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The Entity: Five Centuries of Secret Vatican Espionage
Il papato, una delle istituzioni più antiche del mondo, ha da sempre un doppio ruolo: autorità spirituale e attore fondamentale della scena politica mondiale. E proprio per rafforzare il suo potere, nel 1566 venne fondato il servizio di intelligence pontificio: da allora fino ai giorni nostri, l’Entità e il suo controspionaggio, il Sodalitium Pianum, hanno assassinato re, capi di Stato ed esponenti dell’alta economia come Enrico IV di Francia o Roberto Calvi; preso parte a rivoluzioni, finanziato dittatori e appoggiato golpe; creato società segrete al cui interno sono stati pianificati ed eseguiti omicidi politici e traffici d’armi internazionali; organizzato la fuga di criminali di guerra nazisti e provocato crack finanziari. Tutto in nome di Dio e della fede cattolica e dietro mandato del Sommo Pontefice, secondo il motto «per la croce e con la spada».Questo libro racconta cinque secoli di operazioni segrete dell’Entità, da Pio v a Benedetto XVI, soffermandosi sulle pagine oscure della storia vaticana degli ultimi decenni (l’improvvisa e misteriosa morte di Papa Luciani, l’attentato a Wojtyla, la gestione di Marcinkus dello IOR e il suo coinvolgimento nel fallimento del Banco Ambrosiano). Un saggio sconvolgente e molto documentato, che svela episodi inediti e getta una nuova luce sulle vicende dello Stato della Chiesa, ma anche dell’Italia e delle maggiori potenze politiche mondiali.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2004
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About the author
Eric Frattini
108 books91 followersERIC FRATTINI (1963- ) worked as a correspondent in the Middle East and has lived in Beirut (Lebanon), Nicosia (Cyprus) and Jerusalem (Israel).
Frattini is the author of around twenty books amongst which are Osama bin Laden, the sword of Alah (2001); Mafia Inc. 100 years of Cosa Nostra (2002); Vatican Secrets (2003); United Nations, a history of Corruption (2005); La Conjura, Kill to Lorenzo de Medici (2006); Mossad, the wrath of Israel (2007), or the tetralogy about the history of the most famous espionage services (CIA, KGB, Mossad and MI6).
His works has been published in several countries like in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Brazil, Poland and Russia. Frattini is the director and scriptwriter of approximately twenty research documentaries for the main Spanish televisions. In 2007, he published El Quinto Mandamiento (The Fifth Commandment), his first novel, which has been translated into numerous languages.
The Labyrinth of Water, his second novel to date, has been launched in Spain by Espasa Calpe in 2009 and translated into forteen languages. English has been translated by St. Martin's Press (New York) and JR Books (London).
Frattini is the author of around twenty books amongst which are Osama bin Laden, the sword of Alah (2001); Mafia Inc. 100 years of Cosa Nostra (2002); Vatican Secrets (2003); United Nations, a history of Corruption (2005); La Conjura, Kill to Lorenzo de Medici (2006); Mossad, the wrath of Israel (2007), or the tetralogy about the history of the most famous espionage services (CIA, KGB, Mossad and MI6).
His works has been published in several countries like in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Brazil, Poland and Russia. Frattini is the director and scriptwriter of approximately twenty research documentaries for the main Spanish televisions. In 2007, he published El Quinto Mandamiento (The Fifth Commandment), his first novel, which has been translated into numerous languages.
The Labyrinth of Water, his second novel to date, has been launched in Spain by Espasa Calpe in 2009 and translated into forteen languages. English has been translated by St. Martin's Press (New York) and JR Books (London).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
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September 18, 2011Parts of the book were really fascinating, but other parts were quite dull. I would have enjoyed it more if the author focused on the episodes where the Holy Alliance was quite active (the attempts to assassinate/overthrow Elizabeth I and install Mary, Queen of Scots, as queen of England, the various issues involved in the period of the World Wars, etc) and discussed the primary sources more rather than give a general survey of the last 500 years of Church history. The other thing that bothered me about the author's style was that he tended to jump back and forth through time, describing one episode, then backtracking to give background info on a new person coming into the narrative. It made it a bit confusing at times, especially trying to read late at night. But it was interesting and not a total dud.
July 9, 2013
Filled with lots and lots of facts and figures. Mr. Frattini prosecutes the history of the Vatican`s secret service with keen diligence and even though this is what a reader would like from a subject they are interested in - it can be overwhelming, this reason as well as the fact that the people in this story only remain as names and dates with no feel for them as people - is why I don't give this fantastic piece of work 5 stars.
October 6, 2014
What's that old saying?: if you eat 'hot dogs' you might not want to know how the sausage gets made. Well, here's a good look at how the Catholic Church has made its institutional 'sausage' and it doesn't smell too good. Frattini has compiled his research into a compelling story which provides an awesome summary of the last five centuries of the Papacy and how the strings actually got pulled with stealth, lies, assassinations, etc. One might reasonably conclude that the Catholic Church as a temporal institution, with notable exceptions, has had a far-from-benign influence on the world. Inquisitions like jihads will raise opposition in those coerced. How could anyone expect otherwise?
February 8, 2011
عند قرائتي عن الكتاب ومقدمته توقعت أن أنظر إلى حقائق تاريخية جديدة موثوقة ولكن للأسف معظم ما ذكر في الكتاب هو متاح منذ مدة لأي قارئ في التاريخ الأوروبي أما الجديد فنرى الكاتب يوضح ان الحادثة ليست مؤكدة ورغم ذلك يبني باقي الأحداث عليها
May 21, 2020
Over my life as a reader, I have encountered the terms “The Entity” and “The Holy Alliance” while reading WWII and other 20th and 21st century spy fiction. Most recently, they popped up in The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry that I read in March 2020. In that book, Mr. Berry mentioned the book THE ENTITY written by ERIC FRATTINI. I have now read that book published in 2010. Other spy fiction authors who have mentioned the Holy Alliance are James Benn, David Downing and Phillip Kerr.
Created in 1556, The Holy Alliance was initiated by Pope Pius V to answer the infiltration of foreign spies in the Vatican. Its first task, according Mr. Frattini, was to find a way to replace Protestant Queen Elizabeth I with Catholic Mary Queen of Scotland.
According to the author, the Holy Alliance/The Entity served functions similar to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) and British MI6. Eventually, the Vatican added a counterintelligence component, Sodalitium Pianum. The counterparts of that agency are the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) of the United States and MI5 of Great Britain – counterespionage agencies.
In excruciating detail, the book names names and cites stories by time period. Some of this problem may have been a result of the English translator. There are assassination plots, European and World Wars, machinations by Royal Families of Europe and civilian governments and the Vatican’s help in getting Nazis out of Europe after WWII, and more. I found the anecdotal stories more interesting than the recital of names. If you are a diehard reader who loves history, read this book. This is not for the casual reader. Highly recommended.
GO! BUY! READ!
Created in 1556, The Holy Alliance was initiated by Pope Pius V to answer the infiltration of foreign spies in the Vatican. Its first task, according Mr. Frattini, was to find a way to replace Protestant Queen Elizabeth I with Catholic Mary Queen of Scotland.
According to the author, the Holy Alliance/The Entity served functions similar to the United States Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) and British MI6. Eventually, the Vatican added a counterintelligence component, Sodalitium Pianum. The counterparts of that agency are the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) of the United States and MI5 of Great Britain – counterespionage agencies.
In excruciating detail, the book names names and cites stories by time period. Some of this problem may have been a result of the English translator. There are assassination plots, European and World Wars, machinations by Royal Families of Europe and civilian governments and the Vatican’s help in getting Nazis out of Europe after WWII, and more. I found the anecdotal stories more interesting than the recital of names. If you are a diehard reader who loves history, read this book. This is not for the casual reader. Highly recommended.
GO! BUY! READ!
September 7, 2024
We do learn the interesting fact that the pope at that time was very distrustful of people of colour. Race issues?I have always read the Vatican has one of the best spy services in the world, and this scary book shows you how.
Questions come up though, like, with such power, why didn’t they try get rid of Hitler and Stalin? Catholics always tell us the book Hitler’s Pope was a book written by Atheists containing disinformation and propaganda.
Ok, this book only goes till 2004, so this is maybe not a fair question from me, and it might also not be fair because this organisation deals with international issues, but could they have done more about the priests sexually abusing kids?
Also since this book is 20 years old, one would love to know what the service has done since and are doing now?
I really like Pope Francis.
It would be interesting to know if and how he is using this organisation to do what?
But honestly, read this. So much worth reading.
Questions come up though, like, with such power, why didn’t they try get rid of Hitler and Stalin? Catholics always tell us the book Hitler’s Pope was a book written by Atheists containing disinformation and propaganda.
Ok, this book only goes till 2004, so this is maybe not a fair question from me, and it might also not be fair because this organisation deals with international issues, but could they have done more about the priests sexually abusing kids?
Also since this book is 20 years old, one would love to know what the service has done since and are doing now?
I really like Pope Francis.
It would be interesting to know if and how he is using this organisation to do what?
But honestly, read this. So much worth reading.
December 5, 2009
Fascinating... and frightening. Five centuries of politics, espionage and murder are researched in detail. The last 100 years reveal one shocker after another, from the Vatican "Rat Line" facilitating Nazi war criminal passage to South America, to the alleged murder of a modern pope who got too close to the secrets of the Vatican Bank. The writing style is a bit dry (might be do to the translation), but the research is meticulous, and the content is chilling. A must read for any Catholic/ ex-Catholic.
September 25, 2019
لم استطع منح الكتاب ٥ نجوم لأني لا أستطيع التحقق من كل ما ورد فيه اولا .. ولعيوب فس الترجمة كانت تذكر أسماء الشخصيات نفسها بتهجئة مختلفة كل مرة و أخيرا لأن الكتاب لم يتناول العمليات التي قام بها الفاتيكان ضد الديانات الأخرى
الكتاب ملئ بالحقائق المثيرة وتفاصيل لعمليات جاسوسية عديدة تجدون مثالا عليها في هذا الرابط
https://youtu.be/cJsso8TBk00
كما أني قدمت له مراجعة مرئية ضمن كتب أيار
https://youtu.be/zyQnwzzt3oA
الكتاب ملئ بالحقائق المثيرة وتفاصيل لعمليات جاسوسية عديدة تجدون مثالا عليها في هذا الرابط
https://youtu.be/cJsso8TBk00
كما أني قدمت له مراجعة مرئية ضمن كتب أيار
https://youtu.be/zyQnwzzt3oA
April 15, 2017
It took me awhile to finish this book, but that's not to say it's a bad book. I quite enjoyed it. There is a lot of information here, and it's kind of a dry read, but if you are interested in the darker side of the Vatican you will like this book.
September 11, 2016
من أجمل الكتب التي قرأتها هذه السنة. حرصت على قراءته بعنايه لسفري لروما فأردت معرفة تفاصيل اكثر عن ماضي الفاتيكان و كان الكتاب من افضل ما قرأت عن هذا الموضوع.
March 23, 2015
- كتاب زاخر بمعلومات فريدة غير متاحة في العموم.
- كتاب متخصص.
- الفكرة الأساسية للكتاب ان الفاتيكان يهتم بالمسيحية الكاثولوكية،ولا شيء غير، فيهاجم ويزدري حتى المسيحية الأرذوزكية والبروتاستنتية، وبكل السبل، خاصة في أوروبا.
- قد يندهش القاريء من كم الاهتمام بالجاسوسية والكيد والاغتيالات والدسائس والانقلابات التي رعاها الكيان لأجل ذات الهدف في البند السابق.
الكتاب ثقيل نوعاً، لكنه يُضيف لقارئه.
- كتاب متخصص.
- الفكرة الأساسية للكتاب ان الفاتيكان يهتم بالمسيحية الكاثولوكية،ولا شيء غير، فيهاجم ويزدري حتى المسيحية الأرذوزكية والبروتاستنتية، وبكل السبل، خاصة في أوروبا.
- قد يندهش القاريء من كم الاهتمام بالجاسوسية والكيد والاغتيالات والدسائس والانقلابات التي رعاها الكيان لأجل ذات الهدف في البند السابق.
الكتاب ثقيل نوعاً، لكنه يُضيف لقارئه.
July 13, 2016
Nada revela más claramente el origen humano de los dioses y de la religión que la disputa por el poder terrenal y la invocación de la "defensa de la fe" como pretexto. Perturbadora lectura.
Nothing reveals more the human origin of gods and religions than the dispute over earthly power and using the "defense of faith" as an excuse. Even for a non-believer like me, this was a disturbing reading.
Nothing reveals more the human origin of gods and religions than the dispute over earthly power and using the "defense of faith" as an excuse. Even for a non-believer like me, this was a disturbing reading.
July 4, 2014
معلومات غاية في الروعة
انصح جميع المهتمين بتاريخ اوربا بقرائته
انصح جميع المهتمين بتاريخ اوربا بقرائته
June 2, 2016
Other than the endless amounts of names - popes, Kings, queens and leaders ... the book reads like a bit of a Jason Bourne spy thriller ... Overall interesting and eye opening...
November 14, 2024
An interesting historical overview of the Vatican's clandestine services and its impact on world events. However, there is too much extraneous information and the writing is too frenetic. You get flooded with names and dates and events so fast it starts to lose cohesion. And while it seems that the author has done a vast amount of research, the "facts" and "conclusions" are not well cited and leave one wondering if the author is reporting what actually happened or merely providing either his own conjecture or the prevailing opinion of some other source; a source that may or may not have good source material of its own. As I read this book in English, it is possible that it might have flowed better in its original language. But the book could have used better editing and would have more impact with a tightened up narrative outline.
You definitely leave with an appreciation of the scope of the Vatican's clandestine activities over the centuries which include assassinations, regime change, market manipulation, arms trafficking, and the burying of unfavorable stories. If you are a devout Catholic, some of what you read will be shocking and make you question your support of the Vatican's leadership. If you are a history buff, it may merely confirm information you already suspected, or you may simply come away with a better understanding of the Vatican's role in events you already knew about. Overall, it is a good resource as it gathers together under one book a host of events that you previously may have only heard as rumors or passing news events. I recommend it for history buffs and anyone interested in the activities of the Catholic Church.
You definitely leave with an appreciation of the scope of the Vatican's clandestine activities over the centuries which include assassinations, regime change, market manipulation, arms trafficking, and the burying of unfavorable stories. If you are a devout Catholic, some of what you read will be shocking and make you question your support of the Vatican's leadership. If you are a history buff, it may merely confirm information you already suspected, or you may simply come away with a better understanding of the Vatican's role in events you already knew about. Overall, it is a good resource as it gathers together under one book a host of events that you previously may have only heard as rumors or passing news events. I recommend it for history buffs and anyone interested in the activities of the Catholic Church.
November 10, 2017
La verdad es que si no me interesara tanto la historia no habría terminado este libro. Frattini trata de tejer una trama llena de suspenso e intriga, pero solo llega a hacer acusaciones basadas en poca evidencia, sin evidencia alguna o que exageran el rol del Vaticano en momentos clave de la historia. Lo que el libro si hace es recontar los últimos cinco siglos desde el punto de vista del Vaticano. Aunque incluso en esto tengo que recriminar la decisión de omitir el principio de la Reforma Protestante. El resultado es que cualquier lector que le interese la historia y el rol del Vaticano en ella encontrara suficiente información para seguir leyendo, pero aquellos que vengan por tramas de espionaje se verán más que un poco defraudados.
July 7, 2025
Has a lot of interesting information unevenly distributed. There were some dull moments in the Holy Alliance's 500 year history and the focus of of the book is not weighted on intrigue.
It's structured more as a chronology than a narrative with scant thematic coherence other than "here's a bunch of shit that happened"
Sections on the Holy Alliances origins to stymie the Protestant reformation, their involvement in the corrupt Vatican Bank, the politics of World Wars and the infamous Ratlines in which the church helped Nazi's escape from retribution were the most interesting
It's structured more as a chronology than a narrative with scant thematic coherence other than "here's a bunch of shit that happened"
Sections on the Holy Alliances origins to stymie the Protestant reformation, their involvement in the corrupt Vatican Bank, the politics of World Wars and the infamous Ratlines in which the church helped Nazi's escape from retribution were the most interesting
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June 28, 2017I gave up on this book about 50 pages in, by which time it had already been ground duller than a safety crayon. I couldn't find any attempt to engage the reader, but one might have been buried under the crushing avalanche of dropped names. I counted them. The first chapter alone, about the Vatican's alleged attempt to end the reign and/or life of Elizabeth I, introduces 60 people -- an average of three every page. I already have enough friends.
January 21, 2020
It took me along time to get through this book. It starts off slowly and doesn’t really get interesting until the last 20 pages. It is extremely well researched but doesn’t flow primarily because of using too many names in one paragraph or page.
What the book does illustrate very well to reader is that if only a quarter of the revelations are true it will never make you think of the Catholic Church or the Vatican in the same way again.
What the book does illustrate very well to reader is that if only a quarter of the revelations are true it will never make you think of the Catholic Church or the Vatican in the same way again.
March 23, 2021
من أروع الكتب التي تستعرض تاريخ الفاتيكان الطويل والمجهول لدى الغالبية العظمى من الناس ..
يكشف عن الكثير من المؤامرات والدسائس والإغتيالات التي ساهم بها رجال الفاتيكان وصنعوها من البداية وحتى النهاية ..
تحدث عن فساد الفاتيكان المالي والإداري والشخصي والاجتماعي وتدخلاتهم في الدول الأخرى ..ومساهمتهم في تهريب كبار رجال النازية إبان الحرب العالمية الثانية..كتاب ممتع وشيق .
يكشف عن الكثير من المؤامرات والدسائس والإغتيالات التي ساهم بها رجال الفاتيكان وصنعوها من البداية وحتى النهاية ..
تحدث عن فساد الفاتيكان المالي والإداري والشخصي والاجتماعي وتدخلاتهم في الدول الأخرى ..ومساهمتهم في تهريب كبار رجال النازية إبان الحرب العالمية الثانية..كتاب ممتع وشيق .
December 30, 2018
400+ years in 372 pages is tough, so too often the author just throws name after name at us without much context. There were numerous times I thought “man, that story would make a great book” but all we get is a few paragraphs.
May 31, 2023
Excelente libro de investigación, se me hizo un poco largo al principio, más que nada creo que por la distancia temporal e histórica de lo que narra. La cosa mejora entrando en el siglo XX.
Demuestra que en el Vaticano en lo último que se piensa es el Dios.
Demuestra que en el Vaticano en lo último que se piensa es el Dios.
November 18, 2017
Saggio sulle attività “coperte” dello Stato Vaticano.Documentato e interessante. Chi si stupisce? Certamente non io, poiché ritengo la chiesa cattolica romana un'organizzazione politica.
July 30, 2019
اكثر المعلومات مكررة اما المعلومات الجديدة فلم اجد لها تاكيد تاريخي.
October 22, 2019
كتاب دسم للغاية بكم الأسماء والوقائع والتواريخ ولكنه لا شك مفيد
May 6, 2020
من افضل الكتب علي الاطلاق لمن يريد أن يدخل عالم الفاتيكان
August 3, 2020
Il tema è molto interessante, tuttavia credo che si potesse trattare in modo migliore. Molto confusionario, una lista infinita di nomi impossibili da ricordare che creano difficoltà nella lettura.
July 1, 2021
كتاب ممل جداً ولم أستطع إكماله
November 14, 2021
This was a really dry read considering how interesting some of the information was.
November 6, 2014
Eric Frattini tiene esa capacidad de seguir asombrando. Toma aquellos temas que solamente andan en la oscuridad y los hace tener un rostro y una identidad; es exactamente lo que sucede con este libro ampliamente documentado donde se desmaraña casi 5 siglos de un servicio de inteligencia que en el mundo ni siquiera se conoce y si se conoce nadie le da la importancia que debería. El Servicio Papal para Asuntos de Inteligencia (Santa Alianza) es una historia que hasta el día de hoy muy pocos historiadores han podido estudiarlo; no porque no lo quisieran, sino por la aparente falta de documentos que prueben estrictamente la existencia de dicho servicio.
Este libro dista de ser excelente solamente por un solo paso: debido a que es una historia alternativa a la que solemos estar acostumbrados a leerla, la mayoría de los sucesos se basan (no todos) en hipótesis documentada sobre los sucesos que intrigan al sucesor de Pedro. Lo que da fuerza a la hipótesis es su documentación, libros muy recomendados para su lectura, autobiografías, novelas, relatos, relatos vox populi entre otros pero es aquí también donde se presenta la mayor debilidad: es un libro que si bien reúne de todo, tiene un final muy abierto para cada tipo de persona.
Si estás buscando una excusa para no leerla, lo siento no te la daré porque su lectura, aunque en algunos capítulos tenga alto vuelo, es demasiado recomendada.
Este libro dista de ser excelente solamente por un solo paso: debido a que es una historia alternativa a la que solemos estar acostumbrados a leerla, la mayoría de los sucesos se basan (no todos) en hipótesis documentada sobre los sucesos que intrigan al sucesor de Pedro. Lo que da fuerza a la hipótesis es su documentación, libros muy recomendados para su lectura, autobiografías, novelas, relatos, relatos vox populi entre otros pero es aquí también donde se presenta la mayor debilidad: es un libro que si bien reúne de todo, tiene un final muy abierto para cada tipo de persona.
Si estás buscando una excusa para no leerla, lo siento no te la daré porque su lectura, aunque en algunos capítulos tenga alto vuelo, es demasiado recomendada.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews