The Pope's Armada

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The three most powerful of the ultra-traditionalist movements within the Catholic Church engage in secret initiation ceremonies, brainwashing techniques involving ego destruction, moral and spiritual intimidation and highly questionable, even dangerous, psycotherapeutic practices. These three movements--Focolare, Communion and Liberation and the Neocatechumenate--have a total world membership of around thirty million. They are completely self-contained, and each is ruled by a charismatic founder, the centre of a fanatical personality cult. In many respects these movements behave like other sects such as the Moonies. Yet they have the strong support of Pope John Paul himself, who has adopted them as his personal 'Armada': his task-force for a crusade of extreme right-wing values. The author, who for nine years was a Focolare leader, draws on interviews with ex-members and his own experiences to reveal the bizarre hidden world of these organizations. The Pope's Armada shockingly depicts a potent and sinister force for reaction, which could turn out to be John Paul II's most enduring legacy. From the Paperback edition. Show more