WORLD : Poles Tried to Bug Pope in ’79
Polish secret police tried to bug the room used by Pope John Paul II when he visited the country’s holiest shrine in 1979, a newspaper reported today.
The Solidarity daily Gazeta Wyborcza said the attempt was thwarted by Vatican security staff who detected listening devices planted at Jasna Gora monastery at Czestochowa in southern Poland.
“It was clear that the place was stuffed with bugging facilities to a terrifying extent. The Pope was notified, and another room was given to him at the last moment,” the newspaper said.
The report said it was common knowledge in Poland that pilgrims visiting Jasna Gora during communist rule were filmed with hidden cameras and that the monastery’s telephones were bugged.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
