Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within

by Taylor R. Marshall

It took nearly two millennia for the enemies of the Catholic Church to realize they could not successfully attack the Church from the outside. Indeed, countless nemeses from Nero to Napoleon succeeded only in creating sympathy and martyrs for our Catholic Faith. That all changed in the mid-19th century, when clandestine societies populated by Modernists and Marxists hatched a plan to subvert the Catholic Church from within. Their to change Her doctrine, Her liturgy, and Her mission. In this captivating and carefully documented book, Dr. Taylor Marshall pulls back the curtain on their nefarious plan, showing how these enemies of Christ strategically infiltrated the seminaries, then the priesthood, then the episcopacy, and eventually the cardinal-electors all with the eventual goal of electing one of their own as pope. You'll come to see that the seemingly endless scandals plaguing the Church are not the result, as so many think, of cultural changes, or of Vatican II, but rather the natural consequences of an orchestrated demonic plot to destroy the Church. In these gripping pages, you'll

Genres: Catholic, Religion, History, Nonfiction, Faith, Christianity, Politics

224 pages, Hardcover

Published May 31, 2019

About the author

Taylor Marshall reads, reads, and reads. And then he writes.

He is the President of the New Saint Thomas Institute.

Dr. Marshall earned BA in Philosophy from Texas A&M University, an MAR in Systematic Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Anglican Studies from Nashotah Theological House, and an MS in Philosophy from the University of Dallas.

He completed a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Dallas with the thesis “Thomas Aquinas on Natural Law and the Twofold Beatitude of Humanity.”

He lives in Colleyville, Texas with his wife, Joy, and eight children.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Infiltration Taylor Marshall sets out to explain the current situation in the Church by making the case for an infiltration of the Church by her enemies. He does this by examining the history of the conflict between Church and Freemasonry, examining many recent private revelations and prophecies, and tying these to the undeniably unsettling developments within the Church in the last 60 years.

I appreciate that Marshall is willing to engage many topics that are considered verboten. His ultimate conclusions on many of the topics are also, for the most part, sound. However, I had significant problems with the methodology he employed in making his case and some of the particular accusations he raises in the text.

In my opinion, there are five problems that recur throughout Infiltration:

1) A dangerous tendency to detract/calumniate: A few different examples could be provided here, but one stood out in particular. Marshall's account of the accusations against Paul VI, as regards his personal moral life and sexual activities, should have been omitted from the text. While it is true that these accusations were made, to my knowledge there has never been any substantiation of the accusations. The accusations were immediately met with public and outright denials by the pope.

Marshall does, to his credit, acknowledge that Paul denied the allegations. However, given the overall narrative of the book, and the context of the story presented, my impression was that it was presented in such a way so that most readers, already ill-at-ease and disturbed by the many perfectly legitimate critiques against the pontificate made by Marshall, will accept these accusations as another piece in the overall puzzle that might explain the upheaval largely begun during the reign of Paul VI.

This occurs elsewhere with other ecclesiastical figures. In the age of free information it is easy to forget the obligation of Christians to attentively avoid rash judgment and calumny, even with regard to those who are in many ways blameworthy. I feel that, in this way, the book failed in multiple instances. Given the gravity of these instances, even if relatively isolated, I feel this is a mortal wound to the overall book.

2) A tendency to over-simplify: Marshall's thesis is straightforward: the Church has been infiltrated, and this infiltration was foretold by private revelation and is confirmed by historical analysis. This thesis becomes the interpretive lens through which all events are presented in the book. As a result, many events are described in a way that seems straightforward largely because of the counter-arguments that Marshall omits. Perhaps the most glaring example in the text of this tendency is the reconstruction of events surrounding the death of John Paul I. The account by Marshall is straightforward and unambiguous largely because it carefully omits other testimonies and theories.

3) A variety of unhelpful tangents: Throughout the text, Marshall often goes in directions that are more than a little puzzling, especially in light of the topics he omits or passes over quickly.

I found his treatment of the liturgy to be the most striking example of this. When describing the work of Bugnini, Marshall wastes considerable time detailing his objections to the Holy Week Reforms under Pope Pius XII. I'm sympathetic to critiques made about these reforms, but I find it incomprehensible that he spent so much time detailing these very particular changes when he could have spent the time addressing the far graver problems that arose with the reforms two pontificates later. While he does treat on some of these later reforms, providing criticisms of aberrations such as communion in the hand, and gives a historical summary of the Ottaviani Intervention, I think that he ultimately fails to meaningfully and adequately address the more foundational problems with the later reforms.

Another example of a bizarre tangent is the time spent detailing Aleister Crowley and his connection to St. Gallen. This strange digression was unconvincing and served no real purpose, other than to insinuate a connection with occultism and the Church. This conspiracy would, I'm sure, be tantalizing to many readers, but it is almost purely conjecture on the part of the author.

4) An over-reliance on private revelation: Private revelation has its place and one would certainly be ill-advised to completely ignore the approved messages of Fatima, La Salette, Lourdes and others. The place of these revelations, however, must always be secondary to Catholic Doctrine. The attention given in Marshall's narrative, in my opinion, seems to make private revelation too much of a foundation for understanding the present situation in the Church. Especially for those just beginning to see the depth of the present ecclesiastical crisis, an over-dependence on private revelation and prophecy can easily give rise to an unhealthy preoccupation. By relying less on private revelation and prophecy, and by devoting more time to the incontestable doctrinal and historical roots of the present crisis, Marshall could have easily avoided these pitfalls, and also made a sounder (and stronger) case.

5) A constantly-conspiratorial mindset: Finally, I think the book fosters a mentality that seeks to constantly uncover conspiracy and hidden agendas in historical events. This mentality is both unhelpful and unhealthy. There can be no denial that some conspiracies exist and that some of these have targeted the Church. That much is obvious. However, many of the changes in the Church described by Marshall have considerably more straightforward doctrinal and historical explanations that could have been presented.

Has the Church been infiltrated? Sure. And it has always been. However, the extent of this infiltration has, I think, been exaggerated by Marshall. This isn't to downplay the gravity of the present situation at all. It is just to say that the present situation can be explained by more straightforward means. One needs only to read the journals of the periti at the last council to see how deeply impacted many of them were influenced by liberal currents of enlightenment philosophy. These ways of thinking, in the end, tell us far more reliably about how we got to where we are than any reading of freemasonic tea-leaves will.

Perhaps I am oversensitive on this point. However, five minutes of searching on Google can reveal just how far off the mark conspiratorial thinking can lead Catholics. I think it advisable to err on the side of caution with regard to drudging up conspiracy theories, especially since these conspiracies are in no way essential to understanding and responding to the present situation.
Ultimately, I think this book was a wasted opportunity. There is a need for a new contribution in this genre of literature that reaches out to people that are new to the present crisis and which takes into account the many new developments of the last few decades. I originally hoped that this book might fill this place. Given the above mentioned weaknesses, however, I would be strongly disinclined to suggest this book to anyone looking for an up-to-date introduction into present crises in the Church.

(A final note: I did not factor this into the review above, but I should note that I read sections of the book in eBook form, and listened to others with Audible. The Audible narration is plagued by a near-constant mispronunciation of people, places, and Catholic terminology. Lefebvre becomes Luh-Fever, Solesmes becomes So-Lezz-Mezz, etc.)

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any who remember the Boston Globe revelations during the dismally depressing Spring of 2002, and those stunned, shamed, and outraged last summer (2018) as more lurid events began to emerge about Cardinal (now ex) McCarrick, and still confused, frustrated, not knowing why or how these things—and SO MANY others—could have happened in the Catholic Church we love, this is the book to read.

While no single book can address every issue, Dr. Marshall has done a phenomenal job tracing back relevant events from the last two hundred years of Church history which explain how and why we got into such a mess. He focuses primarily on the popes of each era, relating their strengths and weaknesses. He also describes approved apparitions, the visionaries’ messages and the effect on the popes and the Church. To me, this is one of the greatest strengths of the book. Marshall gives credence to both the Petrine and Marian traditions, acknowledging the reality of both and their impact on the Church for better or worse.

Although I knew some of the history, there was also much material here which was new making it hard to put down. I finished Infiltration in less that two days and only prior commitments kept me from reading faster. Ever since I have been describing parts to my husband who wants a copy when it is published.

And for those concerned that this will be a hard book to read, I would just say that it has been a hard year and things are just going to get harder, but we need to know what is what in order to know what to do. Fortunately, Dr. Marshall concludes with concrete suggestions for things we can do to really help our Church.

Highly recommended!

*CAVEAT: A Marian apparition, if deemed genuine by Church authority, is treated as private revelation that may emphasize some facet of the received public revelation for a specific purpose, but it can never add anything new to the deposit of faith. The Church may pronounce an apparition as worthy of belief, but belief is never required by divine faith. Since the Church does not even require belief in something as important, beautiful and holy as its approved Marian apparitions which usually bring so much GOOD fruit, and she has never – at least to my knowledge required us to believe in the ‘private revelations’ of secret societies sworn to destroy us, I continue to be skeptical of those who claim to know what they have revealed. Yes, I am perfectly aware that we have been forbidden by numerous papal bans from joining them, but that is not the same thing as believing in what they say they are going to do. When evil speaks, I refuse to listen. When Our Lady speaks, that is another matter! And yet even then, I wait until the Church confirms it is Our Lady. (Medjugdore caught me by surprise once and was the beginning of my adult conversion which is the only reason I have even considered reading anything about it.) So, in this review I have set Dr. Marshall’s assertions about the Carbonari’s ‘plot’ aside. I put more credence in Bella Dodd’s testimony due to her ultimate conversion and willing testimony before Congress. The rest of this book stands on its own without the initial assertion and would be much better IMHO, although certainly less sensational. Forgive me for not including this caveat in my initial review. I have held this belief and done this so automatically (i.e., dismissed alleged revelations from secret societies) for so long now I forget I do it. Certainly, I do not deny that the popes’ actions would seem to indicate that they have some sort of ‘proof’ of the malignity of secret enemies, but of what value is such ‘proof’? Can one ever trust someone sworn to secrecy who breaks this vow by revealing what he was sworn to protect? What was his motive for breaking that vow? And then does he not curse that very vow by his own action?

Let us go back to Mary, whose revelations are all in the open. Who only has secret revelations when we do not heed her warnings. So let us focus on what she has said and asked of us. Her words are worth recalling, following and spreading.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book twice now, actually i have listened to it once over two days. and then I took a week of evenings once my children were in bead and read through the text. I highlighted 125 passages on that second pass through. It is an incredible read. I believe it is a book that any Catholic would benefit from reading, weather traditionalist, modernist, convert, revert or life long Catholic. And i love that the book ends with asking for prayer. (Full review below.)
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I have been a fan of Taylor Marshall’s work for a few years now. His books, his podcasts, his seminars. I am not normally a conspiracy theory guy. I have been shaken by the scandal in the church and especially the hierarchy over the last few years. I have been greatly surprised by some of the things said and actions taken by pope benedict. I pray for him daily! But this book is rooted in such solid research, and when the evidence is inconclusive it admits the various possibilities.

The sections in this book are:
Foreword, by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
Acknowledgments
1. The Smoke of God and the Smoke of Satan
2. Alta Vendita: Satan’s Revolution in Tiara and Cope
3. Our Lady of La Salette
4. Attack on the Papal States in 1870
5. Pope Leo XIII Sees Demons Gather on Rome
6. Infiltration of the Church by Secret Societies and Modernism
7. Our Lady of Fatima
8. Conclave of 1922: Pope Pius XI
9. Communist Infiltration of the Priesthood
10. 1939 Papal Conclave: Pius XII
11. Pius XII as the Pope of Fatima
12. Communist Infiltration of the Liturgy
13. Woeful Illness of Pius XII: Three Crypto-Modernists
14. Mysterious Conclave of 1958
15. Pope John XXIII Opens the Third Secret
16. Vatican II — Modernism on Parade
17. Conclave of 1963: Paul VI
18. Crypto-Modernism and Nouvelle Théologie
19. Theological Infiltration of Vatican II
20. Infiltration of the Liturgy
21. Ottaviani Intervention against Pope Paul VI
22. Archbishop Lefebvre and the Traditionalist Resistance
23. Resistance to the Novus Ordo Missae
24. Infiltration of the Vatican Bank under Paul VI
25. Infiltration and the Mysterious Death of John Paul I
26. Infiltration of John Paul II’s Pontificate
27. Sankt Gallen Mafia: Homosexuality, Communism, and Freemasonry
28. Ratzinger versus Bergoglio in the Papal Conclave of 2005
29. Infiltration and the Plot against Benedict XVI
30. Infiltration of the Vatican Bank and the Butler of Pope Benedict XVI
31. Infiltration and the Election of Pope Francis
32. Solving the Current Crisis
33. Spiritual Weapons against Demonic Enemies
Appendices
Who’s Who in This Book
Timeline of Popes in This Book
Vatican Secretaries of State by Papacy and Dates
Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita
Both Versions of the Secret of La Salette
Timeline of Liturgical Changes
Dates of Indults for Communion in Hand
Timeline of the Life of Ex-Cardinal McCarrick
Index

This book goes back and builds a strong case for how the church has ended up where it is today. It presents some very solid evidence, and when appropriate shares differing views on events. Of particular interest for me based on my own reading and research over the years, the first was on the possible assassination of Pope John Paul I, and the second on the Conclave of 1958. This book is masterfully written. It is of high quality academic research, and yet written in an engaging manner that any lay person can pick it up and work through it. There are many parts of this book that should drive devote Catholics to their knees, praying for forgiveness, praying for healing, and praying for the Church as a whole.

The introduction begins with these words:

“In Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within, Taylor Marshall touches on a topic that is deliberately ignored today. The issue of a possible infiltration of the Church by forces outside her does not fit into the optimistic picture that Pope John XXIII and particularly the Second Vatican Council unrealistically and uncritically drew of the modern world.”

Based on the evidence given, including firsthand accounts from some involved I would state it is not a possibility it is a reality. The infiltration is a reality, and we must open our eyes, our hearts and become prayer warriors. We are also reminded that:

“The modern world, after all, is inspired by the principles of the French Revolution: the absolute freedom of man from any divine revelation or commandment; the absolute equality that abolishes not only any social or religious hierarchy but even differences between the sexes; and a brotherhood of man so uncritical that it even eliminates any distinction on the basis of religion.”

One of the most powerful statements from Marshall is at the beginning of the book:

“If you do not believe that Satan exists, put down this book. Moreover, if you believe that the Catholic Church can be purified merely by updated rules, policies, and canonical procedures, you’ll find little promise in the historical diagnosis and proposed cure found in this book. Saint Paul stated: “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). The crisis of the Catholic Church relates to the intrusion of these “rulers of this present darkness,” and she can only be purified by sanctified warfare against the demonic.”

His chapter that is written around the three planks of modernism I of upmost importance. And the book needs to be read as a whole and synthesised by the reader. I have read this book twice now, actually, I have listened to it once over two days. and then I took a week of evenings once my children were in bead and read through the text, slowly and methodologically, often looking of references and sources. And I will likely return to it again in a few months after some further research based on the sources and quotes in the volume. I highlighted 125 passages on that second pass through. It is an incredible read. I believe it is a book that any Catholic would benefit from reading, weather traditionalist, modernist, convert, revert or life long Catholic. And I love that the book ends with asking for prayer.

With all of that being said, I am not a big fan of conspiracy theories. I am not a Rad Trad. I am a revert to the Catholic faith, I have never been to a Latin mass. I was born after Vatican II, and I believe in the local parish, the school our children attend, and our house is inside a specific parish boundary and we attend there. There are more traditional looking churches in town, but we attend our parish. I know some people drive hours to attend Latin Mass, or to go to the church of a specific priest. That is not now, nor likely ever would be me. I have a religious study degree with a focus on Roman Catholic Thought. I love being Catholic, I love communion, confession, the sacraments, and Eucharistic adoration. And I love daily mass. This book does challenge some underlying assumptions and raises a lot of points that need serious consideration.

Therefore, I strongly encourage you to give this book a read, and like the end of the book be praying! Be praying for Taylor, for our Church, for us, and for a cleanup of the temple!

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Dr. Taylor R. Marshall.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a Traditionalist Catholic looking for information about how the Catholic Church became so corrupt, I instinctively looked towards this book as a result of the considerable support that it had generated in the Traditional Catholic community and its endorsement from the trustworthy Bishop Schneider. Sadly, this book is a complete mess that was put together haphazardly and does severe discredit to the Traditionalist cause. I've taken the time to research and point out some of the problems with this book. This list is far from exhaustive.

Sourcing in general is very poor. There are pages upon pages of non-controversial content that are not cited to anything. The instances of this are too numerous to point out. One example is that information on the conclave of 1904 and an introduction to Pope Pius X (pp. 43-45) is mostly not attributed to any material. To let non-controversial information go poorly cited or uncited is bad. It is unethical because it robs the people whom an author uses to find his information of credit for their work, and poor scholarship because it makes the information harder to verify. But to have little or no sourcing for controversial claims is an entirely different level of irresponsibility.

Repeated strong statements about people, including popes, completely lack citations. Pope John XXIII is accused of disbelieving the words of the three visionaries at Fatima based on a press release put out by the Vatican (p. 117). A serious allegation like that should immediately be followed by a citation. However, there is no citation verifying that the press release ever took place. Marshall says that "Financial historians unanimously agree that [Michele] Sindona was mixing Vatican funds with heroin profits from mafia families." (p. 169) Marshall would need several citations here, each to a different financial historian, in order to adequately prove his claim. He doesn't even have one. Marshall discusses conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Pope John Paul I (pp. 173-177). He cites absolutely no primary sources but takes everything from a single book written by a man named David Yallop. Marshall doesn't even give page numbers. He just cites the whole book. And if you're hoping that Marshall will explain who David Yallop is and what makes him reliable, too bad.

As a general problem, Marshall often uses innuendo and claims that are tacitly acknowledged as not being fully verified, but then moves on ahead as if they have been proven. Legend says that Siri was elected pope in 1958. It was alleged that Paul VI was a homosexual and involved in financial corruption with the Vatican Bank. Yallop "claims" that John Paul I was shown a list of Masonic cardinals and had begun to act on it until one of those cardinals killed him. In each of these cases, Marshall sort of admits that certain claims are not provable but then runs with them anyway, disregarding any contrary evidence that might exist and giving the impression that they are fact.

There are a few statements that show up as unsupported. Marshall's claim that Achille Ratti took the name Pius XI as a rebuke to Pius IX and Pius X (p. 77) is unproven. He calls the Lateran Treaty a "bad deal" and says that "Mussolini bought the Catholic Church for a cheap price." (p. 80) There is no real explanation as to why. It seems as though the reader is supposed to get the impression that the attempts by Freemasons to infiltrate the Church in the 19th century are somehow linked to efforts by Communists to do the same in the 20th century. But the connection is never made. Taylor fails to link Communist infiltration and the St. Gallen mafia back to the Italian secret societies of the 19th century. There is no documentary evidence given in the book that 20th century infiltrators were even aware of what supposedly began with the Alta Vendita Masons in 1859.

There are some mistakes that are even more stupid and could easily have been corrected, especially by a decent editor. Saints Cyril and Methodius are said to have been sent by Pope Adrian II to evangelize the Slavs. Actually, they were sent by the schismatic Patriarch of Constantinople Photius before they defected to the side of the Pope. The book makes reference to "Pius XII's teaching in 1928" (p. 80). Pius XII was not pope in 1928. Vatican II is said to have lasted between 1963 and 1965 (p. 87); the Council began in 1962. Marshall reports, without explanation, that restrictions were in place on Theodore McCarrick since 2006 (p. 219). Vigano himself says that the restrictions were put in place in 2009 or 2010. Most evidence suggests that it was in 2008 (https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/ne...). I have never heard anyone give 2006 as the year. Marshall says that Benedict XVI "rebuffed liberals by returning to the papal dress and ceremonies not seen since the days of Pope Pius XII, such as the red shoes, the camauro, and the red cappello romano." (p. 213) However, John XIII and Paul VI both wore all three of these things. Even John Paul II sometimes wore the red shoes. Marshall discusses Paul VI's discourses on the closing of Vatican II on December 7, 1965, followed by remarks made "months later." (p. 240) These remarks were made on January 12, 1966, only one month and five days later, as can be clearly seen by the citations that Marshall provided. It's almost amusing that in one of the few cases where he bothered to provide citations, Marshall contradicted them. McCarrick is said to have been suspended from public ministry in July 2018 (p. 255). It was in June. Sloppy work like this distracts the reader from the book's argument and would cast doubt on the book's credibility even if the rest of it were brilliantly argued and impeccably sourced.

Marshall claims that the August 1978 conclave "had no conservative candidate." (p. 172) However, it was widely reported that Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, whom Marshall himself calls "the conservative candidate" in 1958, was a contender. David Yallop even claims that Siri led on the first ballot. If Marshall contradicts Yallop in such a strong way here by alleging that the person whom Yallop claimed to be leading on the first ballot was not even a contender, then that is one more reason why he should have explained why Yallop was reliable enough to be his only source for information about John Paul I's death.

In the appendix "Who's Who in This Book," Marshall describes John Paul II as someone who "upheld the traditional teachings of the Church." (p. 259) Considering how he had shortly before spent an entire chapter lambasting John Paul II and accusing him of apostatizing and promoting pagan worship and the heresy of the liberty of conscience, I found this to be a very strange and contradictory statement.

Marshall ends his main narrative asking people to review the book on Amazon (p. 246). This was distracting and unprofessional. He would have done better by urging people to pray for the Church or find a Traditional Mass parish if they are not already in one.

Parts of this book were well argued and seemed to be going somewhere. Congressional testimony alleging an infiltration of the Church (pp. 84-87) is both shocking and believable, largely because it actually has citations to primary sources. Marshall's case that the Vatican hid the Third Secret of Fatima is one of his strongest arguments, especially because SOME of the claims that he makes here actually have footnotes. The ways in which 20th and 21st century popes have departed from their predecessors on doctrine and discipline is clearly shown. Marshall ably discusses the deficiencies of Pius XII in his later years. However, the author's credibility is undermined by poor work elsewhere, and there just aren't enough redeemable qualities in this book to atone for the appallingly bad sourcing, numerous factual errors, and heavy reliance on insinuation. A little more time editing, adding citations, and fact-checking would have made this book much better, as would a heavier focus on doctrine rather than conspiracy theories. But as it stands, the book is worth very little. This was my first time reading a Taylor Marshall book. I will never read another.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding and extremely critical history here. It holds precise name, date, event and outcome- and not at all is it any "pie in the sky" opinion piece. Reading some of the reviews, you would think it was. It is not. It's a book that all Roman Catholic people of faith AND practice should read. Absolutely core to what has occurred in my own lifetime. And not only because of the stats included here in the book either. (They are truthfully terrifying to all Catholics or should be.) We all know that the Church has changed immensely in the last 50 to 75 years- and what those changes have wroth. And how Faith (with OR WITHOUT works) itself has declined.

4.5 stars- and the only reason I did not round it up was because it is so Faith specific, that I bottom line perceive that most Christians and majority agnostics/ atheists or some other Christian Protestant groups too (Jewish Orthodox may understand more of this book's onus perhaps)- other world religions very little. They will not connote or "understand" the specifics of what he evaluates here in degree at all. They most probably won't. Because so much of this is exact Faith / bottom line prime central to THE CHURCH. THE ONE HOLY ROMAN CATHOLIC base of St. Peter's keys. All the Apostle's Creed listings, every core belief- all the prime bottom line quotients- every single one. Not at all the "you be charitable to others and that's all that matters" kind of love fest idea of Christianity as some vague type of KINDNESS habit- or all "we" need to do is hold hands and believe in "goodness" in our actions kind of bilge. That's not what this book is about. It is NOT spiritualism cognition or any kind of universal Marianne Williamson type of "religious" understanding bridge treatise of "facts".

It's about what has happened to THE CHURCH. And the mire of duplicity and conflicting dictates that have put most Catholics into a swamp of confusions.

Fabulous author and I have never read him before. What honesty! And what exactness of source and witness. Looking through all the vast corruptions, PR types of marketing and other ploys which have gotten us into the mire and quite away from Jesus, Holy Father and Holy Spirit.

This is terrific documentation for the messages of Mary in her Fatima (and specifics to minutia details about other appearances and miracles which enlighten how we "got" here). Also other inputs into what is happening now and what we can do to "hear" her advice; those parts of the book were best recorded that I've ever read. This material is essential to seeing through the muck of Freemasonry, Globalism, Modernism and all the other foisted "goods" that have diverted The Church from its pivotal place and ultimate purpose (Christ's Bride) under Christ the King.

Best book re the Roman Catholic reality that I've read- especially with regard to hierarchy and all the Vatican bank, sexual exploiting hiding cabals, and the "progressive" bunch groupings. Those corrupt associates who believe that Socialism, Communism and other "group think" human forcing to economic and totalitarian powers are a "good thing". And can be at all, at any time, a Christian or Roman Catholic operational possibility.

More than that is here. Read it. The witnesses of Fatima and those places that were many miles away, did not know what was going on at all, and still experienced the miracle of the falling sun- those may be worth the read for all. But in the many Papal Enclaves, most non-Catholics won't understand the onus, IMHO. Nor the logistics of infiltration.

For those Catholics who wonder why I read this book now. I just came across a Jesuit individual published tract (he's also on the Internet) and a local speaker on demand too- who is now decreeing/ teaching that Satan is just a symbol of evil, and that the Holy Spirit is "good will" intent/ enthusiasm for charity "sharing". This is far worse than heresy.

And as a personal note, I have always LOVED the St. Michael the Archangel prayer comprised by the Pope of my childhood. After reading this book I now understand it more than I ever did. And also what he is defending us against. So surprise, surprise- one of the worst cleric duo's were friends and close associates in Chicago with Saul Alinsky. Before his/ their notoriety too- every one lining up for the "all worthy ends justify the means" beginnings of despicable practices.

And you wonder why Sunday Mass is at a percentage of 20 to 30% of what it was 25 to 50 years ago? This is how it happened. And how we were warned. And what we can do now.

[Teresa “Teri” · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally read this book. I delayed because I knew Dr. Marshall to be a truthful and godly Catholic gentleman who would NEVER write a book like this just for the monetary gain of controversy or to stir division. So why the delay? Because, I wanted to pretend I didn’t know the awful things going on in the Church. After taking my head out of the sand and read this book, I had no happiness or joy.
I believe Dr. Marshall’s words and I know they are speaking truth - that is why it makes me sad.
But, just as in the hauntingly sad book by Elie Wiesel,
“Night” about his young experience in the Holocaust- two themes came together for me.
In “Night” when Moshe the Beadle returns to Sighet to tell all of the Jews about the widespread murder of the Jews of Europe they eventually think he’s mad after telling him he’s wrong and that could never happen, etc. But, it did happen within 2 years to these people from Sighet.
Any Catholics just like I was, who want to pretend nothing is wrong or could happen to us, etc - you are kidding yourselves!
Nothing, NOTHING AT ALL compares me or Catholics to the mass slaughter of 6 million Jews during The Holocaust! It’s only a small comparison in “not listening and living in denial.
The final chapters of Infiltration were my favorite because they tell us what we can do.
If not for those chapters, the future of Our Faith, of Faith in God would leave us in despair.
The Church will persevere but not without a refining and rebirth. Both cause much pain. We must be on guard and ready.

[T.J. Campagna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Manipulative and intellectually dishonest. The author’s conclusions are appallingly bad, and his evidence either nonexistent, false, or presented in such a way that ignores evidence contrary to his whims. Take a closer look: as one example among many, he leaves out sections from the second version of the La Sallette apparition that contain dates, dates that have already passed (without fulfillment) and thus falsify the alleged second version that his conclusions rest upon. His reason for believing it is that the seer allegedly died receiving the Sacraments. Done. That’s his reason (Receiving the Sacraments is obviously paramount to our lives, but it doesn’t serve as proof that everything we ever said was true). The Sankt Gallen section doesn’t actually contain evidence, and just tells a sort of bizarre story unconnected to his premise (save the McCarrick section?). If there’s a connection to Pope Francis, he certainly doesn’t demonstrate it...and don’t even get me started on his third secret of Fatima conspiracy. There’s actually so little evidence to support Marshall’s hypothesis that I actually wonder if he is telling the story that he wishes were true. Either way, the fruit of my reading the book is a desire to run out and buy some works by von Balthasar, Rahner, de Lubac, Ratzinger and the other “new theologians” to further inoculate myself from this rad trad garbage. Marshall risks doing real harm to a Church already suffering by conjuring up suspicion, conspiracy, cynicism, fiction, and a decidedly Protestant mindset. The Church today deserves content and scholarship aimed at helping the Church put balm on her wounds, and to illuminate a path that she may charge fearlessly forward in her mission to be a light to the Gentiles.

[Stefanie Lozinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I've only been Catholic for a little over a year, so I'm not sure I can really call myself a "veteran" of anything, but I am a bit of a Church crisis nerd, and I suspect a lot of potential readers are in the same boat. I'm very thankful that I was able to read this book. I'm a regular listener to Dr. Marshall's TnT podcast, and I've read his book "The Crucified Rabbi" in the past, so I knew that his writing skills and knowledge of the Church were top notch. However, when I first saw the announcement of this book, I wondered how he would be able to live up to his premise. It's a difficult tightrope to walk: how does one go about writing a bird's eye view look at What Went Wrong while still providing enough detail for Ecclesial politicos to chew on?

We are living in an epochal time, and anyone with their sensus fidelium intact can feel the supernatural heaviness surrounding the Church and the world. It's a time of awakening for many in the pews, and a time where long-time traditionalists must swallow the urge to say "I told you so" for the good of their souls, and for the souls of those floundering in the wake of Pope Francis and the summer of shame. I believe Dr. Marshall wrote this book, primarily, for these "new traditionalists" - Catholics - people who love God and the Church, and who cannot understand how the Pope can say the things he says or how so much of the clerical class can be besotted with sexual abuse and homosexuality. People who see the chaos in fragments but are in need of a big picture to tie the huge number of threads together.

Infiltration did not disappoint. Dr. Marshall is not only an excellent apologist, but a skilled journalist as well! His coverage of the James Grein abuse case and the Vatican Bank scandal on his TnT podcast with Timothy Gordon was invaluable, and though these topics were only sketched out briefly in this book, I can understand his reasoning in painting with broad strokes in light of the intended audience. I will forever consider Michael Davies's "Liturgical Time Bombs in Vatican II" to be my go-to "quick read" recommendation for those seeking to understand where this crisis began in terms of liturgy, doctrine, and Vatican II, however, this book is a wonderful complement with a larger scope.

This book will give someone new to the crisis a sense of context, and that is the first reason why I will wholeheartedly recommend it. However, make no mistake, this book provides a lot of deeper details and interesting tidbits I have not seen elsewhere - and I read and listen to a lot of this stuff! This book is accessible, but it does not treat these good Catholics as weaklings who cannot handle hearing truths that their pastors have largely neglected to preach. Dr. Marshall pulls no punches and makes no apologies - an attitude needed desperately today, especially among Catholic men and fathers. I am thankful that Sophia Institute Press published it, as many of the ideas contained within have become more or less verboten in the Age of Vatican II. Especially excellent is the treatment of the Church and the State and Freemasonry - topics usually relegated to traditionalist internet enclaves, enclaves that I hope the readers of this book will begin to frequent as they seek a deeper understanding of the many (many!) topics touched upon in this map of the collapse.

My only real criticism is that the sections on Marian apparitions felt incomplete, particularly the scandal surrounding the consecration of Russia and the Third Secret of Fatima. I understand that that topic has filled books of its own and that to go much more in-depth would have been impractical, however, I wish that Dr. Marshall could have been a bit more explicit in urging readers to seek further knowledge on these topics.

Overall, this was an excellent read, and it's about time I pick up a few more books from Dr. Marshall's catalog, including his latest fiction novel! I wouldn't be surprised at all if his creative writing skills are just as good as his theological ones.

Ave Christus Rex,
Stefanie Nicholas
Writer at OnePeterFive & Catholic Family News

[LaochRione · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book will only appeal to people who have no previous understanding of the actual (and very real) infiltration of the Catholic Church. This book is so conspiracy focused as to make the infiltration look like a mad theory and not the reality it actually is.
Taylor Marshall hates Pope Francis. This whole book aims to show why everyone should do likewise. In his attempt to 'prove' his case, he picks a random point in history as a dividing point - everything before this point is heavenly, everything after is BAD and ultimately it's all the fault of Vatican II and ultimately, Pope Francis. The book is very badly researched. Marshall pulls random strands together and decides they 'prove' whatever theory he is currently presenting.

[Emily Sparks · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are definitely things to like about this book, but overall it is a mixed bag. I give it half credit, 2.5, and I round up to 3 stars because of Marshall's goodwill.

First, the good: This book has a readable, conversational tone, so it is quite approachable.
This perhaps the only book out there that I have seen that is aimed at Catholics who are devout and faithful, but are perhaps not well-catechized and are new to what happened in the Church over the past century. There are solid, basic definitions provided about Modernism, sedevacantism, and the philosophical and theological shift that Vatican II promoted ("this world-ism", as von Hildebrand awkwardly called it). It gives some good, very basic, historical information about the popes' imprisonment in the Vatican under Napoleon, why the Vatican City State is what it is today, what happened at Fatima, and what the Modernist Heresy is.
It is clear in this book that the past fifty years are, in fact, not a New Springtime, and it provides some good reasons why through statistics and elaboration. The sooner that terrible lie is dead and buried, the better. It is vital that this lie be corrected, and this book will help that.
It courageously challenges John Paul II's undeserved orthodox reputation, by discussing the scandalous Assisi Conferences.
It gives some legitimate information about some of the bad characters who have done so much to harm the Church, such as Bugnini, Danneels, and some other cardinals of Paul VI. (Though Marshall is unafraid to show how Paul VI empowered these men, he does not get into how John Paul II did in the main narrative, but perhaps that was for reasons of length.)
He correctly introduces people to the scandal that is the Vatican Bank, and how Paul VI brought the Mafia into the Church's finances.
He provides statements from Bella Dodd about Communist infiltration that she testified had occurred in seminaries.
And, his conclusions are good: at the end he encourages people not to lose faith, or to leave the Church, or become sedevacantist. He gives an edifying exhortation about constructive ways to fight and grow in holiness.
(Caveat: This is very much a broad-strokes narrative, so don't expect academic accuracy or attention to precision in this book's descriptions. But, there is a place for general introductions, and I think that is what the book is trying to do.)

The bad: The book is rushed and poorly organized. For example, he has a big build-up as to why the loss of the Papal States was devastating to the Church, and let the devil an in, but he never explains why. I think it was written in a big hurry.
The book is too obsessed with Freemasons. Some of what he says about Freemasonry is fine, but Marshall tries to make Freemasonry an organized, powerful "anti-Church" that is behind all of the attacks on the Church throughout the past few centuries. This can't be proved, and it is highly unlikely. The Truth is One, but error is legion, and there are many philosophies, errors, and organizations that the devil can use to try to corrupt the Church. In the earthly realm, it is not one vast conspiracy, but Marshall tries to present it as one.
For the chapter on the St. Gallen Mafia, Marshall spends time trying to link it with Alistair Crowley. The link as presented is highly dubious, and worse, it's a pointless diversion. The "St. Gallen Mafia" is open about what they tried to do to the Church, and there is plenty of scandals centered around the members that are public record. It would have been much better if Marshall spent more time showing the evils that these members of the hierarchy have done, instead of wasting time trying to make a very unconvincing and pointless link to Crowley. It was a weird misfire.
Marshall doesn't give much attention to liturgy, which is surprising because it is so important. While he does talk about Bugnini and abominations such as Communion in the Hand, he misses an opportunity to show the systematic nature of the omissions and problems with the Novus Ordo, or how the other Sacramental rites were scrapped and overhauled as well. Since this is such an important factor of the mess we are in today, it seems one chapter dedicated to this topic is needed.
Likewise, at the end, he misses an opportunity to encourage people in bad parishes (which are probably a good portion of the readers) to get out of them and try to find a healthier alternative, such as a Traditional Latin Mass community or a Byzantine parish. I know from other articles he has written that he knows how important this is, so I was surprised by the omission.

Is this book a helpful one? I am really not sure. Based on the buzz it has created, it seems like it is helping people. Yet, I would be hesitant to encourage people to read it, unless I was able to provide my own caveats.
This book's popularity does show that people are starved for a more frank acknowledgement of the real state of the Church right now and how we got here, and not empty platitudes, but I think that there is a need for someone to write an introduction to this topic that is less sensational and of better quality. It is an important part of catechesis that many otherwise admirable Catholic groups don't want to touch, so Marshall deserves credit for giving it a try. I do wish the end result was better.

(For people who are familiar with Church history and are up for a longer book, I do highly recommend Henry Sire's "Phoenix From the Ashes"!)

(Note: I listened to Infiltration on Audible, instead of reading it, so I did not read footnotes or appendices.)

[Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and Timely

If you don't want to read another book about the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Francis, I really encourage you to read this. I believe it to explain what is happening to the Church today and why. Why you may not really like Dr. Taylor Marshall, he has researched his material for the book extraordinarily and has included references to his sources.

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!!! All Catholics should read this book.

[Sandralena Hanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read expose of the internal Deep State destruction within the Catholic Church.

[Michael K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I am aghast of the contents, truly I am not surprised. I do not mean this just over the numerous Catholic incidents since I was a child, but the fact that when people obtain power and have an arrogant and hubris ego, they tend to believe they are untouchable. One of the doctrines is that the Pope (Pontif) is, in essence, God on earth. This is fallacious! ONLY God can be God, no one else has the capability or ability, nor the temperament, to be such a being!.

It is sad, as I was raised in a Catholic home, by a long lineage of Catholics. (That is neither good nor bad, but is just what it is.) However, my affiliation with Catholicism was just the beginning of my Christian journey, which has taken decades and I still do not know all the answers but I have a lot more now than I did back at the beginning of my journey.

This book shows the long tale of the enemies of the Church to infiltrate, divide, and destroy through internal changes by edict or law from within. No one ever seems to suspect when the "infallible leader" makes a change it must be alright! (Despite the fact that that specific change goes against the very nature of the Gospel truths and Biblical text!)

Quite honestly, it doesn't matter which church it might be, as this can happen to any church or Christian sect. Liberality and liberalism are easy to institute within your hierarchy if you are willing to vote the proper people in place. This was a well researched and well laid out book. Definitely worth the time to read.

We must always be willing to challenge our church leadership when we believe they are running astray from the Biblical tenets. Remember what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:11 KJV "But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed." Paul was the junior apostle and Peter one of the original 12, Paul calling him a super apostle. Therefore, we must be willing to stand up for God's word, God's teaching, and be bold about it!

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Like most tradcaths, he ascribes Luther with an oversized role in damaging the Church. Furthermore, the Lateran Pact is portrayed as a deal with the devil, even though it likely saved the Vatican from destruction during the Second World War. Also, the attempt to link Church subversion to the Thelemite movement was wholly unconvincing.

Ultimately, one must ponder whether figures like Baum and McCarrick were indeed sent to destroy the Church from within, or are rather byproducts of Catholicism itself. The text does not make a particularly strong argument favoring the former position.

[Vagabond of Letters, DLitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

TIL that John XXIII was a friend of the atheist Jewish archleftist and agitator extraordinaire Saul Alinsky back to the days he was Abp Montini, and admired his Rules for Radicals and 'community organizing'.

Also that the pervert McCarrick had an uncannily meteoric rise through the hierarchy without ever having pastored a church.

Also that Pius XII was controlled by a triumvirate of Modernists after 1948.

The concluding chapter on different responses to the Bergoglio crisis is clear and concise and should be published separately in much expanded form. He strongly defends 'recognize and resist' but deals fairly (if briefly) with sedevacantism, sedeprivationism, losing faith entirely, going Eastern Orthodox, and going Prot or Modernist (I doubt the latter two hold any attraction for the audience of this book). He even mentions and addresses my position (which I thought was incredibly rare) of 'Resignationism' - acknowledging the papacy of BXVI.

Unfortunately, I can't give this book a higher rating because it depends heavily on private revelations (though ones certified by the church as worthy of belief), and at several junctures relies heavily on abductive reasoning, whuch can seem either like speculative leaps or arguments by inference. In the end, the picture Marshall reconstructs makes sense of disparate threads of recent ecclesiastical history and has an intuitive appeal.

[Emily Bertrand · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not only is it poorly edited, painfully repetitive, and just plain unprofessional writing, but the content itself is awful. The whole book is about digging up dirt on certain Bishops and Popes, labeling them good guys or bad guys, and claiming that any Catholic teaching that has some sort of loose connection to someone that Marshall deems a villain is to be rejected. It's Cafeteria Catholicism in disguise as Traditional.
I wasn't a big fan of Taylor Marshall before, but this was far worse than anything I could have imagined. Easily the worst book I've ever read (except maybe The Awakening by Kate Chopin -- hated that book.)

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Eye opening to say the least! Very well researched and very direct, to the point. I was left feeling somewhat relieved with Dr. Marshall’s hope filled response to overcoming or tackling the problems facing the church, for without having a positive approach to the problem, I would want to run away myself. A great time of confusion but I go forward with complete trust.

I will admit though, my gut reaction to what I just read was, “I have been lied to my entire life!” Where do I find the truth? The Bible and the most Holy Eucharist! Nothing can separate me from His truth!

[Linds · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some pretty vile rhetoric from this guy. He has a real problem with women.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quite incredible. Very well written, very well researched. This is not a "conspiracy story" book. Dr. Marshall supports his statements. I highly recommend this book. I believe this is a must read for all serious Catholics so as to know what we're up against. Christ is calling his soldiers.

[Kami S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am revisiting my original review. I have just reread this book with my husband. It is worth 5 stars for sure. It's very well written and I highly recommend it to every Catholic out there, both the Traditional and non-Traditional alike. Even if you think you've read it all, this was an excellent summary, with some new thoughts. I especially insist my book friends read it!! (Hint hint 😉)

[Jake Litwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really insightful overview of the corruption and push of Modernism found in Vatican II from a RC perspective.

[Javier Muñoz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tenía muchas ganas de leer este libro que, además con prólogo de Mons. Athanasius Schneider, a priori tenía todos los ingredientes para ser francamente interesante, pero debo decir que se ha quedado en bien sin más... y justito.
El autor, un americano convertido del protestantismo al catolicismo, aborda desde una perspectiva histórica la infiltración que sufre la Iglesia católica, desde el siglo pasado, por parte de la masonería a través de las ideas modernistas y progresistas que han ido influyendo y cambiando la liturgia, la doctrina, etc...
Comparto la tesis principal del libro, y es que estoy seguro de que hay intereses ocultos, que desconocemos, que mueven el mundo y ven como enemigo a batir a la Iglesia, pero de ahí a pensar que todas las claudicaciones de la Iglesia son fruto de conspiraciones, y que desde Juan XXIII hasta el Papa actual todos los papas son modernistas, salvando en parte a Benedicto XVI, me parece decir mucho.
Defiende que la Iglesia, a través de sus Papas y obispos, con la influencia destacada del Concilio Vaticano II, se ha ido distanciando de la enseñanza tradicional, la pureza de la liturgia y se ha protestantizado, perdiendo peso el magisterio y gobierno del Papa y ganándolo los obispos y la propia conciencia de cada cristiano; la pastoral en favor del dogma.
El libro aporta una buena visión de conjunto y síntesis, en lo que son las partes más destacadas de los papados del siglo XX, pero creo que no profundiza lo suficiente para efectivamente concluir que la Iglesia va a la deriva modernista desde hace décadas. Y eso, reconociendo que ha habido, y hay, hechos, situaciones, conciliábulos y conductas lamentables y condenables (Banco Vaticano, mafia rosa, pederastia...).
Sin duda es un tema interesantísimo pero que, en mi opinión, este libro no resuelve.

[Bethany Konopelski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Marshall catalogues what has happened to the Church in the last 100 years.
For whatever reason this book is rather controversial in Catholic circles, usually either loved or hated. Granted the title is rather sensational and if misunderstand would most definitely sound scandalous to pious ears. It should come however as no surprise to us, despite that it is truly shocking and scandalous that the Church would be attacked even from within - for we ourselves are her enemies in some sense as sinners! However, there is real documented evidence - some given by Marshall in this text - that the Church's enemies from without, freemasons and communists, have strategically infiltrated her. If you think that sounds crazy, minds as brilliant and reasonable as Dietrich and Alice von Hildebrand recognized this crisis firsthand themselves as it finally unfolded in the 1960s. Read more here: http://www.latinmassmagazine.com/arti...
Even the Mother of God herself confirms this is true and uses the word "infiltrate" in her messages at Akita Japan on October 13, 1973.
But be not afraid!! Christ has already overcome! The Immaculate Heart will triumph!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the history and research that went into this book. However, my two big hang up's (maybe three) are 1. Lefebvre - despite the fact that he was standing up for the TLM at the end of the day he was disobedient, period. Full stop. Even to today SSPX are continuing in that disobedience if they are still active (which in some places they are and it is a travesty). Dr. Marshall seems to gloss over this glaring point. 2. There were married deacons prior to the permanent diaconate being REinstituted. I'll admit this one is a small matter in the bigger scheme of the books contents but it also hits a little closer to home for me. If we're going to be honest and do all of the research then even this little point should be accurate. 3. The beginning of the book was amazing unbiased and just laid down the foundation of events. The second half was quite a bit of speculation, mudslinging, and chalk full of opinion. I had such high hopes for this book but imho it was just okay.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm following Taylor R. Marshall's podcasts for quite a while already, so I've learnt a lot about this topic and what's going on in the church nowadays. I'm grateful for this book because it describes in very clear and understandable manner for any lay man or woman the crisis in the church and what caused it. It also describes the positions one may take when he becomes aware of the crisis, highlighting the most logical one and that is "Recognize and resist" option. Very interesting and useful read for any catholic but also any non-catholic interested in the crisis in the Catholic church.

[AYVA · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read half of the book and felt drained, Far too much conspiracy information here without knowing enough myself about the cathecism of the Catholic Church which I will now fill my brain with instead. You are what you read, and this book left me feeling anxious. It's a book of opinions and how to establish whose opinion is truth which does infer distortion which is equal to conspiracy . I'll trust the papal.

[Jed Ojeda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'd rather read the Provincial Letters instead of this conspiracy theory-riddled bore. At least the former was much more enjoyable.

[Jeff Koloze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched, readable study of Freemason corruption of the Catholic Church and what to do about it.

The following paragraphs are culled from an expanded review which will be published in an upcoming issue of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly.

Dr. Taylor Marshall, renowned as one of Catholicism’s foremost recent converts, presents a provocative thesis in this book, suggesting that Freemasons infiltrated the Catholic Church “to secure to us a Pope according to our own heart” (14). A significant component of this essential claim is that the Sankt Gallen Mafia engineered the election of Jorge Bergoglio as pope. Lest these ideas be discarded as mere conspiracy theories worthy of any YouTube commentator, Marshall offers sufficient evidence to link nineteenth century statements such as the Alta Vendita and other material with twentieth century Church history.

Those who think that there is no problem with Pope Francis—whether regarding his teaching, his political opinions, or his public relations gaffes—will not accept Marshall’s premise that the Church is in a time of crisis as severe as that which affected it post-Reformation or post-French Revolution.

In contrast, those who think that the Catholic Church suffers from severe internal troubles will find Marshall’s book not only enlightening regarding Freemason influence, but also encouraging. As Marshall demonstrates, the Church has survived other seemingly insurmountable social or political attacks, and there are tools, resources, and strategies available to guide the faithful laity through the current crisis, such as the litany of spiritual weapons identified in chapter 33, “Spiritual Weapons Against Demonic Enemies”, ranging from praying the rosary to living a life of sexual chastity.

Marshall’s work is not a scholarly monograph, replete with academic jargon and lugubrious compound-complex sentences. While there are substantial clarifying footnotes and appendices, the audience for the book is obviously popular and reads more as a call to action than a dry academic exercise on the influence of Freemasons in the Church.

While the book contains mellifluous writing, it is worth noting that Marshall’s ideas may be jarring, for he is iconoclastic in several respects. For example, those who revere Pope Paul VI not only as a saint, but as the staunch defender of heterosexual normativity and the sacredness of sex between married persons may recoil at several of Marshall’s claims and innuendoes about the pontiff. Similarly, St. John Paul II is not exempt from Marshall’s criticism.

These jarring attacks against two of the twentieth century’s most iconic popes, however, fade against the chronological structure of the entire book, which supports the claim of Freemason activism within the Church.

Marshall encourages faithful Catholics to pursue “the Recognize and Resist Position”, which demands not only that the laity recognize the validity of the current pope, but also that “the Catholic may in good faith and conscience resist errors spoken by a pope on Twitter, on an airplane, or even in a papal document” (240).

Could Marshall’s essential claim be too simplistic? Is it possible that other forces have created conflict in the Church? Marshall does identify the possibility of Communists infiltrating the seminaries; the rise of the Sexual Revolution, which sought to destroy traditional views on sex, marriage, and abortion; and the devastating influence of pedophiles and pederasts like ex-Cardinal McCarrick on the decline of the authority and respect for the Church. One can argue that these issues may have caused more damage to the Church than an obscure Freemason document from two centuries ago, even if key players in Vatican politics subscribed to its tenets. However, if further historical research can establish the connections between Church leaders and Freemason documents, then Marshall will have exposed a deeply troubling aspect of Church history, justifiably calling into question many Church pronouncements of the past century.

[Christopher Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally I had no intention of reading this book due to the antagonistic stance the author holds toward the Holy Father, Pope Francis. While visiting with a priest friend, he proceeded to read a section to my wife and I, and it really piqued my curiosity. As a child I had read the TAN book AA-1025 (a fictional depiction of supposedly true events), but was not really familiar with Dr. Bella Dodd, the Communist Party USA agent that was expelled from the Party, converted back to the Catholic Faith under the guidance of the great Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

A portion of Dr. Marshall’s book was read to my wife and I by the Good Padre Whom we were smoking cigars and drinking whisky with. Our ensuing conversation caused me to jump into an investigation of Freemasonry and Communism as they relate to the Catholic Church, and over the last 3 months I have proceeded to read over a dozen books on the subject written between 1797-1956, and papal encyclicals, the oldest dates 1738, on the subject before I read this current tome. I have about a dozen more books I am slated to read on the subject, 3 or 4 I will finish in the following weeks.

In reading “Infiltration” by Dr. Marshall, it seems he also must have come upon the same roadblocks as I in this endeavor of pinpointing Dr. Dodd’s involvement in recruiting people to the seminary. He is clearly misleading, though not quite lying, in his book “Infiltration.” This is found on page 85, paragraph 2 and the page 85 note.

The first misleading instance I reference is when he is speaking of Dodd’s testimony before the US House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1953. (I actually have an original copy of the transcript printed for the members of the House in my library.) The last sentence is linking the priest infiltration story to this testimony. He does not lie per se, but it is strongly insinuated to have been included in her testimony to government, which it was not.

As for the note on the Fordham lecture, he mentions that there is an audiotape of said lecture and he used a newspaper article that mentions the lecture to corroborate that the lecture happened, but the article does not mention the supposed part where she speaks about communist infiltration into the priesthood. The audio of the Fordham lecture is available online at YouTube. This infiltration story is absent from the audio portion, but the video goes on to “transcribe” the missing story claiming it was included in the lecture.

It is clear that Marshall and I came to the same dead-end regarding the Dodd story.

There are quite a few loose ends in the book that are extremely disappointing. He infers many things due to correlation. I wish he would have tied them together or left them out.

His chapter on Pope St. John Paul II betray his swimming too long in the cesspool of sedevacantist literature and websites.

Some chapters were fantastically written and investigated.

There were more than an acceptable amount of typos and misspellings which lend to my opinion that this is an unfinished book.

Following is a synopsis of my investigation into the Dr. Bella Dodd story if you are curious:

Dr. Bella Dodd allegedly recruited 1100 people into the Catholic seminaries while a Communist Party USA agent. Other stories say 1200 people were recruited by her to enter Catholic organizations. This endeavor was supposedly called, “Operation Outstretched Hand”.

A book published in 2000, “The Venona Secrets — Exposing Soviet Espionage and America’s Traitors” by Herbert Romerstein and Eric Breindel claim there was a Soviet operation by the name “Outstretched Hand” that had as part of its goal infiltration of the Catholic priesthood. I have not read this book, and I am unsure if Dr. Dodd herself used the name.

She supposedly signed an affidavit confirming this story. The supposed affidavit is allegedly in the possession of Alice von Hildebrand.

There is an interview Michael Voris did with Alice von Hildebrand where she claims Dodd told her husband, Diedrich von Hildebrand, about this infiltration to seminaries. It is not corroborated. She also spoke of it at other times. Here is a quote from Alice von Hildebrand:

“I can only tell you what I know. It is a matter of public record, for instance, that Bella Dodd, the ex-Communist who reconverted to the Church, openly spoke of the Communist Party’s deliberate infiltration of agents into the seminaries. She told my husband and me that when she was an active party member, she had dealt with no fewer than four cardinals within the Vatican ‘who were working for us.’”

In an interview about Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR who was quite close to Sheen and was ordained by him we have this excerpt:

“The Lord also brought individuals to him who told of experiences which he probably wished he didn't have to know. For example the one time ardent Communist Bella Dodd was a convert of Archbishop Sheen. She told him that while she was a Communist Joseph Stalin told her and other Communists that the Catholic Church was the greatest enemy of Communism. He wanted to undermine the Church by recruiting men into the priesthood who had no vocations and who would cause havoc by confusion and bad example. Bella Dodd told the Archbishop that she had personally recruited into the priesthood between 800 and 1200 men who had no vocations. Knowledge such as this was not easy for Archbishop Sheen. Yet it caused him to pray even harder.”

She supposedly spoke of it during a lecture at Fordham University. There is audio of the lecture, but when she supposedly spoke of it during the lecture, the audio that I can find does not have this part of the lecture, and we only have a supposed transcript of this part of the lecture. Here is the supposed transcript, keep in mind that she was first approached by the communists in 1929:

“In the late 1920s and 1930s, I personally put eleven hundred men into the priesthood in order to weaken the Catholic Church from within.

“The idea was for these men to be ordained and progress to positions of influence and authority as Monsignors and Bishops…

“Right now they are in the highest places where they are working to bring about change in order to weaken the Church’s effectiveness against Communism.

“These changes will be so drastic that you will not even recognize the Catholic Church.

“Of all the world’s religions, the Catholic Church was the only one feared by the Communists, for it was its only effective opponent.

“The whole idea was to destroy, not the institution of the Church, but rather the faith of the people, and even use the institution of the Church, if possible, to destroy the faith through the promotion of a pseudo-religion.

“Something that resembled Catholicism but was not the real thing.

“Once the faith was destroyed, there would be a guilt complex introduced into the Church… to label the ‘Church of the past’ as being oppressive, authoritarian, full of prejudices, arrogant in claiming to be the sole possessor of truth, and responsible for the divisions of religious bodies throughout the centuries.

“This would be necessary in order to shame Church leaders into an ‘openness to the world,’ and to a more flexible attitude toward all religions and philosophies. The Communists would then exploit this openness in order to undermine the Church.” (Supposedly taken from Dr. Bella Dodd, lecture at Fordham University in 1953)

Bella Dodd is said to have spoken of it in her depositions to various government bodies, only it was off the record and therefore absent from the transcripts.

In her book, School of Darkness she directly contradicts this story of recruitment twice. She also leaves everything out about this in the rest of the book. I do not find the evidence I have seen thus far to be compelling.

Both Fr. Apostoli, CFR and Alice von Hildebrand are honest, trustworthy individuals in my estimation. I have had the opportunity of meeting both of them when I was a Knight of the Holy Eucharist in Hanceville, Alabama. I trust them. They are not lying. I am inclined to believe they were misled.