Why the LDS Church owns 7% of Florida (a secret)
Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:03 pm
I'm going to explain to you how the LDS Church acquired Deseret Ranch, the largest cattle ranch in the United States, and seven percent of the land in the State of Florida. I was told this by another missionary, who told me his father told him this, and his father got it from his friend who had been on his mission in Florida I think in the late 1960s. I cannot say this story is true. All I can say is...this is what I was told.
During World War II there was a Pope, named Pope Pius. Anyway, he started saying things against the Nazis of Germany, so the Nazis started to confiscate Catholic properties. So, they made a secret deal: you stop speaking against us, and we'll stop confiscating your properties. So, Pope Pius agreed. In the last months of the War, agents from the SS contacted the Pope, via intermediaries, saying: "Look, we know we're going to lose, and we need your help to get our people to South America and other places! In return, we'll give you hundreds of millions of dollars!" Now, the Nazis got the money from the Jews, killing them and their families, and also from the countries they conquered, stealing things like gold, silver, works of art, etc. Anyway, the Vatican agreed to this, and once the War was over thousands of top Nazis and SS men fled to other countries (mostly Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina but also to Syria and other countries) via the "Rat Line"; which was controlled from a small office at the Vatican. The Vatican would arrange false passports. So Pope Pius died, and he had only one living relative, a cousin. This nephew or cousin (forget which) moved to Florida, I believe Tampa, from Italy, to retire (why he retire in Italy, I don't know). Anyway, the missionaries came along one day, taught the guy, and the guy was baptized. He had no children. He said, "I have 300 million dollars, and I want to give it all to the Church!" The missionaries thought he was crazy, but he had a big house. So, they contacted Salt Lake, and Salt Lake (the Church) sent people to Tampa, and, sure enough, the guy had 300 million, which, in those days, is about 1 BILLION in today's money. They were suspicious (was he a former drug dealer?), so the Church said, "We need to know where this money came from?" Well, the guy told him, "My uncle Pope Pius left it to me!" And the guy told the Church agents "how" Pope Pius came about the money: these were payments from top Nazis who used the "Rat Line" to escape from Germany so they would not be prosecuted as war criminals. For whatever reason, Pope Pius never donated it to the Catholic Church itself or any of its charities. I thought all property of the Pope went to the Church on his death. Maybe not. Anyway, this is what i was told.
So, the Church said, "No, we can't accept the donation, but if you buy property with it, and leave the property to the Church in your will, the Church can accept it after you die!" So, the guy said, "Ok". So, he bought up large tracts of land in central Florida, and not too long afterwards, he died, and sure enough, it went to the Church, and that is how the Church acquired seven percent of the State of Florida.
During World War II there was a Pope, named Pope Pius. Anyway, he started saying things against the Nazis of Germany, so the Nazis started to confiscate Catholic properties. So, they made a secret deal: you stop speaking against us, and we'll stop confiscating your properties. So, Pope Pius agreed. In the last months of the War, agents from the SS contacted the Pope, via intermediaries, saying: "Look, we know we're going to lose, and we need your help to get our people to South America and other places! In return, we'll give you hundreds of millions of dollars!" Now, the Nazis got the money from the Jews, killing them and their families, and also from the countries they conquered, stealing things like gold, silver, works of art, etc. Anyway, the Vatican agreed to this, and once the War was over thousands of top Nazis and SS men fled to other countries (mostly Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina but also to Syria and other countries) via the "Rat Line"; which was controlled from a small office at the Vatican. The Vatican would arrange false passports. So Pope Pius died, and he had only one living relative, a cousin. This nephew or cousin (forget which) moved to Florida, I believe Tampa, from Italy, to retire (why he retire in Italy, I don't know). Anyway, the missionaries came along one day, taught the guy, and the guy was baptized. He had no children. He said, "I have 300 million dollars, and I want to give it all to the Church!" The missionaries thought he was crazy, but he had a big house. So, they contacted Salt Lake, and Salt Lake (the Church) sent people to Tampa, and, sure enough, the guy had 300 million, which, in those days, is about 1 BILLION in today's money. They were suspicious (was he a former drug dealer?), so the Church said, "We need to know where this money came from?" Well, the guy told him, "My uncle Pope Pius left it to me!" And the guy told the Church agents "how" Pope Pius came about the money: these were payments from top Nazis who used the "Rat Line" to escape from Germany so they would not be prosecuted as war criminals. For whatever reason, Pope Pius never donated it to the Catholic Church itself or any of its charities. I thought all property of the Pope went to the Church on his death. Maybe not. Anyway, this is what i was told.
So, the Church said, "No, we can't accept the donation, but if you buy property with it, and leave the property to the Church in your will, the Church can accept it after you die!" So, the guy said, "Ok". So, he bought up large tracts of land in central Florida, and not too long afterwards, he died, and sure enough, it went to the Church, and that is how the Church acquired seven percent of the State of Florida.