Rewarded for his unstinting loyalty and ecclesial political prowess, he stands prominently with the Pontiff, as an acknowledgement from his peers that Danneels’ handpicked choice is finally elevated to the Chair of St. Peter.

Decked out in his ceremonial scarlet, Belgian Cardinal Danneels proudly stood as the victorious mastermind behind the clandestine St. Gallen group of European prelates who plotted since 1996 to elect a radical reformer pope. Early on, the St. Gallen group identified their prime papal contender as Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, confident that he would radically transform and modernize the Catholic Church in their image and likeness. They kept their scheme and racket carefully under wraps.

They nearly won the turf war in 2005 when John Paul II died. The St. Gallen group scrambled for their opportunity to install their man, yet fell short. Their papal politicking tallied a second place papal ballot finish for Bergoglio, but ultimately he lost out to the conservative Car dinal Ratzinger. Media reports state that the St. Gallen group never met after 2006. Perhaps, they never met again in St. Gallen, or possibly they changed their name and met elsewhere.

Frustration was building. They were running out of precious time, as the St. Gallen group aged and, more importantly, Jorge Bergoglio was rapidly growing too old for papabile. The dream of modernizing the Church was slipping through their ecclesial fingers. Worst of all, a relatively healthy Benedict occupied the Chair of Peter as an impenetrable impediment to their plans.

Apart from the devil, there is no more unforgiving enemy, than random Father Time.

The clock was ticking. Without divine intervention, Benedict appeared firmly ensconced in the Seat of Peter. The St. Gallen Prelates couldn’t wait another 3 or 4 years for his earthly demise. Besides Cardinal Bergoglio was already 76, and soon, he would be too old to be elected Pope.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Lightening struck St. Peter’s.

“You can’t hide the thunderbolt. When it hits you, everybody can see it. Christ, man, don’t be ashamed of it, some men pray for the thunderbolt. You’re a very lucky fellow.”  ~Mario Puzo,The Godfather

Lightning struck, when Pope Benedict, the man who had stood in the way of Bergoglio’s papal fortunes, abdicated the throne of Peter. With a crack of thunder out of the dark blue sky, the long-awaited plans of St. Gallen would enfold behind the conclave curtain.

Danneels and his St. Gallen co-conspirators quickly and skillfully engineered the election of their designated pope-in-waiting, the Cardinal of Buenos Aires. Bergoglio was elected Pope by the College of Cardinals, and the rest, is heresy.

Having successfully engineered their papal takeover, Cardinal Danneels couldn’t contain his bravado. The pompous prelate needed public credit for his masterful plot. At the release of his biography, the Belgian Cardinal broke the cardinal (‘scuse the pun) rule of Omertà, the strict code of silence, by proudly bragging that the St. Gallen group anointed Bergoglio.   Daneels laughingly disclosed at the book press conference that the St. Gallen group was dubiously christened by the group as the “mafia.”

For nearly 2 decades, this secret cabal schemed and plotted to install Jorge Bergolio of Buenos Aires as the 266th pontiff to drastically reform the Catholic Church.

Godfried, the Godfather sought acclaim for the Bergoglio election, thus demonstrating the famous line of the Godfather, “vanity is my favorite sin.”

What does it say about the papal selection of Bergoglio that one of his chief promoters characterizes the papal plotters as mafia?

What kind of man, a Prince of the Church, no less, flippantly brags about being a member of the St. Gallen group which he describes as the ‘mafia’?

What kind of man, a Cardinal, proudly proclaims that he and his clandestine group of prelates named themselves after the violent criminal organization that kills for money and power, terrorizes and blackmails ordinary citizens, and dominates with murderous savagery and intimidation?

What kind of papabile surrounds himself with supporters who boast that they are the mafia?

What manner of high Church officials call themselves the mafia, after the criminal organization that strong arms the weak, silences the vocal, and flexes political muscle with intimidation?

It’s not the first time that Danneels, the Bergoglio kingmaker and St. Gallen Don, tried to silence a victim. In 2010, he attempted to cover up years of sex abuse involving his close friend and fellow bishop. Worse yet, the child abuser was the victim’s uncle, Roger Vangheluwe, Bishop of Bruges, Belgium. In the meeting with the victim, the intimidating Cardinal Danneels directed the abuse victim to remain silent about the abuse and “ask for forgiveness” and to “acknowledge your own guilt.”

Danneels got caught covering up this clergy sex scandal when the victim secretly recorded the conversation (a successful government tactic often used against the mafia). Over the years, Danneels honed his intimidation skills to silencing victims and covering up clergy abuse. Yet the powerful Cardinal suffered no consequences and continued to plot and scheme for the election of Jorge Bergoglio as Pope.

This man fears no one and is not constrained by Church doctrine, biblical teaching or the Magisterium, all of which he swore to uphold in his episcopal vows. Despite that solemn vow, Danneels encouraged the Belgian King to sign an abortion law and supported a gay marriage amendment in Belgium. Yet, despite Danneels’ public scandals, Francis chooses him as his personal representative to the Synod on the Family!

Loyalty is the most prized virtue in the Mafia, “Loyalty is everything, Loyalty is royalty,” apparently, also among the Princes of the Church.

Others of the St. Gallen members have been rewarded for their loyalty to Jorge Bergoglio: in particular, German Cardinal Walter Kasper who serves as powerful doctrinal capo in the Francis papacy.

The haunting question still lingers: what caused Pope Benedict to abdicate?

Did the St. Gallen Mafia put heat on Ratzinger to step down?

Did the Mafia Monsignors make Benedict an offer he couldn’t refuse?

Did the St. Gallen Mafia strong arm Benedict?

Did they blackmail Benedict?

Pope Francis remains in the Seat of Peter, as the hand picked choice of the St. Gallen Mafia.

In every mafia, there lurks a mole, a man with a nagging conscience.

Someone knows what happened the night that lightening struck St. Peter’s.

Be not afraid to speak.