RETURN OF A SHADOW
AUGUST 1, 2005
By Toby Westerman
Copyright 2005 International News Analysis Today
www.inatoday.com
The shadowy figure of Paolo Hnilica has again emerged into public view following the online publication of the English version of a recent German interview. Connected to events immediately following the murder of Roberto Calvi, dubbed "God's banker," and a prominent leader in the early years of the Medjugorje movement, Hnilica remains the enigmatic figure he has always been.
Born in 1921, Hnilica was reportedly consecrated a bishop in Czechoslovakia at the age of 30, but the name of the bishop who conducted the consecration is not clear. According to one source, an unnamed bishop gave Hnilica a "special mission" to the "East," and declared that Hnilica's diocese "stretches from Berlin to Moscow and Peking [Beijing]."
This is an unbelievable assertion, because every bishop in the Catholic Church must have a specific diocese over which he has authority, and no diocese corresponds to the one purportedly given to Hnilica. Furthermore, no bishop in the Catholic Church, except the Pope, may appoint a bishop to a diocese.
When he first arrived in Rome during the Cold War, Hnilica's questionable background led some to suspect he was in reality a KGB infiltrator. The suspicion gained support from an unexpected incident in 1989, during a visit to Rome by EWTN founder Mother Angelica.
Seeking support for the establishment of EWTN's shortwave broadcasting service, Mother Angelica traveled to Rome with a trusted friend, Anna Maria Schmidt. In Rome Mother Angelica met Hnilica, and found him to be gracious and apparently influential. Schmidt, however, was cautious. Like Hnilica, Schmidt also was from Czechoslovakia, and during their conversations she noticed a peculiarity in Hnilica's speech.
Schmidt told Hnilica that he pronounced Czech with a noticeable Russian accent. Hnilica reportedly flew into a rage, shocking and alienating Mother Angelica. Schmidt later confided to Mother Angelica that Hnilica's actions reminded her of KGB personnel she had observed in Czechoslovakia. 1
Hnilica is also a person of interest in the ongoing murder investigation of failed banker Calvi. Found hanging from London's Blackfriar's Bridge in 1982, Calvi had been involved in a series of fraudulent schemes that led to the collapse of the Banco Ambrosiano, Italy's largest private bank. Calvi's intricate financial dealings reportedly involved Free Masonry, the Mafia, and the Vatican's financial arm, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR).
At his own initiative, Hnilica sought to acquire Calvi's briefcase, which, according to Hnilica, contained information proving that the Vatican had no role in any of Calvi's illegal transactions. According to Calvi's heirs, the briefcase also contained Swiss bank account numbers, which would allow access to Calvi's personal wealth.
Hnilica did not have the support of the Vatican, but somehow was able to pay three million dollars to one of the suspected killers for the briefcase. Hnilica's purchase earned him a conviction for trading in stolen goods, but the conviction was later overturned on a procedural technicality.
Five individuals will go on trial for Calvi's murder in October 2005, and the legal proceedings may again turn to Hnilica.
At the same time Hnilica sought the funds to acquire Calvi's briefcase, he became involved in the still unapproved apparitions at Medjugorje, Bosnia. Hnilica grew increasingly interested in the burgeoning Medjugorje phenomena, particularly in the United States, and away from the Italian police.
By the early 1990s, Hnilica was a powerful figure in the Medjugorje movement, and sought to gain influence among the talented and the wealthy. Eventually Hnilica gained the confidence of the wife of one California millionaire. Trusted by her husband, and serving on several boards of directors of her husband's various companies, this woman was a potential source of money and influence.
Reportedly at the urging of Hnilica and his priest-followers, the target-spouse left her husband on the day of his sixtieth birthday.
Ardie Kronzer's desertion began the monumental battle on the part of her husband, Phil, to regain the love of his wife,and warn the world of the cruel, money-obsessed character of certain advocates of Medjugorje. The establishment of the Kronzer Foundation for Religious Research was a major development in that battle.
Kronzer has been able to expose the false seer Teresa Lopez, once a close friend of Hnilica, and demonstrate that a money trail leads from Medjugorje to radical feminism.
Kronzer also vehemently denies Hnilica's claims that the Pope requested that he (Hnilica) visit Medjugorje "incognito," and Kronzer stands ready to prove that Hnilica's claims are false.
The healing of those scarred by religious abuse is one of the priorities of Kronzer and his foundation. For years the Kronzer Foundation has assisted the Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center in Albany, Ohio, a group which provides aid to those who leave a cult-like environment, but may have difficulty later adjusting to life independent of the cult.
The Faith and Freedom Fund, a group assisting cult recovery, demonstrated its confidence in Kronzer, his work, and his determination to regain his wife by making a financial contribution to Wellspring in the name of Ardie Kronzer. The Faith and Freedom Fund stated that its gift is intended "to demonstrate our continued support for Wellspring, and to make a statement of faith that perhaps, one day, they will have an opportunity to help Ardie."
June 30, 2005 marked the 11th anniversary of Ardie's disappearance. Despite the years, Phil Kronzer remains determined, believing he is closer than ever to the return of his beloved Ardie.
1. The Medjugorje Deception. E. Michael Jones. Fidelity Press, South Bend Ind. 1998.
Copyright
2005
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