Popes in palaces. Time machines in the basement. A filing cabinet so secret you need a prayer to open it. This week, we’re deep-diving into the world’s holiest city-state and asking: what the actual hell is going on behind those gold doors? From haunted crypts and cursed relics to real-life exorcists and a prophecy that says this might be the last Pope ever—we’re cracking open centuries of mystery, scandal, and sacred shade. Get in, loser. We’re going to Vatican City.
General Historical and Structural Info
Vatican.va – Official Vatican website (basic info about the state, pope, Swiss Guard, archives, etc.)
History.com – Background on the Lateran Treaty, Vatican City’s creation, and papal history
Britannica.com – Overviews of Vatican institutions, exorcisms, relics, and the papacy
Specific Topics and Claims
The Secret Archives & Forbidden Books
National Geographic’s “Secrets of the Vatican” (documentary + article)
Vatican Apostolic Archive (archive.vatican.va)
“The Vatican’s Secret Archives Aren’t Secret” – The Atlantic
The Vatican Necropolis / St. Peter’s Tomb
Vatican’s Scavi Office (scavi.va)
Smithsonian Magazine: “The Secret History Beneath the Vatican”
RH-Negative Blood Theory
Ancient Origins: “The Mystery of Rh-Negative Blood”
Gaia.com articles (used with caution due to fringe angle)
Chronovisor
“Father Ernetti’s Chronovisor: The Vatican’s Secret Time Machine” – Mysterious Universe
Fortean Times and Ancient Aliens references (credible in the way spooky entertainment needs to be)
Prophecy of the Popes / St. Malachy
“Prophecy of the Popes” – Catholic Encyclopedia
History Today: “Is Pope Francis the Last Pope?”
Emanuela Orlandi Case
Netflix: Vatican Girl (documentary series)
BBC News, Reuters, and NPR reports on tomb openings and Vatican responses
Miracle of San Gennaro
LiveScience: “Blood of Saint Januarius Turns to Liquid in Alleged Miracle”
Smithsonian Channel coverage of the phenomenon
VatiLeaks
The Guardian, New York Times, and BBC News articles on both VatiLeaks scandals
“Merchants in the Temple” – Gianluigi Nuzzi (journalist involved in VatiLeaks)
Cadaver Synod
History Extra: “The Cadaver Synod: The Pope Who Put a Corpse on Trial”
Catholic Herald historical features