The Vatican and Monsanto Forges a World-Altering Relationship — or Does It

With all the scandals the Catholic Church has weathered, a new one appears to be taking center stage. Some believe that for decades the church has been gathering profits from, and is now firmly in bed with, the master of crooks, Monsanto.

 

Evidence of a possible Catholic Church/Monsanto connection is being exposed according to a website  that claims Wikileaks confirms alien life on other planets, according to Dushanbe’s Mayor in Afghanistan. A search of Wikileaks  shows exactly one entry which discusses Monsanto and The Vatican.  That entry doesn’t even connect the Pope to GMOs, but rather speaks of “Vatican representatives” who met with agra-tech reps.

While some may take as gospel a website which claims to know the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa’s body, the location of alien spaceships and documentation of life on other planets, most take a more rational view.

The more digging for the truth which is done, it gets — in the words of Alice in Wonderland, “Curiouser and curiouser”.

Every myth, every lie, every conspiracy does have a kernel of truth in it somewhere, though.

The Kernel

What Wikileaks revealed were classified government documents which show how then-President George W. Bush’s administration developed methods to retaliate against countries that were refusing to use genetically modified (GM) seeds.

The cables also exposed the State Department as being busy lobbying on behalf of Monsanto and other biotech corporations as well as American diplomats requesting funding for representatives to meet with politicians in “target countries” in Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

A non-profit protection group, Food & Water Watch, published a report detailing the partnership between the federal government and several biotech companies which have peddled their GMO products for many years; there was no mention of a Vatican/Monsanto connection.

Roots of the Story?

A little online research shows that Pope Francis did, in fact, bless a sample of Golden Rice at the Vatican in 2011. The creator of Golden Rice, Ingo Potrykus petitioned the Pope to bless a small sample of the genetically engineered, pro-vitamin A producing crop. Potrykus hopes that the rice will help cure blindness in developing countries.

Believers also point to the Papal encyclical written by Pope Francis as added proof of collusion between Monsanto and The Vatican. The encyclical, issued June 18, 2015, focuses on dealing with climate change and other negative impacts of humans on the planet. The encyclical called for a revolution in how persons think about climate change — a politically divisive issue.

The encyclical didn’t seem to speak negatively about biotechnology; actually, there is much with which everyone could agree.

The encyclical adopts a cautious approach to agricultural biotechnology and is not against science or technology. There are socio-economic concerns that are factually incorrect, and the encyclical has a predisposition, but not a commitment, to the best path forward for agriculture.

The encyclical does make a firm commitment to international organizations and governmental planning in watching the destiny of biotech as it pertains to the world’s hungry.

While the Holy See has still not stated a clear position on agra-tech, some observers are looking for him to give a hearty endorsement of GMO in the future

What is clear from Wikileaks: American diplomats are pushing GMO crops globally as a strategic government imperative.