The air is heavy, and the sky is
dark, little splatters of the wet rain can be felt by the police who stand
guard atop their giant steeds. The horses are restless and the clip clop of
their hooves against the pavement echoes into the crisp morning air. The coo of
pigeons mingles with the shouts from coordinators and security as they place
blockades along the streets. The shuffle of loose gravel can be felt beneath
the feet of growing crowd that waits impatiently; their buzz of excitement
canceling out the dark mood of the clouds above. The news anchors arrive and
roll out their cameras. They take their positions, and every one waits. The
time rolls by with excruciating slowness. But finally in the distance a small
procession can be seen coming toward the crowd. Some one in the crowd yells,
“Look, the Pope is here.”
There has been much controversy over the
arrival of Pope Benedict the 16th to the UK. Some are excited for
the marking of this historical event, while are others furious that UK taxes
were used to transport the religious figure. No matter what your views of the
Pope, there is no doubt that there has been great scandal surrounding the
religious leader. We have all watched as our TV’s flooded with stories of child
abuse linked to the Catholic Church, we have heard the rumors that the Pope is
linked to the Nazi Party and is anti-Semitic. But lets be honest, these stories
are tired and every angle has been covered. While child abuse and the rumor of
prejudice in the church is alarming what more can really be said on the
matter? Every coin has two sides
and so I wish to flip the coin and approach the subject of the Pope from a less
serious angle.
Conspiracy theories have flooded history
from the beginning of time. And from the beginning of time the public has hung
on to the every word of these theories. Today Dan Brown, the author of The
Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, has played on the human interest of conspiracy to pen a series
that is widely acclaimed and deeply controversial. Though Brown’s books are a
work of fiction, they stem from real places and are loosely connected to real
conspiracy theories surrounding the church. Many of these real theories are as
much a work of fiction as Brown’s books, but none the less they have survived
the ages and have wrapped the church in a dark shroud of obscurity and secrecy.
Pope Benedict the 16th is no
exception and the internet is flooded with all kinds of theories. Weeding
through some of the more crackpot conspiracies I came across one that I found
truly entertaining.
The theory involves the Pope, the abstruse
Knights Templar, and the black thorn in the churches side, The Illuminati. This
perfect trifecta is so perfectly constructed that it is more likely to be found
on the cinema screen rather than in everyday life. Yet the theory exists. And while it is more than likely
untrue it will probably be far more fascinating then anything you read about in
the papers about the Pope during his visit here in the UK.
Before we dive into the theory let me
provide you with a quick history lesson to catch up any who are unfamiliar with
the backgrounds of players in our story.
The Knights Templar was formed during the
crusades for the purpose of protecting Christendom and pilgrimages to the Holy
Land. Later in the 12-century they took on more mysterious military duties. It
is with their increasing wealth and great secrecy that the Templar order was
soon wrapped in an enigma, spreading rumors wherever they went. Such as their supposed involvement in
hiding the shroud of Turin and the Holy Grail along with other highly esteemed
Christian artifacts. In addition
rumors had begun to spread that they carried out military orders to conceal
great secrets of the church. It was on Friday 13th October 1307 that the order
was undone by their great secrecy. King Phillip IV of France started a hunt to
torture and kill the knights. More
than likely spurred to do so by paranoia and an obsession to contain his
absolute power. Eventually in 1312 they were brought to trial,where they were
accused of sodomy, the worship of idols, and were blamed for the crusades
failure in the Holy Land. Phillip IV then with the churches consent, officially
destroyed the order. Some of the Templar were killed, others escaped into
hiding, it is widely believed that some of the survivors of the Knight Templar
went on to establish Free Masonry, while others kept the pure Templar movement
alive underground. Many believe this group is alive and well today, and point
to England as their main place of power and influence. Theorists note that the
English Flag, a white background with a red cross, is the same as the Knights
Templars crest. They also point to the patron Saint of England, St George who is
often depicted with a white shield bearing a red cross.
The Illuminati are a bit more vague and
there is much debate over their existence as the diabolical movement they are
now known. This group was founded May 1, 1776 in Bavaria. These men devoted
them selves to higher thinking and believed in equal rights for their fellow
man. As a result many powerful politicians and wealthy nobles were attracted to
the group. In addition to the power that these men lent to the organization,
many members of the already influential Masons joined the ranks as well. This
group led to other Illuminati groups being formed in other parts of the world.
History suggests that the European sects believed that the power of kings and
the church was a negative force in the world and must be done away with if true
equality would ever be achieved. It is believed that these European sects grew
very powerful and may have been responsible for the removal of some powerful
figures in government. As a result in 1784 secret societies became illegal.
This caused the organization to crumble and by 1795 then organization had
“dissolved” completely.
It is at this point that history turns into
conspiracy. The Illuminati have grown in infamy due to the conspiracy theories
that gathered around them after their demise. It is suggested that the
Illuminati still exists today and have great political control. The conspiracy
says that the Illuminati have great control over the Free Masons and have great
political control. It is believed that some of America’s forefathers were members of the organization and as a
result the organization still has great control in America. The pyramid and the
all seeing eye on the US dollar bill is also considered proof the existence and
power of the organization. But the Illuminati differed from Templars in one
major way. While the Templars lived to serve and protect Christendom; the vast
majority of the members of the Illuminati were atheist and believed that the
church and religion should be destroyed.
So now that you have some footing on the
characters, lets get back to the conspiracy at hand.
This conspiracy suggests that the Pope is
directly connected with both the modern day Knights Templar and the Illuminati
and with their powerful backing secured his place as the head of the Christian
Catholic world; finally surrendering the church to some of the most powerful
secret organizations to ever have suffered at the hands of the church.
The first sign that points to the Pope,
former Cardinal Ratzinger, being linked with the Templars is in his choice of
name upon accepting his office. The Pope chose the name Benedict a very
poignant name from a Templar point of view as the Templar reign was based on
the Rule of St. Benedict.
But the real starting point of this theory does
not come from some general observation; it begins like all good modern
conspiracy stories, with a cryptic anonymous phone call to a journalist.
Hertfordshire Mercury reporter Raymond
Brown, who has covered the Knights Templar extensively in his writing, received
an anonymous phone call urging him to investigate the new Pope based on the
following 7 points:
1) We have just seen the first conclave of the new millennium.
The start to any millennium always brings
scares and worries. After all look how much the Y2K scare griped the world as
we all counted down to the millennium. But other than superstitious fears,
there is not real connection here with either group.
2) The new Pope knew he was going to be elected before it happened.
The support for theorists on this point
comes from the following evidence:
-
Cardinal Ratzinger was the Grand
Inquisitor and the Pope's chief theological policeman.
-
He presided over Pope John Paul 2nd’s
funeral and over the Mass presiding the conclave that elected him Pope
-
Elected on the second day after only 4
ballots (the average length of the eight conclaves to have taken place in the
20th century took just over 3 days)
They suggest with the backing of an
organization such as the templars and the Illuminati combined with the great
power of his position as cardinal he could have easily acquired the votes
needed before the conclave ever occurred. Furthermore with the vote only taking
two days to be finalized it seems as if the decision was truly an easy one for
those who voted.
3) The new Pope grew up in Bavaria, the home of the Illuminati.
This point hangs on the rumors that the
Pope in his youth had a deep interested in secret societies and is said to have
investigated some in his homeland.
4) The
new pope was the Grand Inquisitor of the Holy Inquisition, which fought the
Templars and the Illuminati.
This point makes a direct connection to his
post as chief of the Congregation of the Doctrine for the Faith. This position
and counsel previously known as the Grand Inquisitor and the Holy Inquisition.
This is one of the more compelling points made by the anonymous caller. The
Grand Inquisition was responsible for condemning the Templars and disbanding
them all together. But surely someone in the same office handed down from
century to century would hold the same values as the Grand Inquisitor of the
past and truly be anti-Templar. So logic would suggest, but what if this
position was gained in order to have the power not to be used against the
Templars but instead to put right the wrongs of the past? The Hertfordshire Mercury Newspaper reported in 2007 that the Pope was releasing a statement that would
absolve Templar leader Jacques de Molay on the 700th anniversary of
the templar persecution. Conspiracists suggest that the prior to his Papacy he
was laying the groundwork for such an absolution.
5) In his
first speech as Pope, Benedict XVI made an interesting reference to the
"vineyard."
The only
connection with the templars and the vineyard is the fact that with their great
wealth, the templars tended vineyards, farms, built castles and invested their
money in all walks of life. But the vineyard is much more famously associated
with the passage in the bible found in John 15:1-2, “1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the
husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he
taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it
may bear more fruit.” So to claim that a religious
leader mentioning “the Vineyard” someway alludes to the templars is rather
ludicrous
6) The new pope has been investigating the Knights Templar and the
Illuminati in Hertford.
7) Just before he was elected, the new Pope contacted several groups and
individuals, including Dr Alan Thomson, Acting Head of History at Hertfordshire
University and Alison Tinniswood, Historic Environment Record Officer of the
Environment Department of Hertfordshire County Council, about the Knights
Templar in Hertfordshire.
In my eyes 6 and
7 are more or less the same point. Theorists point out that Hertfordshire seems
to be the main hub for ancient and modern Templar activity as there are many
underground tunnels that have been linked to the Templar order.
(Hertfordshire Mercury Newspaper: Friday 29th April 2005, Page 28.)
The theory seems
to revolve completely around this phone call. While I am sure using this as a
spring board Dan Brown would have another best seller and bring the story to a
mind boggling conclusion, I am afraid our story ends with a big question mark. There is no doubt that this theory
peeks interest and provides some very interesting and at times compelling
points. But it also has a lot of pitfalls and inconsistencies.
The biggest
problem I see, is the Popes alleged connection to the Illuminati. Not only is
the evidence weak that he has ever had any involvement, but more importantly
the Illuminati wanted the very opposite of the Templars. They sought to bring
down the church, meanwhile the Templars swore to protect Christendom. Now one
could argue that with the betrayal of the church against the Templar order that
the two groups would unite carrying out sweet revenge. But I have a hard time
believing that. While the Templar order was betrayed by the Church, it did not
make what they believed any different. The whole purpose of their order was to
protect the church and by joining with the Illuminati they would be betraying
everything they held sacred. With this in mind how could one man belong to two
groups that were striving for very different things? While it is equally
unlikely that the Pope is connected to the Templars, there is much more
evidence for this theory.
I leave you here
to consider the interesting connections and scoff at the great potholes as you
flip on your TV and undoubtedly will come across the Pope waving his blessings
down to the masses below.
“Not unto us, O Lord,
not unto us, but unto Thy Name be the Glory.”
Psalm 115
(Templar Motto)
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Sources:
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abovetopsecret.com
-
Britannica.com
-
Conspericyarchive.com
-
Mystermag.com
-
About.com
-
Historymedren.com
-
Wisegeek.com
-
Timesline.co.uk
-
Hetfordshiremercury.co.uk
