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View Full Version : Validity of Lateran Treaty Brought Into Question Then and Now



allodial
05-01-14, 08:52 PM
Unexpected turn of events in coming across this article:

1634

NEW DOUBTS CAST ON THE LATERAN TREATY MADE BY THE VATICAN AND MUSSOLINI. TREATY MAY BE INVALID. LONDON PROPERTIES COULD BE CLAIMED BY ITALY GIOVANNI DI STEFANO

The properties owned by the Catholic Church in London and other parts of the world may well be in doubt and actually the property of the republic of Italy according to Giovanni Di Stefano better known as the Devil’s Advocate.

In 1929 Benito Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty granting the Catholic Church status as a nation. However, according to Di Stefano the key term of the Lateran Treaty was “not complied with and according voidable or void.”

The Lateran Pacts of 1929 contained three sections the Treaty of Conciliation (27 articles) which established Vatican City as an independent state, restoring the civil sovereignty of the Pope as a monarch, the Financial Convention (Consideration required to make such valid) annexed to the treaty (3 articles) which compensated the Holy See for loss of the papal states, and the Concordat (45 articles), which dealt with the Roman Catholic Church's ecclesiastical relations with the Italian State.

In 1985 the Lateran Treaty was amended.

“The most important was the Financial Convention which created the consideration aspect that made the Lateran Treaty valid,” said Di Stefano.

The text of the Financial Consideration was as follows:

“...

The Italian State appreciating the paternal sentiments of the Supreme Pontiff has felt bound to adhere to the request for the payment of the said sum.

Art. 1. Italy, on the exchange of ratifications of the Treaty, shall pay to the Holy See the sum of Italian lire 750,000,000 (seven hundred and fifty millions) and a the same time consign Italian 5 per cent bonds (with coupons, June 30) of the nominal value of Italian lire 1,000,000.
...

Rome, eleventh February, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-nine.”

“The key clause was obviously the Art.1 which called for a payment of “Italian lire 750,000,000 (seven hundred and fifty millions)” payable to the “Holy See” but this was not respected in full,” stated Di Stefano.

Research carried out by the Devil’s Advocate showed that Mussolini on behalf of the then Kingdom of Italy did indeed pay “750,000,000” lire then equal to $39,000,000 but the payment was “not made to the Holy See as required by the Treaty but personally to Cardinal Gasparri and this was a clear violation of the Treaty,” stated Di Stefano.

Pius Sends Blessing to King and Ruler Voices Thanks--Papacy Gets $39,000,000 Check
By ARNALDO CORTESI
Wireless to The New York Times

Rome, June 7.--From 11 o' clock this morning there was another sovereign independent State in the world.

Then Signor Mosconi signed a check for 750,000,000 lire (about $39,000,000) on the Bank of Italy, payable to Cardinal Gasparri, and handed him a leather case containing certificates of the Italian 5 per cent State loan of a nominal value of - 1,000,000,000 lire.

“The payment should have been to the Holy See as required by the Treaty the result of which I have sent an urgent Art.50 of the Italian Constitution petition to the Italian Parliament to look into this matter and for the new Italian Government to decide what action should be taken. If a clause so important as this one is not complied with it makes the whole Pact or Treaty void at worst or voidable at best. It would be like redeeming a mortgage with the Royal Bank of Scotland and making the payment to Sir Fred the Shred instead of the Bank,” stated Di Stefano. [More: source (http://www.onlinepublishingcompany.info/content/read_more/complexInfobox/site_news/infobox/elements/template/default/active_id/2581).]