Book Review of The
American Pope: The Life and Times of Francis Cardinal Spellman by John
Cooney
By J. Parnell
McCarter
Cooney, formerly a
feature writer for The Wall Street Journal, offers the reader well
documented insights into the power of the Romish clergy, and specifically
Cardinal Spellman in his book, in American politics. Actually, his book only touches upon the extent of Romish
influence in American government, because it really does not delve into Jesuit
influence. But even examining the
influence of the regular Romish clergy evinces Romish power in the political
system. It also shows the wicked
character of that influence.
Here are some sample
quotes from the book:
“The close
relationship between Spellman and President Roosevelt led to Spellman’s
becoming a national and international power broker and to covert cooperation
between the Vatican and the U.S. in international affairs.” – center picture
pages
“When Spellman died
on December 2, 1967, President Johnson lost one of the most ardent backers of
his war policy [the Vietnam War- JPM].
Johnson’s arrival at the funeral was secretive for fear of
demonstrations.” – center picture pages
“The Vatican had
spent a great deal of money bringing the Christian Democrats to power [in
Italian elections- JPM]; the Pope sent Galeazzi to Spellman and Joe Kennedy to
find a way to make up the Vatican losses.
The Pope didn’t expect the money to come from Spellman’s seemingly inexhaustible
treasury; he didn’t see why Church money had to be used at all. He wanted the rich American government to
give him the funds…’The Vatican had been promised that American funds would be
made available to assist in the presentation of the anti-Communist appeal to
the Italian public, ‘ Spellman wrote to Rome of his Marshall visit. He added that the U.S. government had
secretly ‘released large sums in “black currency” in Italy to the Catholic
Church.”…Spellman’s report to Rome emphasized the strict confidentiality of the
transaction…Truman would be doomed if it became known that his administration
had secretly funded the Holy See…”- pp. 160-161
“For years rumors
abounded about Cardinal Spellman being a homosexual. As a result, many felt- and continue to feel- that Spellman the
public moralist may well have been a contradiction of the man of the
flesh. Numerous priests and others
interviewed took his homosexuality for granted
[Among the many interviewed who asserted this was Philip Nobile, a
former seminarian who served as one of Spellman’s altar boys, according to the
Chapter Notes - JPM]…But without question, Spellman was a rabid public
moralist. He ranted against movies,
plays, and films that treated sex even lightly, let alone those that exploited
sexuality as a major theme.” - p. 109
“During his trips to
Latin America, the Cardinal worked, in effect, as an arm of the United States
government…The C.I.A., like the F.B.I., turned to Spellman because of his
connections and his prestige throughout Latin nations, where he helped churchmen
with money and political advice and rebuked them on occasion.” – pp. 231-232
“On another trip,
Spellman landed in Paraguay, where he warmly greeted the dictator Alfredo
Stroessner, who had recently effected a military coup. Unlike military dictatorships in Brazil and
Chile that at least paid lip service to helping the people, Stroessner made no
pretenses. His military and police were
rewarded with graft, contraband, and the spoils of lucrative narcotics and prostitution
trades. Upon his arrival Spellman went
to the general’s residence, where he publicly proclaimed what a pleasure it was
to be in ‘the ancient Catholic country of Paraguay.’” – p. 233
(The book notes how
under Eisenhower the State Department and C.I.A. were dominated by the Roman
Catholic Dulles brothers, who worked with Spellman.)
“Spellman took it in
stride when he was approached by the C.I.A. about Guatemala…The
American-engineered coup [in Guatemala- JPM] finally came in June 1954…Spellman
had reason to rejoice. The new
government reestablished long-broken ties with Catholicism. Castillo Armas restored the right of the
Church to own property, to give religious instruction in public schools, and to
increase the number of foreigners among the clergy.” - p. 236
“…Spellman had tried
unsuccessfully to pressure the administration into beefing up assistance to the
French troops fighting Communist insurgents in Vietnam. The United States, however, had underwritten
eighty percent of the French war costs; Eisenhower was reluctant to go further,
even though the Dulles brothers also wanted what Spellman pushed…Though few
people knew this, the Cardinal played a prominent role in creating the
political career of a former seminary
resident in New York who had just become premier of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh
Diem. In Diem, Spellman had seen the qualities he desired in any leader: ardent
Catholicism and rabid anti-Communism…Through the press and a Washington lobby,
the problems of confronting anti-Communism in Indochina became widely known in
America…The Cardinal placed him in touch with Joe Kennedy, who arranged
meetings for Buttinger with the editorial boards of major publications such as Time
and the Herald Tribune…Spellman and Kennedy also helped form a
pro-Diem lobby in Washington…To a large extent, many Americans came to believe
that Vietnam was a preponderantly Catholic nation [in reality, Catholics
composed approximately 10% of the population]…With the help of C.I.A.-rigged
elections in 1955, Diem abolished the monarchy and Bao Dai was forced to live
in exile.” – pp. 239-242
“The Pope had asked
him [Spellman- JPM] to intervene and he wanted to see the situation
firsthand. His physical presence in
Saigon, he knew, would place him and the Church firmly in Diem’s camp in the
public mind…in Vietnam it eventually seemed to bear out Graham Greene’s
warnings that the Church and the United States were being tied to a cause
unpopular among Vietnamese…The Cardinal [Spellman- JPM] became one of the most
hawkish, arguably the most hawkish, leaders in the United States. By 1965 he clashed with the Pope, who
desperately tried to bring peace in Vietnam as Spellman pounded the drums of
war.” – pp. 242-245.
[Note above how the
Romish Church had inspired the war, but ended up leaving the U.S. holding the
bag while the Pope ended up looking like a man of peace.- JPM]
“The potential for
corruption in Vietnam was tremendous…the CRS [Catholic Relief Services – JPM]
eventually encountered a great deal of resentment…there was much graft and
corruption…the National Catholic Reporter…reported apparent CRS abuses in
articles such as one entitled “Vietnam 1965-1975. Catholic Relief Services Role: Christ’s work- or the C.I.A.’s?” –
pp. 244-245
“On November 2,
1963, Diem was assassinated during a C.I.A.-inspired coup d’etat. Two years after the assassination, Spellman
told of his knowledge of Kennedy’s involvement to Dorothy Schiff, the Post publisher…The
publisher was amazed by the revelation, but there was nothing she could do with
the information…she had promised not to reveal what she heard…Shortly before
the coup Spellman disassociated himself from Diem.” – pp. 244-245