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Summary
Host Mark Smerling interviews Anthony Ramondi, a self-proclaimed former Colombo crime family member, who claims he helped assassinate Pope John Paul I. Ramondi recounts his mob upbringing, a childhood encounter with death during a 1960 plane crash, and his alleged involvement in a Vatican Bank counterfeiting ring. He details how he advised Vatican officials to poison the Pope to prevent financial reforms, a story Smerling investigates with mixed results.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Anthony Ramondi and the Pope Conspiracy
Tour of Anthony's Childhood Neighborhood in Brooklyn
The 1960 Park Slope Plane Crash Story
Anthony's Claim of Seeing Death on the Plane
Context: Pope John Paul I's Death and Vatican Bank Scandals
How Mark Smerling Discovered Anthony Ramondi
Meeting Anthony: Health Issues and Mafia Family Background
The Vatican Stock Counterfeiting Scam
The Plot to Assassinate Pope John Paul I
The Method: Poisoning the Pope with Valium and Cyanide
Anthony's Lucky Luciano Switchblade Souvenir
Fact-Checking: Contacting a Colombo Family Member
Preview of Next Episode and Credits
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