Posted on 08/25/2010 6:43:44 AM PDT by marshmallow
Malachi Martin (1921-1999), papal envoy, alleged Cold War spy/ Israeli informant, accused of wife-stealing, and prolific writer …had 3 doctoral degrees, spoke 10 languages and lived one of the most mysterious lives in Catholic history.
The year was 1962 and the Catholic Church was going through some of its most profound and turbulent changes in its 2,000 year history: Vatican II. Father Malachi Martin, at that time, a 41 year-old brilliant Jesuit priest, was making his own undercover history: meeting, influencing and negotiating with the world’s spiritual and political power brokers.
The frail and diminuitive Martin allegedly travelled the world on clandestine missions for the Vatican seeking peace, reconciliation and concessions for part of his brief and tumultous 11 years as a Jesuit priest.
Allegations that Martin was a Cold War spy, even a double agent, and an Israeli informant can be traced to at least one source.
In his 2007 book, American Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel, author Edward K. Kaplan said that Martin cooperated with the American Jewish Committee during the Vatican Council “for a mixture of motives, both lofty and ignoble.” He “primarily advised the committee on theological issues, but he also provided logistical intelligence and copies of restricted documents.” Catholic author, William H. Kennedy, denied the allegations as well as non-Catholic blogger Marnie Tunay.
Unfortunately, so much of the commentary on Martin’s clandestine years were written with decidely anti-Catholic sentiment, that it’s difficult to get a clear snapshot of Martin’s complicated mission. In fact, there only seems to one photograph of the priest at all (the one in which a 60ish Martin is wearing a well-tailored overcoat, suit, tie and no Roman collar). A few other photos are around, but they’re rare.
One of Martin’s many gifts was his visionary gift of reading the “signs of the times” and understanding that Vatican II was part of the first tremors of a colossal seismic shift shaking old edifices and changing attitudes of the times to the shock of some and the delight of others. In a Foreword written for the 1993 book, The Thunder of Justice, by Ted and Maureen Flynn, Martin wrote …
“The most pathetic among us are those who are especially skillful in analyzing material trends like the weather, the stock market, the latest political omens, and the most up-to-date vogue in fashions and sexual mores, but who cannot read what Christ emphasized as those telltale ‘signs of the times.’”
Martin’s reputation was smeared with the 2002 publishing of the Robert Blair Kaiser book, “Clercial Error, A True Story,” in which Kaiser, a party-host journalist from Time magazine, was covering the 3 1/2-year long Vatican II conclave. In his book Kaiser claimed that Martin seduced his wife thereby destroying Kaiser’s marriage. The Time journalist also alleged that Martin was a notorious womanizer leaving behind a trail of broken hearts in various Roman villas.
Incidentally, Kaiser has published a new book, Cardinal Mahony, a somewhat uncomfortable offering to the creative art form called “faction” or “fiction-nonfiction” in which the Cardinal of Los Angeles is kidnapped by terrorists, whisked away in a helicopter, then resorts to street-talk profanities.
In this fictional portrayal of a foul-mouthed Cardinal Mahony one wonders if Kaiser’s attempt to arouse readership interest in a fiction-nonfiction genre, did he also fictionalize Martin’s alleged affair with the journalist’s wife? At the time of the alleged affair, Kaiser was supposedly undergoing mental treatment for paranoid schizophrenia, a charge that Kaiser says had nothing to do with the allegation of a “clerical error.” And if Kaiser was boiling mad about the alleged tryst between Martin and his wife, why did it take Kaiser 40 years to publish the book? He must have been on a really slow boil.
Malachi Martin’s novels are masterpieces of grand and provocative storytelling especially Windswept House with its famous account of the Enthronement of the Fallen Archangel Lucifer on June 29, 1963, simultaniously performed secretly at St. Paul’s Chapel at the Vatican along with a mirror luciferic enthronement at the same moment in South Carolina.
Martin, who was an exorcist and claimed to see demons alongside people walking by on sidewalks, was very much aware of demonic activities and sacriligious celebrations.
When Pope Paul VI uttered his memorable statement that “the smoke of Satan has entered the Church,” many believed that it was Martin’s account that the pope was referring to.
While many Catholics were stunned by Martin’s enthronement account, evangelical Christians and other detractors were falling out of their chairs ecstatically claiming, “See. See. We told you that the Catholic Church was Satanic.”
What these anti-Catholics failed to understand was that Satan is trying to destroy the Catholic Church because it is Catholicism that is the dark one’s greatest enemy. Catholicism and Satanism are exact polar opposites. Why do you suppose there’s a “black” mass? Because it’s the perfect antithesis of mankind’s ultimate homage to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
Martin’s genius understood this and was trying to warn the world that a tiny, yet very powerful band of luciferic, pedophiliac intruders, were trying to snake their way into the corridors of the Vatican.
The Catholic Church is one, true, holy and apostolic, but there’s still a serpent at its heel ready to strike. Malachi Martin knew this and through his writing he tried to alert us.
Toward the end of his life, Martin was interviewed by author, Michael Cuneo, who reported in his book American Exorcism, that the priest was perplexed and more than a little annoyed by the swirl of rumors surrounding his personal life. Cuneo quotes Martin as saying:
“Look, I’ve had three heart operatons, recently open-heart surgery, and I’m at the point where I’d like to put some of these stories to rest. I’ve been accused of everything: speculation on my life is a veritable cottage industry. I’m a lecher, a wife-stealer, and a spy; I’m secretly married with children; I’ve sexually abused little girls –it’s all nothing but fancy.”
In conclusion, Malachi Martin might be considered by some to be the archetype for 21st century Catholicism… exploding with life, incandescent intellect, passionate about his faith, dazzling in his writing, swirling in mystery; but always, always, always a crusader for truth and justice struggling to use the prodigious gifts God gave him to advance the Kingdom of God and be of significant service to his Church.
The South Coast Report is an investigative journal reporting on the events, trends and persons affecting our nation and our nation’s largest denominational family … the Catholic Church.
But such a strange way of trying to warn us. Why not simply come out and present what you know, rather than cloaking it in "faction"?
I'm ambivalent towards Martin.
Martin's writings and life continue to fascinate but I'm not sure what they add to the Church's efforts to spread the Gospel, nor to my own personal journey and battle with sin.
But given susequent events his warnings were spot on.
‘The Encounter’ was a super book
Fr. Malachy martin mesmerized me with his report of an exorcism on the Art Bell radio program several years ago. He sounded very sincere and knowledgeable.
I’m ambivalent towards Martin.
I know, that’s what makes him so fascinating.
that must have been something....wish it had been recorded
The only consistent aspect of his reputation that he did not try to debunk was the description of himself as a towering intellectual giant.
Reading his books, this seems to be a bit of an exaggeration. He was certainly a bright man - you had to be in order to become a Jesuit in the 1940s.
The real story of Malachi Martin seems to be this: he was an academic studying Ancient Near Eastern paleography as well as being a Jesuit.
He travelled in Communist countries during the 1950s, partially to do academic work with Eastern bloc experts in paleography but also to report back to the Vatican on the state of the Church in the East and any other worthwhile information he could glean.
Because of his academic specialty he was one of the many researchers involved in the Dead Sea Scrolls project and met many prominent Israeli academics.
Sometime in 1964, his life changed radically. Maybe he had a breakdown, maybe he had it out with a superior, who knows. What we do know is that he resigned his professorship, he resigned his post in the Curia, he left the Jesuit order, he stopped writing academic articles and basically became a laicized priest. His professional career was less than 11 years long (ordained in 1954, resigned in 1965)
His exit from the clerical life coincided with the appointment of ultra-liberal Pedro Arrupe as the superior general of the Jesuits.
For the following 40 years he spent his time as an independent author, writing a slew of books of varying quality (I'm speaking of the quality of the research and the arguments, not the prose).
His legacy seems to be that he was able to make the rent on his NYC apartment for decades by selling sensationalism and stoking conspiracy theories.
Find later...
There isn't much there.
Basically the site is "accusing" Martin of being instrumental in the Second Vatican Council's promulgation of Nostra Aetate, specifically the language in the document that clarifies the Church's theological perspective on Judaism.
This implies that the accuser dissents from Nostra Aetate - he is basically accusing Martin of being a "double agent" for Jewish interests.
And what has he discovered? That Martin wrote a book and magazine articles with a positive spin on Judaism and that either he or an associate were paid for their writing and that they put their wages in a tax-advantaged Swiss account.
How does that make Martin a "double agent"?
This isn't espionage - this is advocacy.
I'd like to know what the author's views on Israel and Judaism are if he has a problem with Nostra Aetate.
It should also be pointed out that NA went through a number of drafts and was worked on by dozens of theologians before being proposed to hundreds of bishops.
One English language book and a couple of articles were not the deciding factor.
You wrote:
“His legacy seems to be that he was able to make the rent on his NYC apartment for decades by selling sensationalism and stoking conspiracy theories.”
Boy, ain’t that the truth!
Did the journalist offer any proof? If not, I'd give his accusation the same weight as those accusations about being on the side of the Nazis, that have been thrown around about Pope Pius XII.
I applaud your analysis in 9. 11 was good too.
Malachi Martin bump
“Why not simply come out and present what you know, rather than cloaking it in “faction”?”
If you take the position theoretically that what he wrote in Windswept House was true, then you would understand that there was great danger in presenting what he knew...he would have quickly been murdered before publication.
I do know that there have been murdered conservative priests who were fighting evil and also there is a nominal code for the different characters in the book. I do not know if the book was based on reality but I recognize that it may have been in some parts.
I find it interesting that he was wrapped in alleged scandals...that certainly would have been done by some nefarious group if he was telling more truth than fiction.
If nothing else, let his writings prompt you to a deeper prayer life.
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But did he have tiger blood and Adonis DNA?
Malachi Martin (July 23, 1921 – July 27, 1999} was made En Pectore Cardinal Bishop by Pius XII, along with a dozen other men. The immediate reason for MM’s being made so was to remove a scandalous priest in Czechoslovakia but carried on further activities behind the Iron Curtain. If I recall there were two of these twelve still living at the time of MM’s death.
Rama Coomaraswamy (d 2006) was (not) made a priest by him and others (disaster, indeed reason I slowly backed away from RC)- I have the photos-will transmit if you freemail me your email address. His cassock was last known to be under the care of Father Leonard Giardina (d Jan 7 2011) though who knows now given:
http://www.fathercekada.com/2011/05/30/tragedy-and-treason-at-christ-the-king-abbey/
Coomaraswamy held MM became a sedevacantist with JP2’s rejection of Windswept House. Martin had personally handed Wojtlya a copy, gave him time with it and personally heard from him (MM had a regular phone/visit relation w/ JP2) such MM, upon returning from Rome, told RC JP2 was “a heretic”.
It was made very clear to me without actual name being used that Bp. Robert McKenna, famous at least for videos of exorcisms, worked with MM in tandem on some. The very aged Bp. McKenna may become prominent soon enough as Jerry Bruckheimer is said to be presently making a movie based on ex NYC police detective Ralph Sarchie’s book on Satanism in the NYC area entitled “Beware the Night”. Bp. McKenna wrote the forward to the book, which has a chapter or two on google books. Perhaps Bp. McKenna will attest to MM’s status as Cardinal-Bishop.
The film now entitled “Deliver Us from Evil” is set for a July 2, 2014 release (per wiki) and there is a trailer.
RC also said MM had subconditionally (re)consecrated some 100 priests, one actually while crossing Red Square.
I was on an active enough yahoo group on MM early-mid 00’s and it was claimed by one who seemed to be personally in contact with MM that he dropped sedevacantism in the very near end. I got to know for the time through the site and slightly personally William H. Kennedy of Everette, MA who died at 49 in Sept 2012, who was very friendly with MM in the mid 1990’s. He claimed MM designated him to write his biography. I reject much of what WHK held on Catholic Church and paranormal matters you can look up yourself, droves of especially the latter on the net.
I am basically sympathetic to MM but certainly see him as enigmatic, but more certainly see him as extremely important. I was also told but haven’t confirmed that Look Magazine held him one of 100 most important people of the 20th century. If they didn’t, he should be on such a list.
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