‘Will Take Down Francis’: Newly Released Epstein Documents Reveal Steve Bannon’s 2019 Plot to Oust Pope
Washington D.C. — Newly released Department of Justice documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation have exposed a 2019 correspondence between former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and the disgraced financier, revealing a discussion to “take down” Pope Francis.
The documents, made public this week as part of a wider release of the “Epstein files,” detail a series of text messages and emails from June 2019 in which Bannon identified the pontiff as a primary ideological adversary.
Deep Search: Inside the Bannon-Epstein Exchange
The correspondence offers a stark look at how Bannon viewed the Vatican as a geopolitical battleground. In one exchange dated June 2019, Bannon explicitly grouped the head of the Catholic Church with other perceived globalist enemies.
“Will take down (Pope) Francis,” Bannon wrote to Epstein. “The Clintons, Xi, Francis, EU — come on brother.”
The messages indicate that Bannon sought to weaponize In the Closet of the Vatican, a controversial 2019 book by French journalist Frédéric Martel that alleged widespread homosexuality within the Holy See. Bannon suggested adapting the book into a documentary film, proposing that Epstein could serve as its executive producer.
“You are now exec producer of ‘ITCOTV’ (In the Closet of the Vatican),” Bannon messaged. Epstein appeared to engage with the idea, at one point emailing himself a reminder about the book and later forwarding Bannon an article with the headline “Pope Francis or Steve Bannon? Catholics must choose.”
Bannon’s reply was brief: “Easy choice.”
Background: The ‘Sovereigntist’ War on the Vatican
The revelations shed new light on the intense behind-the-scenes campaign Bannon waged against Pope Francis, who passed away in April 2025. During the period of these texts, Bannon was actively building a “gladiator school” for nationalist politicians in an Italian monastery and frequently attacked Francis as a “globalist” who was “beneath contempt” for his stances on migration and climate change.
Bannon viewed Francis not just as a religious leader but as a political obstacle to the nationalist-populist movements gaining ground in Europe and the Americas. By 2019, Bannon had aligned himself with ultra-conservative factions within the Church, including Cardinal Raymond Burke, who were openly critical of the Pope’s reformist agenda.
While Epstein died in jail in August 2019—just two months after these exchanges—and Pope Francis died last year, the documents illustrate the extent to which the late financier attempted to ingratiate himself with right-wing power brokers by offering financial or strategic support for their causes.
Objections and Context
Despite the explicit nature of the texts, questions remain regarding the seriousness of the plot. Sources familiar with Bannon’s communication style have previously described his private rhetoric as frequently hyperbolic. In one exchange, after Bannon proposed the film project, Epstein replied with the single word “Porn,” to which Bannon did not directly respond, suggesting the planning may have been loose or informal.
Additionally, Frédéric Martel, the author of the book Bannon hoped to adapt, has publicly stated he refused any deal with Bannon. Martel clarified that his publisher held the rights and that he believed Bannon sought to “instrumentalize” his work for a political attack rather than a genuine documentary.
As of Sunday, Steve Bannon has not issued a comment regarding these specific documents. His silence stands in contrast to his previous public demands for the full release of the Epstein files, which he had argued would expose “the establishment.”
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