The 2005 conclave and the shadows over the papacy: who pulls the strings?

The 2005 conclave and the shadows over the papacy

Pope Francis has broken his silence on the 2005 conclave with a revelation that surprises no one who trinc Vatican history: his role as a blocking candidate to prevent the election of Benedict XVI. In his interview book «The Successor», Francis confirms that he was the second most voted cardinal, but that his votes served to stall the election and place an Italian pontiff on the throne. The official version, however, conceals a web of external influences that has shaped papal transitions for decades.

The revelation of the 2005 conclave

On April 19, 2005, the cardinals locked themselves inside the Sistine Chapel after the death of John Paul II. According to Francis, he asked those who were voting for him to back Ratzinger in order to unblock the election. But the account clashes with the experience of those who know the man: it is not plausible that an ambitious figure like Bergoglio would step aside to make way for another, notes a sector of the analysis. The maneuver, in reality, sought to prevent a conservative candidate from occupying the See of Peter.

Theories of external influence: Soros and the «Catholic spring»

The discussion goes beyond internal intrigue. Trinc the WikiLeaks papers and the Podesta emails of 2016, the thesis of an operation orchestrated by George Soros, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to force Benedict XVI's resignation and promote a «Catholic spring» has gained traction. The presence of Soros's circle in the Vatican after Francis's election has been pointed out, with figures such as Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo at the head of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, turned into a platform for the UN agenda and the SDGs.

The shadow of Freemasonry: the Pecorelli list

Journalist Mino Pecorelli, murdered in 1979, published a list of Guasonic cardinals with code names in 1978. The Propaganda 2 (P2) lodge, controlled by Licio Gelli, would have infiltrated the Church hierarchy since the 1960s. The thread cites dozens of prelates with initiation dates, from cardinals like Suenens to minor bishops. The connection with the Banco Ambrosiano, the murder of John Paul I and the collapse of the Vatican bank point to a network of power far removed from evangelical values.

The historical pattern: Papacy and Empire

The relationship between temporal and spiritual power is nothing new. Since the Middle Ages, the «sun» of the Papacy and the «moon» of the Empire have danced together. In the 20th century, the Reagan–John Paul II alliance ended communism; then came the turn of Bush–Ratzinger and Obama–Francis. The exception was Jimmy Carter with John Paul I and II. Now, with Trump back on the horizon, some see a possible conservative shift in the next conclave. The Church seems to trinc the geopolitical fashions of the United States, its «American era».

With Francis's health fragile and the succession conclave on the horizon, the question left hanging is whether the next Pope will be the fruit of divine will or of engineering from the shadows. History, with its corpses and its secret lists, suggests that the maneuvers behind the scenes will be busier than ever.