I'm Catholic. I'm a traditionalist. I am convinced there is unspeakable cover-up and corruption going on in the Vatican, with or without the Pope's knowledge, I don't know. However, this book cannot be taken all too seriously. Why? Well, first of all, the author makes it clear that he is a disgruntled liberal who would desperately like to see the Church change her teachings on morality, esp. the prohibition of contraception. He paints Cardinal Luciani, alias Pope John Paul I, as a liberal who wanted to do just that. Is that an accurate picture of John Paul I? I don't know. But I'll tell you this much: I see no reason to trust David Yallop in his characterization.

Secondly, I could not find a SINGLE footnote or citation of anything this man reports in his book. He has countless quotes and makes incredible claims, none of which are backed up. This is what I mean when I say you can't take this man seriously. He is a liberal with an agenda, and since he gives no proof for what he says, I see no reason to believe that what he says is true.

Now, I am quite certain that John Paul I was murdered. I am certain that this had something to do with the Vatican Bank scandal the Pope was about to uncover. And we know for a fact that the Vatican is infiltrated by countless Masons. So, I think that much of what Yallop says is true. But Yallop gives no backup, and his mockery of Catholic doctrine and authority is so obvious that his book is not very convincing in certain areas, esp. where he wants to claim that John Paul I wanted to allow contraception.

Let me give you some evidence of further inconsistency in this book that I believe makes it less than convincing: On page 368, Yallop mentions possible dates of when the plans to murder the Pope could have been put together: "It could have been within the first two weeks of September when the fact that Luciani was investigating Freemasonry within the Vatican became known to some members in the Vatican village. It could have been mid September when the attitudes of the new Pope on birth control and his plans to implement a liberal position on the issue were causing deep concerns in the Vatican."

Well, wait a minute now. The Freemasons ARE liberals. They would like to see nothing more urgent than a Pope approving of contraception! Why, then, would the alleged plans of John Paul I cause deep concern? It would have been perfect for the Masons to see the Pope do just that! After all, they infiltrated the Church in order to subvert her and change her teaching. It is these kinds of things in this book that betray Yallop's agenda, in my opinion, and strip the book of credibility.

This book inlcudes many pictures of John Paul I and important protagonists and nemeses. Despite the critiques I have given, the book is a fascinating read, at least after the introductory chapters. If he had backed up his claims, Yallop's work here could have been a REAL eye-opener. But as it is right now, we have no way of knowing what parts of this book are fact, and what are fiction.

This book raises a number of important questions about the Vatican's financial operations and the circumstances surrounding the surprise death of Albino Luciani (Pope John Paul the First). I will merely pose two of them here. The first, for those who dismiss it as anti-Vatican propaganda, why would the Vatican pass up a chance to clear up the suspicions surrounding the death of Luciani? Certainly an autopsy or else a formal death certificate would do a lot to establish the circumstances surrounding his death. The second question, if this story is true, why does somebody not make a movie out of this story?

If you have not read this book, READ IT! Albino Luciani (John Paul I)was the last chance the Church had of being put on the right track, someone who would work for the people..... instead, the Vatican has ended up working for the corrupt and illegal societies round the world namely P2 and the Mafia. The fact that John Paul I has been erased from Vatican history is evident in the list of Popes in the Vatican City, where John Paul I is not even on the list. Sure, he ruled only for 30 days, but he was still elected Pope. The unanswered questions in this book can only lead you to believe that similar happenings are still going on in the church and when you read the book, its stikes as amazing (and scary) at how fast a society like P2 can grow in power.... if you think they are gone, think twice.... they are probably stronger than ever, with people in high places all round the world influencing political decisions and many other important decisions with only one thing in mind... POWER.... The fact that Albino Luciani was FOR contraception is surely evidence that this man was a thinker who made decisions based on the current cicumstances and times, and that if his policies had gone through, we would have less problems with over-population and sexually transmitted diseases. Albino Luciani would have been a reformer, a good man who would have done much good for the Church. I am not a believer myself, but his death seems to have put the church back rather than forward..... How can you possibly argue against contraception in this day and age?!!! People should read this book and know what happened, and encourage the church to take on the right path... not the path of curruption... We are already ruled by greedy self driven politicians, whereas the church should be a place of neutral stance, it has become as corrupt as the political systems that rule us...

This book is one of the closest pieces of work that we have to finding out what went on in the mind of John Paul I, Pope for a mere thirty-three days. Here, written when he was Patriarch of Venice, he writes to various people in literary and church history, and also in fiction. An amusing and witty book. Albino Luciani gets to the heart of the subject in each letter, and shows that sometimes the best answers are the most simple ones.

This book contains numerous lengthy excerpts from John Paul II's writings and speeches about non-Christian religions. It also contains essays about John Paul's view of non-Christian religions by Catholic and non-Catholic writers.

The most surprising thing about JP II's theology of non-Christian religions is how favorable he is. Particularly in his addresses to non-believers, his praise seems to know no bounds. He refers to Moslems as "brothers in God" and tells Buddhists and Shintoist that "On this earth we are pilgrims to the Absolute and Eternal." This last statement is particularly strange in light of JP II's belief that "Buddhism is in large measure an 'atheistic' system." (p. 53.) At times one gets the impression that JP II thinks the problem with the world is not a lack of Christianity, but a lack of "religion." For those who think that JP II is a reactionary who is opposed to all things non-Catholic, this book comes as quite an eye-opener.

This leads to the major fault I have with the essays. While they are for the most part informative, the authors never ask the question of how someone like JP II, who is supposed to be such a conservative, orthodox Catholic, can be so favorable to non-Christian religions. Could it be that JP II is not the traditionally minded Catholic that the media and his conservative followers portray him? This question is never asked. Not surprisingly, then, the essayists fail to interact with the one book I am aware of that raises this question: Pope John Paul II's Theological Journey to the Prayer Meeting of Religions at Assisi by Fr. J. Dormann. The Dormann book (actually a series of three thus far) has some flaws. He is intent upon taking much of what JP II says in the least orthodox light, and in the context of JP II's alleged universalism. Nonetheless, the book highlights important facets of JP II's theology.

All things considered, this is an important and timely collection.

With all the furor concerning "Hitler's Pope" by Cornwell, I wondered how he had obtained access to the expurgated-by-Jebbie files on Pius XII? With some difficulty, Amazon located an out-of-print copy of Cornwell's earlier debunking of the conspiracy theories surrounding the Year of Three Popes, when Papa Luciani, John Paul I, died after a pontificate of only thirty-three days. When I received my virgin copy of "Thief" still sealed in clear plastic, I knew I was in for a treat: The front and back cover blurbs waxed enthusiastic with atta-boys from Graham Greene "The Power and the Glory," Andrew Greeley "The Tablet," and Malachi Martin "The Jesuits." I was not disappointed: Cornwell weaves a tale worthy of G.K. Chesterton "Father Brown." Cornwell's forensic investigation is more compelling than that of Tad Szulc's work of fiction which is also "based on real events, facts, and persons: the attempt to assassinate John Paul II on May 13, 1981, its aftermath, and the secret investigation conducted subsequently at the behest of the Holy See." ["To Kill the Pope" was released in 2000, "Thief in the Night" in 1989.]

This is truly "an exhaustive and impressive study" as Cornwell narrows in on what really happened to the author of "Letters to Pinnochio," which I found most revealing of the Patriarch of Milan. Cornwell gives a most telling picture of Archbishop Paul Casmir "Chink" Marcinkus, the Walter Jenkins/Bebe Rebozo "bagman" of the Vatican Bank, who was able to provide $250 million from the Vatican pension funds to reimburse the machinations of the Calvi/Banco Ambrosiano debacle. Cornwell's in depth portrayals of Papa Luciani's two secretaries, Bishop John Magee and Don Diego Lorenzi and what they did when they found Luciani dead and unattended validates Garry Wills' "Papal Lies" thesis: functionaries in the Vatican lie from force of habit, rather than from malice or personal gain.

Yet there is malice afoot: "[Cardinal/secretary of state Jean] Villot's miscalculation of [Luciani]'s administrative capacities, his poor state of health, was disasterous and surely culpable." Luciani insisted that "he had usurped the papal chair he sat in. 'The Foreign Pope [John Paul II] is coming to take my place.' " And Karol Wojtyla sat opposite Luciani in the Conclave that selected Luciani to follow Montini.

To tell more, would destroy the suspence of Cornwell's story, yet one can say that Luciani was not poisoned, despite centuries of papal murders, that Luciani did not committ suicide, although he certainly lost his will to live, and welcomed death. Whether Luciani abandoned the medicines that would have prolonged his life seems still open.

Based on this "marvelous and compelling investigation" one understands why John Paul II has nothing to fear from the publication of "Hitler's Pope." John Paul II personally made "Thief in the Night" possible, and opened up for Cornwell, the Pandora's box of Pacelli's racism and probable anti-Semitism. John Paul II is to be commended in following John XXIII's dictat: to "open the windows of the Vatican" and let sunlight cleanse Rome of its "Papal Lies" by the Curia-crats who know better how to be a Pope than Pacelli, Roncalli, Montini, Luciani, or Wojtyla, e.g. Tisserant, Ottavani, Villot and Ratzinger.

Though I was only a kid at the time, I still remember John Paul I and what a shock his death after so short a reign caused. How could that smile be allowed to disappear so soon? John Cornwell's book was written largely in response to David Yallop's speculative, but well put together thesis "In God's Name" which argued that John Paul I was murdered. John Cornwll's verdict is equally damning. He gives us some fresh insights into the medical evidence and talks to some interesting people. In the end, though, I wasn't convinced. There is still far too much room for doubt.

A good piece of investigative journalism. Put together very professionally.
But is it the last word about the death of Papa Luciani? Although Cornwell seems to tie a lot of loose ends some lingering doubts are still there.

this book is based on true history. john cornwell, david yallop, morgan witt-gordon went to the vatican to investigate the MURDER of John Paul I and the vatican mafia. Read history of the wordl PLease and do not be blind about the blood history of the catholic church. The blood can not be erased from the aplology of the church. What about the victims. Say sorry is not enough.

That anyone could take this bit of literary garbage seriously is incredible. It consists wholy of speculation, lies, and propaganda promulgated by small-minded people. Don't waste your time on this rubbish.

It is amazing how some will prostitute the truth to sell a book. Books such as Born in Blood are more accurate speculations of the nature and roots of the Masonic fraternity, which is all that the organization is. What is truely sad is that these falsehoods take on a life of their own. The book was written from ingnorance and has only perpetuated ignorance.

The book should be boot, it is a sinister evilness that try's to hurt and offend a socieity of brotherhood thru the all seeing eye of God.

I wasted my time reading about lies.