NEWS: Secret Police Spied On Pope Benedict XVI For 15 Years, page 1

from April 1974 until Novemeber 1989 theology professor Joseph Ratzinger was spied on by feared East German secret police "Ministry Of State Security". The pope has personally approved the release of the stasi file which states that eight stasi agents had spied on Cardinal Ratzinger who was targetted as one of the Vaticans fiercest opponents of communism. As far back as the 1980's it was stated by a stasi agent that "Ratzinger is currently, after the pope and Secretary of State (Agostino) Casaroli, the most influential political and leading ideologue at the Vatican,".

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"Ratzinger is seen at the Vatican as one of the staunchest opponents of communism," a Stasi spy noted in his file after the late John Paul II named Cardinal Ratzinger prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1981.

The report said the Stasi also attempted in vain to unearth damaging documents from Cardinal Ratzinger's involvement in the Hitler Youth under the Third Reich.

The Bild am Sonntag said the pope had personally approved the release of his Stasi file.

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The reports also state that the stasi tried for many years to obtain dirt on Ratzinger in connection with his early ties to Hitler Youth. Apparently they have never found anything of significance otherwise I doubt Ratzinger would ever have become Pope Benedict.

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