She was a very pretty Bavarian nun named Josefine Lehnert a.k.a. Mother Pasqualina. According to UPI, she was one of the most rarely photographed women in the world. She ruled the Vatican with an iron fist. Nobody saw the Pope without her approval.
La Popessa (1894-1983) was the housekeeper for Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) since their first meeting in Munich, Germany in 1917.
Never far from his sight, La Popessa was by the Pope's side during his final moments and tried to take charge even after his death. French Cardinal Tisserant hated her and ordered her to quit the Vatican by nightfall on the day of the Pope's funeral.
The nun by the window is La Popessa—keeping watch over the body of Pius XII.
ALLEN DION PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS
A NEW MUSICAL
Book, Music & Lyrics by: Allen M. Dion
LA POPESSA
Lapopessa is the incredible story of the "secret" love relationship between a nun, Sister Pascalina, and a priest, Eugenio Pacelli, who was to become Pope Pius XII.
Sister Pascalina, regarded as the most powerful woman in the history of the Vatican, secretly lived in the private Papal apartment with the Pope for 20 years defending and protecting Pius while standing up to the male hierarchy.
She functioned, in many ways, as the Pope and was responsible for many of the main decisions made during his papacy.
She was directly involved in negotiations with Hitler and Mussolini and met with them both as she helped changed the course of history. Sister Pascalina formed the Pontifical Relief Committee which issued false Christian identification papers to about a million Jews and tunneled them to freedom through the Vatican. She oversaw the melting of ancient Vatican gold treasures to pay Nazis ransom to save Jews throughout Europe. All this was being secretly accomplished as Pius XII was publicly being condemned by the world as "the Silent Pope" for not speaking against the attrocities. But behind the scenes, the committed effort to save lives was a major accomplishment that will only now be known.
Lapopessa, which means female Pope in Italian, is the story that the Catholic church has always denied. Pascalina has never officially existed as a force that changed history, but she is written of and alluded to in several books.
4 comments:
She sounds fascinating. I may need to do some research here...
I googled LaPopessa..you are so informitive.
Don't get me started on the Catholic Church...I am a former Catholic and am so glad we got out before they brain washed my kids.
Unfortunately I went to Catholic School until the 4th grade, so the damage was done and I will never forget it.
I agree. More research is in order. This sounds very interesting. If this story is true, it shows one more example of the idiocy of the Catholic Church in not formally allowing women to be priests, bishops or even Pope. In my Catholic days, I knew a number of nuns who were far smarter and who would have been far better priests or bishops than the male occupants of those positions.
I'm quite astonished at such news, dear Don! I had never heard such a story before!
Is this another well-kept secret of the Vatican?...
How many more are still to be known as far as only the 20.th century is concerned...
What a magnificent research subject! I'll be rather busy next week...
Thanks!
Just by the way, «la popessa» has a Portuguese match in «a papisa».
Post a Comment