mistress of the vatican.pdf - End Time Deception

Mistress of the Vatican
obliged, when the pope was indisposed or if he wanted some repose, to
give audience to the ambassadors with whom he could negotiate. . . .
One handles business with him as if he were the pope. Until then Innocent
had not had this relief which was so necessary at his advanced
age and which caused much anger to the ambassadors who had affairs
to negotiate with him.” 1
Cardinal Maidalchini compounded the problem of his uselessness by
diminishing the dignity of the Catholic Church. Though Innocent had
politely ignored his ridiculous charade as cardinal nephew, he could not
forgive his very public disgrace at the opening of the holy door when he
had not been able to figure out what to do with the holy hammer and
the angry crowd had mashed him against the wall. The heretics were
laughing, and the Catholics were ashamed, and it was all Olimpia’s
fault for pushing her idiot nephew into the position and then insisting
he open the door to grab the medals.
It was clear that Innocent must name a new cardinal nephew. But no
matter whom he chose, Olimpia would be outraged. Though the crowds
of favor seekers had stopped coming by her house to call on Cardinal
Maidalchini, at least the cardinal nephew did not take power away from
her. Olimpia would never stand for an ambitious young prelate helping
the pope run the Vatican, leaving her twiddling her thumbs on the sidelines.
Innocent had been studying the young clerics at the papal court
for some time. The families that Olimpia’s two haughty daughters had
married into—the Ludovisi and Giustiniani clans—were aware of the
need for a new nephew and were quietly pushing forward several grinning
relatives. But the pope wasn’t interested.
Cardinal Panciroli, with whom the pope often discussed his dilemma,
pointed out to him a promising young man named Camillo
Astalli. Cardinal Pallavicino described Astalli, a darkly handsome thirtyyear-old,
as “a prelate of noble Roman family, who seemed to him a
youth of merit and expectations. . . . The pope brooded on this plan and
was pulled by his liking for Astalli, so that when he saw him he had a
violent commotion of the heart.” 2
The pope, readily attracted to good-looking people, imagined that
Astalli would add luster to the papal throne by simply standing next to
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