Newly unsealed Department of Justice documents dump a grotesque memo into the public eye: in 2015, convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein didn’t just think vile thoughts about Pope Francis — he actually emailed his brother suggesting they invite the pontiff over for a “massage” and even joked about how the Catholic leader might feel during the encounter. Evidence of moral rot is one thing; seeing it in black and white from one of America’s most notorious predators is another.
In an email dated September 23, 2015 — smack in the middle of Francis’ U.S. tour where he met President Obama, spoke before Congress, and led Mass at Madison Square Garden — Epstein wrote, “=hought (sic) id invite him for a massage” and used garbled symbols to mockingly allude to the pope’s supposed reaction. “so when he =ears oh jesus Im coming. he feels =appy.”
Church-watchers and critics see in these emails something more than juvenile locker-room humor. According to the National Catholic Reporter, the idea was to create a scandal to “take down” the pope. That allegation reframes the email from crude shock value to something more calculated — an attempt to weaponize humiliation against a global religious leader.
Let’s not mince words: it is abhorrent, disgusting, and throttlingly vulgar. But it also fits a pattern of Epstein treating even sacred institutions as a joke. Despite having no real religious affiliation, he dove headfirst into Catholic history, strategy, and schisms. He collected papal biographies, posed for pictures with Pope John Paul II, and cozied up to critics of Francis — all while scouring for ways to undermine, mock, or otherwise exploit religious authority.
Here’s the part that turns this into political theater: Epstein wasn’t operating in a vacuum. The revelations in the DOJ files show he was in touch with figures like Steve Bannon, who echoed similar anti-Francis sentiments. In a 2019 text exchange, Bannon told Epstein, “Will take down Francis. The Clintons, Xi, Francis, EU — come on brother.”
The grotesque casualness of it from a convicted child abuser, openly mocking a spiritual leader revered by billions, and linking that to a broader faction of conservative operatives is exactly the type of crass contempt that’s now spilling out of these DOJ releases.
And while Epstein’s long-dead body won’t answer questions about his motives, these filings open windows into alliances, power plays, and networks that should be uncomfortable for anyone — left, right, religious, secular, or just sane.
