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Report Details US Intelligence Cooperation with Vatican
US investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein revealed a years-long espionage campaign targeting the Vatican, including Pope Leo XIV, by agencies like the CIA and NSA. The report highlights intelligence directives following President Trump's criticism of the pope. Tensions stem from the pope's statements on global conflicts and Trump's responses.
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US investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein released a report on Friday stating that the Trump administration engaged in intelligence monitoring of Pope Leo XIV as part of ongoing US-Vatican security engagements. Klippenstein, an independent, Washington-based investigative journalist who formerly wrote for The Intercept, cited sources saying Trump's recent comments on the new pope prompted increased focus on Vatican intelligence by US agencies, according to sources.
@zerohedge reported these details, drawing from Klippenstein's findings.
Trump had said earlier this month that Pope Leo was "terrible on foreign policy" and "weak on crime."
According to Klippenstein’s sources, the CIA has human spies working inside the Holy See bureaucracy. The NSA and CIA seek to intercept telecommunications, emails, and texts related to the Vatican. The FBI investigates crimes committed against and by the Vatican.
The State Department closely follows the ins and outs of Papal diplomacy and politics. US agencies including the CIA, NSA, FBI, and State Department liaise with the Vatican’s own foreign policy, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies. Klippenstein described a longstanding and quietly extensive relationship between the US national security apparatus and the Vatican involving diplomatic, law enforcement, and cybersecurity cooperation.
The first Trump administration sought to beef up its coordination with Italian intelligence agencies and Vatican officials on cybersecurity, white collar crime, human trafficking, art theft, and other issues. One particular project in the first Trump administration was to help the Vatican actively thwart cyber intrusions into its networks.
