New Vatican Bank chief sparks ‘Illuminati takeover’ claims: ‘Deep state taking over the Catholic Church’

The man named to be next president of the Vatican Bank has sparked wild claims that an ancient conspiracy is taking direct control of the Catholic Church.  

François Pauly has been elected to serve as the president of the supervisory board for the Institute for the Works of Religion, the official name for the financial group in Vatican City which manages the church’s money, property and charitable works.

Pauly, who has served on the Vatican’s board since 2024, will now lead the seven-member panel that supervises the bank’s strategic guidelines, makes sure international financial standards are followed and oversees day-to-day operations.

However, conspiracy theorists immediately seized on Pauly’s ties to the powerful Rothschild group – one of the most famous international banking families in history that has been alleged to be part of the secret society known as the Illuminati.

Theories about the Illuminati claim the mysterious order is comprised of a shadowy collection of elite bankers, politicians, Freemasons and powerful families worldwide who manipulate governments, wars, economies and even religions.

Pauly, who is set to take over as the Vatican Bank’s board president on April 28, previously served as general manager of the Edmond de Rothschild group, a private banking arm of the Rothschild family in Switzerland.

The Paris headquarters of Edmond de Rothschild was raided by police on March 20 as part of an investigation into a former employee’s links to Jeffrey Epstein. Files released in February show Epstein exchanged several emails with the bank, but was never in contact with Pauly.

One person posting on X said: ‘Deep state taking over the Catholic Church?! Is that why [Vice President] JD Vance met with the pope?’

Although the Illuminati was a real historical group in Bavaria centuries ago, there has been no definitive proof that the Rothschild group, the Freemasons or other global organizations are connected through a grand conspiracy.

Still, conspiracy theorists, authors and even Hollywood movies have alleged that a hidden cabal continues to control human society to this very day, with Pauly’s selection serving as evidence for some that the Vatican is now directly tied to the group.

‘The Vatican is captured by a globalist deep state,’ another X user claimed without evidence.

While Pauly is not a member of the Rothschild lineage, the family’s banking group has long been tied to the Catholic Church.

The modern Rothschild dynasty began in the late 1700s in Germany, with Mayer Amschel Rothschild. His five sons built separate banks in London, Paris, Vienna, Naples and Frankfurt.

The family has historically been known to finance governments and major projects across Europe. In 1832, two of the Rothschild brothers provided Pope Gregory XVI with a major loan, which rescued the Catholic Church from debt.

During this period in the 19th century, the Rothschilds became the main bankers for the Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church, and helped stabilize the Vatican’s finances, which had suffered greatly during the Napoleonic Wars. 

The Vatican Bank was created in 1942, accepting deposits from about 12,000 Church-related clients and answering to the Pope and a commission of cardinals.

However, those who believe the Illuminati still exists claim the group has been steering where the Church’s money has been going since the time of the original loan 200 years ago.

‘They are all under the same umbrella.. All controlled by the same puppeteers,’ one social media user commented.

While the term ‘Illuminati’ has been used to describe various groups who claimed to be enlightened since the 15th century, the Illuminati from Bavaria founded their order in 1776.

This group was organized by Adam Weishaupt, a German professor, to promote reason and oppose religious and royal power over the public.

It quickly attracted intellectuals and nobles but was banned by the Bavarian government in 1785 and allegedly disappeared, never to be seen again.

However, in 1797, Scottish scientist John Robison wrote a book called Proofs of a Conspiracy. It claimed the Illuminati had infiltrated European Freemasonry and were behind a plot to overthrow governments and religions.

Those fears quickly spread to the newly formed US, where Federalist politicians and clergy used the conspiracy theory to accuse political opponents of being part of the Illuminati.

Prominent congregationalist minister Jedidiah Morse even alleged that French agents controlled by the secret society had ‘penetrated America’s borders’ and were attempting to undermine religious institutions with ‘atheistical philosophy.’

Modern conspiracy theories have also claimed that US currency contains hidden clues that the Illuminati played a role in the founding of America.

Some have called it a spider, and others insist it is an owl, but a tiny shape just above the ‘1’ in the top right corner of the US $1 bill has been suspected by some of being a symbol of the Freemasons and Illuminati for decades.

At first glance, it looks like a speck of ink, but under a magnifying glass, it appears to have a round head and small limbs.

The Eye of Providence, the all-seeing eye in a triangle, and the unfinished pyramid appearing on the back side of the $1 bill have also been alleged to be symbols placed on American money referencing the secret society.

This claim has been dismissed, with skeptics pointing out that the Great Seal of the United States was officially adopted by Congress in 1782, three years before the Illuminati allegedly went into hiding in Europe.