City of Secrets: The Startling Truth Behind the Vatican MurdersA true crime exposé of a 1998 murder-suicide within Vatican City and its subsequent investigation. On the night of Monday, May 4, 1998, in Vatican territory, the bodies of the commander of the Swiss Guard, his wife, and a young lance corporal were found in the barracks of the picturesque force entrusted with protecting the pope. It was the worst bloodbath to take place in more than a century in the heart of the supreme authority of the world’s one billion Catholics. Four hours later, the Vatican announced that the lance corporal, twenty-three-year-old Cédric Tornay, had shot the couple, then committed suicide in “a fit of madness” brought on by frustration with the unit's discipline—a conclusion it reaffirmed after a nine-month internal inquiry. But as John Follain’s hard-hitting exposé shows, the official report was a travesty, a tissue of suppositions, contradictions, and omissions. Based on an exhaustive three-year investigation, City of Secrets reveals how the Vatican, the oldest and most secretive autocracy in the world, staged an elaborate plot to obstruct justice—and hide the scandals it dared not confess. |
From inside the book
Results 1-4 of 4
Page 3
... duty at dawn . Moments later , she hears loud noises coming from the apartment next door . As she will testify later to Vatican investigators , Sister Anna- Lina can't guess what the noises mean . She stops to listen more care- fully ...
... duty at dawn . Moments later , she hears loud noises coming from the apartment next door . As she will testify later to Vatican investigators , Sister Anna- Lina can't guess what the noises mean . She stops to listen more care- fully ...
Page 4
... duty well . ” He sees his task as guardian of the Holy City gates and protector of the pope both inside and outside the Vatican . For him , it is a religious mission . Earlier that evening , Estermann offered prayers of thanks at the ...
... duty well . ” He sees his task as guardian of the Holy City gates and protector of the pope both inside and outside the Vatican . For him , it is a religious mission . Earlier that evening , Estermann offered prayers of thanks at the ...
Page 23
... duty calls . Tell Sara , Melinda and Daddy that I love you all . Big Kisses to the Greatest Mother in the World . Your son who loves you . None of the newspapers ventured an explanation of the phrase " they were the ones who drove me on ...
... duty calls . Tell Sara , Melinda and Daddy that I love you all . Big Kisses to the Greatest Mother in the World . Your son who loves you . None of the newspapers ventured an explanation of the phrase " they were the ones who drove me on ...
Page 24
... duty to protect the pope seriously , but that in common with many young men of his age , the daily restrictions imposed on him weighed heavily . He dreamed of a " wider freedom . " " He was sensitive to the way other people treated him ...
... duty to protect the pope seriously , but that in common with many young men of his age , the daily restrictions imposed on him weighed heavily . He dreamed of a " wider freedom . " " He was sensitive to the way other people treated him ...
Contents
Section 17 | 186 |
Section 18 | 190 |
Section 19 | 196 |
Section 20 | 201 |
Section 21 | 206 |
Section 22 | 216 |
Section 23 | 228 |
Section 24 | 233 |
Section 9 | 102 |
Section 10 | 114 |
Section 11 | 121 |
Section 12 | 132 |
Section 13 | 138 |
Section 14 | 146 |
Section 15 | 165 |
Section 16 | 173 |
Section 25 | 244 |
Section 26 | 254 |
Section 27 | 261 |
Section 28 | 271 |
Section 29 | 281 |
Section 30 | 293 |
Section 31 | 307 |
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City of Secrets: The Startling Truth Behind the Vatican Murders John Follain No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
Anne's Gate Apostolic Palace asked autopsy barracks Baudat Berliner Kurier Bertorello Beytrison bullet called cannabis Cardinal Catholic Cédric Tornay chapel chaplain Church close commander door dressed duty Dziwisz Ester Estermann Father Felzmann fingers French Guarneri Gugelmann halberd hand head Holy homosexual investigation Italian Jehle Jehle's John Paul Kellenberger killed knew lance corporal letter looked Martigny medal Mehmet Ali Agca Mélinda Meza Romero Monsignor months murder Navarro-Valls never newspaper night officers Opus Opus Dei papal Peter's Square pope pope's priest recruits refused Roman Rome Saint Saint-Maurice Schwéry secret Segmuller shot silence Sodano someone Stang stared Stasi struck swearing-in ceremony Swiss Germans Swiss Guard Switzerland talk telephone tell There's thing thought Tissières told took Tornay Tornay's death Tornay's mother Vatican Vatican City Vergès Villiers Violetta walked wall wanted Werder
Popular passages
Page 11 - Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; fear rather
Page 12 - Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church,
Page 108 - able to find out how the pope was, and who he saw from day to day. It would be privy to quite a few secrets about the cardinals, their health, that kind of thing. And among the cardinals is John Paul's successor. Never forget that for Opus
Page 10 - work as if everything depends on you, and pray as if everything depends on God.
Page 230 - will faithfully, loyally, and honorably serve the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II and his legitimate successors, and also
Page 184 - in those days men did not bedeck themselves in gold, and those you see painted there were never very rich. They were holy men who despised
Page 84 - All these precautions are useless. As soon as I go out, dressed in white from head to foot, I'ma target they can't possibly miss.
Page 108 - knowledge is power. It would be able to get anyone into the Vatican; the guards wouldn't breathe a word. You have access, you have freedom.
Page 4 - will faithfully, loyally, and honorably serve the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II and his legitimate successors,