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The Vatican Billions
Book by Manhattan, Avro
304 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1983
6 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Avro Manhattan
22 books17 followersAvro Manhattan (1914–1990) was a writer and philosopher, primarily known for his criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church. Having covered various political topics throughout his career, Manhattan is perhaps best remembered as the author of several works analyzing the Vatican's role in world politics and global affairs. Despite having an intellectual outlook somewhat at odds with Christian fundamentalism, many of Manhattan's books were sold by Jack Chick, an American fundamentalist publisher.
Born in Milan, Italy on April 6, 1914 to American and Swiss/Dutch parents of Jewish extraction, Manhattan was educated at the Sorbonne and the London School of Economics.
During World War II, Manhattan was jailed in Italy for refusing to serve in Benito Mussolini's fascist army. Later during the war, he operated a radio station called "Radio Freedom" broadcasting to nations occupied by the Axis Powers.
His friends included H G Wells, Pablo Picasso, George Bernard Shaw and scientist Marie Stopes.
Manhattan spent much of his later life after 1979 at the ornately decorated home of his wife's late mother in South Shields, North East England.
Manhattan authored more than 20 books, including The Vatican in World Politics. It has been translated into most major languages, including Chinese, Russian and most recently, Korean. Some of his other popular works include The Vatican Billions, The Vatican's Holocaust, and Vatican Moscow Alliance. Some of his books which are especially critical of the Vatican and of Roman Catholicism.
The following is a list of Avro Manhattan's most notable works, ordered chronologically:
The Rumbling of the Apocalypse (1934)
Towards the new Italy (Preface by H.G. Wells) (1943)
Latin America and the Vatican (1946)
The Catholic Church Against the Twentieth Century (1947; 2nd edition 1950)
The Vatican in Asia (1948)
Religion in Russia (1949)
Vatican in World Politics (1949)
Catholic Imperialism and World Freedom (1952; 2nd edition 1959)
Terror Over Yugoslavia, the Threat to Europe (1953)
The Dollar and the Vatican (1956)
Vatican Imperialism in the Twentieth Century (1965)
Vatican Moscow Alliance (1982)
The Vatican Billions (1983)
Catholic Terror in Ireland (1988)
Vietnam ... why did we go? (1984)
Murder in the Vatican, American Russian and Papal Plots (1985)
The Vatican’s Holocaust (1986)
Born in Milan, Italy on April 6, 1914 to American and Swiss/Dutch parents of Jewish extraction, Manhattan was educated at the Sorbonne and the London School of Economics.
During World War II, Manhattan was jailed in Italy for refusing to serve in Benito Mussolini's fascist army. Later during the war, he operated a radio station called "Radio Freedom" broadcasting to nations occupied by the Axis Powers.
His friends included H G Wells, Pablo Picasso, George Bernard Shaw and scientist Marie Stopes.
Manhattan spent much of his later life after 1979 at the ornately decorated home of his wife's late mother in South Shields, North East England.
Manhattan authored more than 20 books, including The Vatican in World Politics. It has been translated into most major languages, including Chinese, Russian and most recently, Korean. Some of his other popular works include The Vatican Billions, The Vatican's Holocaust, and Vatican Moscow Alliance. Some of his books which are especially critical of the Vatican and of Roman Catholicism.
The following is a list of Avro Manhattan's most notable works, ordered chronologically:
The Rumbling of the Apocalypse (1934)
Towards the new Italy (Preface by H.G. Wells) (1943)
Latin America and the Vatican (1946)
The Catholic Church Against the Twentieth Century (1947; 2nd edition 1950)
The Vatican in Asia (1948)
Religion in Russia (1949)
Vatican in World Politics (1949)
Catholic Imperialism and World Freedom (1952; 2nd edition 1959)
Terror Over Yugoslavia, the Threat to Europe (1953)
The Dollar and the Vatican (1956)
Vatican Imperialism in the Twentieth Century (1965)
Vatican Moscow Alliance (1982)
The Vatican Billions (1983)
Catholic Terror in Ireland (1988)
Vietnam ... why did we go? (1984)
Murder in the Vatican, American Russian and Papal Plots (1985)
The Vatican’s Holocaust (1986)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 12, 2024
A STRONG CRITIC PROFESSES TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHURCH'S WEALTH
Avro Manhattan (1914-1990) was a writer known for his criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church, and political issues. He also wrote books such as 'The Vatican/Moscow Washington Alliance,' 'Catholic Terror in Ireland,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1983 book, "Christ was born, lived and died in poverty. His 'church' is a multi-, multi-, multi-billion concern. How come that although she claims [to] be preoccupied with the riches of heaven, she is in reality one of the most formidable accumulators of the riches of the earth?... What was the Church's economic empire in the past? ... How vast is it now? ... Such questions have never been answered before. This book answers them... This book is a unique disclosure of the most formidable financial empire the world has ever seen, and which is still in full operation." (Pg. 15-16)
Publisher Jack Chick states in his Foreword, "Why would Chick Publications, a Christian publishing house, publish the works of a secular writer?... the Roman Catholic Institution, while posing as Christ's Church, has grown in ... influence beyond your wildest imagination. Christian leaders have been silent about this... Avro Manhattan, the world's foremost authority on Vatican politics, is a distinguished writer well-respected for his accuracy on Roman Catholic issues." (Pg. 16)
Manhattan states that "the expropriation of all the goods, money and property of those who had been denounced... became a source of untold wealth for prelates, bishops and popes... so that very often no one knew with certainty whether the accused had been arrested because of their deviation from the Faith or because of greed for their wealth..." (Pg. 58)
He says, "Pope Innocent III (1484-92) openly bought the votes of the cardinals. His only interests were women and his countless illegitimate children. The Vatican became a vast establishment over-run by his progeny... The cost of maintaining his sons, daughters, grandchildren, nephews, and relatives of all kinds was enormous. Through his gross self-indulgence, he grew immensely fat." (Pg. 99)
Of the 1933 Concordat between the Vatican and Hitler, he comments, "[Hitler] had ensured Catholic property and stability within the Nazi regime... the Catholic Church and Nazism had agreed to support each other. While Hitler guaranteed the Vatican her property and sundry special privileges, the Roman Catholicism [sic] ordered her clergy to take an oath of fealty to Nazism. Prayers were said publicly for Nazi Germany. The bishops made all Catholic priests swear they would never oppose or harm the Nazi dictatorship." (Pg. 134)
He suggests, "while the extremely wealthy Catholic Church identifies herself with the profits and potential expansion of the giant corporations, they in their turn identify themselves with the religious, social and political power of the Catholic Church in American society... any giant corporation of the U.S. can deduct 5 per cent of taxable income for contributions to churches. Many churches, but above all the Catholic Church, have fully exploited this little-known clause, with the result that the greater part of the giant corporations of the U.S. have given the 5 per cent to the Catholic Church." (Pg. 160)
He asserts, "The Opus Dei is a semi-secret religious lay order whose paramount objective is total support of the papacy and of the most conservative principles of the Catholic doctrines. Its devotion to both is unequalled. Its members have dedicated themselves, with their personal and corporate wealth, to be the blind instruments of the Church." (Pg. 256) He contends, "A Holy Year is characterized by mass piety, but even more telling, by mass offering. In other words, it is a colossal money maker wrapped in the mantle of religion." (Pg. 268)
Hardly a work of "objective journalism," Manhattan's books will mostly interest the most extreme opponents of the Catholic Church (such as Jack Chick).
Avro Manhattan (1914-1990) was a writer known for his criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church, and political issues. He also wrote books such as 'The Vatican/Moscow Washington Alliance,' 'Catholic Terror in Ireland,' etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1983 book, "Christ was born, lived and died in poverty. His 'church' is a multi-, multi-, multi-billion concern. How come that although she claims [to] be preoccupied with the riches of heaven, she is in reality one of the most formidable accumulators of the riches of the earth?... What was the Church's economic empire in the past? ... How vast is it now? ... Such questions have never been answered before. This book answers them... This book is a unique disclosure of the most formidable financial empire the world has ever seen, and which is still in full operation." (Pg. 15-16)
Publisher Jack Chick states in his Foreword, "Why would Chick Publications, a Christian publishing house, publish the works of a secular writer?... the Roman Catholic Institution, while posing as Christ's Church, has grown in ... influence beyond your wildest imagination. Christian leaders have been silent about this... Avro Manhattan, the world's foremost authority on Vatican politics, is a distinguished writer well-respected for his accuracy on Roman Catholic issues." (Pg. 16)
Manhattan states that "the expropriation of all the goods, money and property of those who had been denounced... became a source of untold wealth for prelates, bishops and popes... so that very often no one knew with certainty whether the accused had been arrested because of their deviation from the Faith or because of greed for their wealth..." (Pg. 58)
He says, "Pope Innocent III (1484-92) openly bought the votes of the cardinals. His only interests were women and his countless illegitimate children. The Vatican became a vast establishment over-run by his progeny... The cost of maintaining his sons, daughters, grandchildren, nephews, and relatives of all kinds was enormous. Through his gross self-indulgence, he grew immensely fat." (Pg. 99)
Of the 1933 Concordat between the Vatican and Hitler, he comments, "[Hitler] had ensured Catholic property and stability within the Nazi regime... the Catholic Church and Nazism had agreed to support each other. While Hitler guaranteed the Vatican her property and sundry special privileges, the Roman Catholicism [sic] ordered her clergy to take an oath of fealty to Nazism. Prayers were said publicly for Nazi Germany. The bishops made all Catholic priests swear they would never oppose or harm the Nazi dictatorship." (Pg. 134)
He suggests, "while the extremely wealthy Catholic Church identifies herself with the profits and potential expansion of the giant corporations, they in their turn identify themselves with the religious, social and political power of the Catholic Church in American society... any giant corporation of the U.S. can deduct 5 per cent of taxable income for contributions to churches. Many churches, but above all the Catholic Church, have fully exploited this little-known clause, with the result that the greater part of the giant corporations of the U.S. have given the 5 per cent to the Catholic Church." (Pg. 160)
He asserts, "The Opus Dei is a semi-secret religious lay order whose paramount objective is total support of the papacy and of the most conservative principles of the Catholic doctrines. Its devotion to both is unequalled. Its members have dedicated themselves, with their personal and corporate wealth, to be the blind instruments of the Church." (Pg. 256) He contends, "A Holy Year is characterized by mass piety, but even more telling, by mass offering. In other words, it is a colossal money maker wrapped in the mantle of religion." (Pg. 268)
Hardly a work of "objective journalism," Manhattan's books will mostly interest the most extreme opponents of the Catholic Church (such as Jack Chick).
March 29, 2018
Good info about how the church became a billionaire organization. Author lacked sourcing for some info though.
May 7, 2025
First 2/3rds of the book were great. In the recent history, author went to deep into detail for my liking so I skipped some parts; It was difficult to follow.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews