“Will take down (Pope) Francis,” Bannon wrote to Epstein in June 2019. The recently released DOJ files reveal Bannon messaged Epstein on several occasions in his efforts to undermine the late pope. He told CNN that he thinks Bannon wanted to “instrumentalize” the book in his efforts against Pope Francis. House Oversight Committee Democrats/Handout/ReutersThe Epstein files show Epstein, on April 1, 2019, emailed himself “in the closet of the vatican,” and later sent Bannon an article titled “Pope Francis or Steve Bannon? “I think he badly misjudged the nature of the book – and Pope Francis,” Ivereigh told CNN.

Source: Egypt Independent February 14, 2026 14:26 UTC