Serious accusations against Paul VI - 30 Giorni, July/August 2001

“In Rome and throughout Italy the rumor is out that Paul VI is a homosexual …. When he was Archbishop of Milan, he was caught by the police one night wearing civilian clothes and in not so laudable company. Actually, for many years he has been said to have a special friendship with a red-haired actor. This man did not make any secret of his relationship with the future Pope. The relationship continued and became closer in the years ahead. [After Montini was elected Pope] an official of the Vatican security forces told me that this favorite of Montini was allowed to come and go freely in the pontifical apartments, and that he had often been seen taking the papal elevator at night.

“The ‘banana peel’ that Paul VI stepped on and that put an end to the confident nature of his weakness was the homily on sexual ethics he delivered in January 1976, dealing with some points on homosexuality. This homily provoked a reaction from the writer Roger Peyrefitte. On April 13, 1976, the weekly Tempo published an interview with this author (with a reputation for very good documentation), ... who accused the Pope of being a homosexual and denied his right to be a censor on the topic. Paul VI officially acknowledged the blow.

“A ‘day of reparation for the offense received by the Pope’ was called for. All of Italy, however, was laughing about the incident. British TV broadcast made an interview with Peyrefitte, who confirmed his accusations and expressed surprise over the publicity he was receiving.

“The first blackmail against Montini was made as soon as he mounted the steps of the throne of Peter by Freemasonry, which pressured him to do away with the Church’s condemnation of those who ask to be cremated after death (which he did). What it threatened was to reveal the secret meetings between the Archbishop of Milan and ‘his’ actor in a hotel in Sion, in the Valais Canton in Switzerland. In Paris, sometime later, the story behind this change made by Paul VI surfaced, with the indisputable evidence patiently amassed by a gendarme (policeman).” (2)

“Another change observed by those in that narrow circle who, because of their position in the Hierarchy or their posts, used to pass a large amount of time inside the Apostolic Palace, was the sudden appointment of homosexuals to positions of prestige and responsibility close to the Papacy. This plague infested, transformed, and devastated the Vatican during the time of Paul VI. It had already begun then [in the pontificate of John XXIII], well hidden in the baroque curtain folds of the Pontifical Court, but, unfortunately, alive and real. But it was the distant hand of the Archbishop of Milan, himself a victim of such weaknesses, that discretely placed one after another on the State chessboard …. the pieces of his game dear to his heart.

“Those highly situated new personages, who were contaminated by the same ‘sickness,’ naturally brought with them other less highly placed people of the same ilk. Therefore, slowly but continuously, rumors and indiscretions began to flow in the Vatican, and grave facts began to occur as a matter-of-course.

“Because of their functions, these people were often seen by us [the Noble Guard]. … They also had their favorites, who were the effeminate young men wearing elegant uniforms and make-up on their faces to dissimulate their beards. We (the camarieri di spada e cappa and noble guards) carefully kept our distance from their smiles and courtesies. We limited ourselves to greeting them at distance with the military salute of the heels.

“‘Favorites’ of the Archbishop of Milan also began to appear at the level of functionary, and both small and large scandals at times would erupt. The Gendarmeria Pontificia [the Vatican police] had to steer carefully .… along those floating mines and keep one eye closed – and sometimes both eyes – to keep reports from leaking and to discourage some sharp journalists …. Honorable old employees who relied on the Governatorato [the administration of the Vatican State] were suddenly fired or removed to other posts, and these newcomers were installed in their empty chairs, all them carrying in their pockets letters of recommendation from Cardinal Montini.” (3

Follow us

1. Roger Peyrefitte, “Mea culpa? Ma fatemi il santo piacere,” Tempo, April 4, 1976.
2. Franco Bellegrandi, Nichitaroncalli – Controvita di un Papa (Rome: Ed. Internazionale di Letteratura e Scienze, 1994), pp. 85-86.
3. Ibid., pp. 91-2.
4. Pepe Rodrigues, "Espana no es diferente," El Mundo, March 19, 1995, p. 3.