Vatican in the Crosshairs of the NSA? Cardinal Bergolio Watched Since 2005 Conclave

(Vatican) According to the weekly magazine Panorama, comparable to the German magazine Focus, the American NSA and the Vatican spy have intercepted phone calls intercepted and read emails. Vatican spokesman Father Lombardi puts a good face on a bad game.

"We know nothing about it and above all we do not have any worries in this respect." With these words, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi tried to downplay reports that the National Security Agency of the USA also systematically monitors the Vatican. These significant technical eavesdropping techniques have even been used against the Pope . According to Panorama against Benedict XVI. and now against Pope Francis, but probably already against John Paul II.

In Italy, as has been confirmed officially, between the 10th of December 2012, and the 8th of January 2013, 46 million phone calls between the U.S. and Italy were recorded by the NSA. Among them are the phone calls to and from the Vatican. Despite the denial of Father Lombardi, there are no illusions at the Vatican. Actually, no one assumes that the Vatican had been excluded from the coverage monitoring. The discussion circles in this context are concerned especially whether the whole preparations for the conclave or of the resignation announcement of Pope Benedict XVI. were also overheard. Just overheard? The distinction between the passive to the active player is fluid in espionage. According to the USA it was about the "national security" and is defined in terms of "national interests" and the particular ideological orientation of the government in Washington.

Italian observers are convinced that the monitoring of course did not only include the period of 10 December to 8 January, but before and after, and probably also applies now.

According to Panorama the Domus Internationalis Paolo VI was among the objects being monitored, and the second guest room of the Vatican, where Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio usually stayed when he was in Rome. As mentioned in the Wikileaks releases is known to the Vatican, Cardinal Bergoglio has been monitored at least since the 2005 conclave, as he was the opposing candidate of Benedict XVI.

Still according to the Panorama report not only were incoming and outgoing phone calls in the Vatican monitored, but also those to cardinals and bishops outside the Vatican were classified and assigned by the NSA to four categories: leadership intentions, threats to financial system, Foreign Policy Objectives, Human Rights.

Among other things, the filling of leadership positions of the Vatican Bank IOR aroused the interest of the American. A few days after Pope Benedict XVI. announced his resignation, a new board president, German banker Ernst von Freyberg, was appointed by the competent Commission of Cardinals for the Vatican Bank with the approval of the Pope. Since the resignation of the Director General Freyberg shall exercise this interim office also from the 1st of July.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
 Image: Vatican Insider
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to katholisches...

H/t to Eye Witness also.  We saw this last night and got around to just translating it and must confess that Voice of Russia and Al Jazeera are not savory sources we like at all, since they have a suspicious point of view.  We have more trust, such as it is, for Panorama.


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