"Take Down Pope Francis": What the New Epstein Files Reveal—and Why It Should Make Us Reflect

Some stories present themselves as mere news. And then there are stories that, even when they remain “news,” sound like a spiritual warning.

In documents made public in the United States related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, multiple media outlets have reported the presence of messages and exchanges in which an explicit phrase emerges: the idea of “taking down” Pope Francis.

Pope Francis

It is essential to say this clearly from the start, without theatrics: we cannot know in full what was actually carried out, nor the real-world effectiveness of those plans. But we also cannot pretend nothing happened, because one thing is plain for everyone to see: toward the end of his pontificate, Francis was hit by attacks of every kind— theological, media-driven, political— to the point that some even questioned his very legitimacy as Pope.

So the question is not only, “What has been revealed?” The question is deeper: what is this time telling us about the fragility of communion and the pressure the Church suffers, from outside and from within?

What Was Revealed: The Messages and the Language of “Taking Down Pope Francis”

The most-cited journalistic reconstructions report that, in the documents that surfaced, there are messages attributed to Steve Bannon that openly speak of an intention to “derribar” / “take down” Pope Francis, within a context of cultural warfare and the building of political and media networks (especially in the 2018–2019 period).

According to what has been reported, the idea was not “theological” in the pure sense of the term, but strategic: influence, organizations, funding, public narratives, pressure.

And here we face a point that, as Christians, we cannot ignore: when the Church becomes a battlefield for projects of power, the risk is not only “taking down a Pope.” The risk is that we ourselves fall into the oldest temptation—choosing a faction instead of the Gospel.

We do not know precisely how much of those plans was translated into concrete actions. But we do know the language was there. And we do know that the final years of the pontificate were marked by heavy divisions and intense tensions, as major international outlets have also reported.

The Context: An Ocean of Documents, a Time of Noise and Manipulation

It is important to understand the context: the “Epstein files” are not one clean, linear document. They are an enormous mass of material (millions of documents), released in batches, with redaction issues and the need to protect victims—factors that led to temporary removals and revisions.

This means something simple: in the middle of this ocean, noise is guaranteed. And noise is never neutral: it can become a political weapon, propaganda, revenge, distraction.

But precisely because the noise is so massive, when such an explicit fragment appears—“take down” a Pope—the believer is not called to paranoia. The believer is called to discernment.

Discernment is not closing our eyes.Discernment is looking, praying, understanding… and refusing to be used.

“We Can’t Ignore It”: The Attacks on Francis and the Doubt About His Legitimacy

We do not know whether they carried out what they declared, but we cannot ignore what happened.

During the years of Francis’ pontificate— and in a particularly visible way from 2018 onward— pressure was real and multifaceted: internal criticism within the Church, media campaigns, controversies on doctrine, liturgy, morality, international politics. And in that climate, extreme language also grew, to the point of challenging his legitimacy.

This does not mean every criticism is a “plot.” The Church has debated since the beginning, and criticism can be legitimate when it is honest, respectful, and oriented toward the common good.

But when criticism becomes systematic delegitimization, when it becomes “take-down,” when it becomes obsession, when it turns into a machine that divides and breeds suspicion… then the conversation changes.

And here the revelation of these messages sounds like a harsh light cast upon what many believers had already sensed: it wasn’t only a debate. It was a war of narratives.

The Church Under Attack: What Prophecies Have Always Reminded Us

The Church has always been under attack. That is not victimhood; it is history.

In the Gospel, Christ does not promise an easy road. He promises something greater: that His Church will not be destroyed. But that does not mean it will not be wounded, tested, purified.

We know—through messages received in apparitions and in prophecies—that there is a recurring thread: times of confusion will come, and often confusion will not present itself as “declared evil.” It will present itself as good shouted in a distorted way.

Here is the reflection: when a Pope becomes the target of attacks so violent that they shake the faith of many, we are not seeing only a “communication problem.”

We are seeing a spiritual trial.

Because the most dangerous temptation is this: convincing believers that faith is preserved by destroying other believers; that the Church is saved by creating factions; that truth is defended with contempt.

And that—whatever your position on the controversies of those years—is poison.

The Spiritual Lesson: The Battle Is Not Only “Against” Someone—It Is “For” Something

If those messages spoke about “taking down Pope Francis,” the Christian question is not, “Who do we attack now?”

The Christian question is: what must we protect now?

And the answer is simple and demanding:

• protect communion (without denying truth),

• protect truth (without killing charity),

• protect prayer (without surrendering to cynicism),

• protect the little ones and the victims (without using pain as a weapon),

• protect the Gospel (without turning it into a political megaphone).

It is possible that certain circles truly attempted a strategy of pressure. It is possible that some of that pressure poured into the real life of the Church.

But the decisive point is something else: even if they did not obtain what they wanted, the danger was already accomplished when believers began to hate one another, suspect one another, split into camps.

Because division is always a victory for the Enemy, even when those who divide believe they are “defending God.”

Conclusion: The Test of Faith When the Storm Hits the Shepherds

What has been revealed in these new files is serious not only for its content, but for what it reflects: the idea that the heart of the Church can be treated as a political target.

And even if we do not know how much of those plans was truly carried out, we cannot ignore that Francis’ pontificate ended in a climate of relentless attacks—so intense that some even questioned his role as Pope.

For us as Christians, this must not become fuel for sensationalism.It must become a call to vigilance.

Because the Church is not saved when a faction “wins.”The Church is saved when her children return to prayer, to conversion, to truth lived out.