican.com/itv-newsflash.htm
 
Cetil said:
“Monsignor (name),” he said, and whispered the name. “He helped me prepare the report.”

“Monsignor (name)?” I said, repeating the name.

“Yes,” Gagnon said.

“Monsignor (first name) (last name)?” I said, giving both his first and last names.
Click to expand...
Why is the name blanked out? Do you know who it was?
 
Neil_Anthony said:
Why is the name blanked out? Do you know who it was?
Click to expand...
It was blanked out in the original newsflash. It is assumed that the person named asked for anonymity and Dr. Moynihan was not at liberty to use it.
 
In his latest newsflash Moynihan adds to this by saying he has contacted the Monsignor and will be offering more details on this story:

"The Briefcase Left Behind

My heart is sore pained within me,
And the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me,
And horror hath overwhelmed me.
And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove!
For then would I fly away, and be at rest…
—King David, Psalm 55

When I got back to Rome after my brief July 22 meeting with Cardinal Gagnon not long before his death in August 2007, I called the monsignor whose name Gagnon had given me.

He agreed to meet with me, and we sat down at a cafe at the bottom of via delle Fornaci.

And we began to talk.

=====================================

(More to come soon…)"
 
these stories always lead to the theory that we don’t have a valid pope.
 
booklovinman said:
these stories always lead to the theory that we don’t have a valid pope.
Click to expand...
If you actually read this thread you would see it concerns only an investigation of the Roman Curia carried out in 1977. And only that. Why post irrelevant remarks? That’s what trolls do.

C.
 
booklovinman said:
why post vatican gossip? that’s what FOOLS do!
Click to expand...
Who said it was “gossip”? That’s your opinion, but what is it based on? You’ve already drawn an absurd conclusion (that this is about Benedict being an invalid pope) which has no basis in what is being discussed here. Dr. Moynihan is a distinguished and respected Vatican journalist with a lot of experience. He is not known to dabble in gossip. You have no basis to form that opinion of him. Quite a number of distinguished scholars have published in his magazine. What are your credentials and how can you show anything to be “gossip”?
“Inside the Vatican” has been praised by John Paul II, Dr. Mary Ann Glendon, and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver to name only a few.

C.
 
until i actually see proof - then it’s just more gossip by those who are trying to drag the Church to hell. i believe very little that i read on the internet. the internet is the ULTIMATE gossip machine. i have read it all, Pope Paul VI being a Notorious Homosexual, John XIII being a freemason - on and on it goes. Now, the Curia under Paul VI was evil and corrupt.

Give me a break!
 
You don’t have to believe it. It’s fine to be skeptical. However,as stated plainly in this thread the story comes from a Cardinal of the Church who was highly regarded by all and of course I’ve already pointed out Dr. Moynihan is respected throughout Rome and indeed the entire Catholic world for his publication. Accusing others of trying to “drag the Church to hell” is simply hysterical and a very rash judgment on your part. Besides that the Church is indefectible and cannot be “dragged to hell”. Did you forget the promises of Jesus? You seem very emotional and insecure. Calm down and type slower, it’s John XXIII not John XIII. The instances you cite were not made by respectable journalists. This is different.

C.
 
“Besides that the Church is indefectible and cannot be “dragged to hell””

True, but the devil will never stop trying. I hope you realize this!

As for the Roman Curia, where’s the proof? the evidence? In fact, what are they charged with. why the games. Just post what their corruption is.

BTW, I’m very calm. I’m tired of journalists and their anti Catholic propaganda. SHOW ME SOME SUBSTANCE!

“You seem very emotional and insecure”

Who’s judging now! 🙂 Keep believing the gossip, I’ll wait for the facts. (Which I seriously doubt exist)
 
booklovinman said:
“Besides that the Church is indefectible and cannot be “dragged to hell””

True, but the devil will never stop trying. I hope you realize this!

As for the Roman Curia, where’s the proof? the evidence? In fact, what are they charged with. why the games. Just post what their corruption is.

BTW, I’m very calm. I’m tired of journalists and their anti Catholic propaganda. SHOW ME SOME SUBSTANCE!

“You seem very emotional and insecure”

Who’s judging now! 🙂 Keep believing the gossip, I’ll wait for the facts. (Which I seriously doubt exist)
Click to expand...
“Keep believing the gossip”? At this point we have not heard anything really. We don’t know for certain. Now if you actually read this thread you will see we haven’t found out the whole story yet. The devil can try all he wants, he won’t succeed. Are you equating Dr. Moynihan with the devil? And Cardinal Gagnon too? There is no “anti-Catholic propaganda” here. If you’re going to make wild charges about a respectable journalist and a cardinal, then you substantiate them. You are lumping a journalist who has been highly praised by two popes (John Paul II and Benedict XVI) into a pot with others who are indeed irresponsible. That is rash, it may even rise to the level of calumny, especially so since you have no evidence. Cardinal Gagnon’s reputation is well known to those who bother to research it. If you’re going to wait for the facts, then by all means wait. Why make such remarks?
Calm? Um, uh, let’s see, you used CAPS several times in your posts already as well as a liberal use of exclamation marks. Does that qualify use as calm? That’s not a rash judgment, you provided ample evidence yourself. The shoe fits.

C.
 
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