Sinister Papal Intervention in Da Vinci-esque fiction: was Pope Innocent innocent?

Not since the cowled and hooded horror-monks of 18c Gothic novels has there been such fictional excitement over sinister Catholic plots.  No sooner has the dire Da Vinci code begun to flag than an interesting novel comes over from Italy this week - Imprimatur, by two Italian novelists who say they have established beyond doubt that  Pope Innocent XI bankrolled the invasion of England by William of Orange; leading to the downfall of James II and the (Catholic) Stuarts, the triumph of the Protestants, and the end of Catholicism as a force in English politics. Which would be a bit of an own goal.
      The Catholic Encyclopaedia online mentions and discards the story about William of Orange,  but he does seem to be a very political Pope indeed, with a finger in plenty of other resistances and invasions. But in Italy, the claim has caused such outrage that the authors, Monaldi & Sorti, are hardly able to market the book within Italy.  The Independent says it is on the "informal but irresistible orders of the Catholic Church."   Which is attractively un-disprovable...

Comments

[virtualmethodist]

Don't think that this was a terribly well kept secret, but it is one that entertainingly winds up conservative Roman Catholics and Orangemen at the same time, which takes some doing!