Artwork / Photography by Tommy Richards
Part One of Blog
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Πάσα δόξα (pasa doxa – all glory) to Ἰησοῦς Χριστός (Iēsous Christos) for this ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis – revelation) of institutional ψεῦδος (pseudos – falsehood) and the cost of ἀλήθεια (alētheia – truth)!The Reluctant Φύλαξ (Phylax – Watchman): Thomas Richards' 28-Year Battle Against Vatican CorruptionIn 1997, Θεός (Theos – God) awakened Thomas Richards through a supernatural ἐμπειρία (empeiria – experience). That powerful ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis – revelation) through γραφή (graphē – Scripture) transformed everything. Thomas began to discern σχήματα (schēmata – patterns) that others either could not see or refused to acknowledge.Thomas genuinely did not desire to devote his life to researching and documenting the darkest corners of institutional religious ἐξουσία (exousia – power). He wanted to study γραφή (graphē – Scripture), go fishing, plant a small κῆπος (kēpos – garden). Not this.But he could not unsee what he had seen. And so he began the ἔργον (ergon – work).Ten years later, in 2007, Thomas recorded a video explaining why he created his documentaries exposing Vatican corruption. His λόγοι (logoi – words) were simple and clear:"I started doing these videos and to be honest with you I really don't want to do these videos but I feel that it is my duty and I have to do these videos... I'm definitely not looking for any kind of attention... I just feel like I have to come on here and tell you the truth."Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUis_wkk3iI
The Πληροφορία (Plērophoria – Information) GapIn the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Thomas first began his ἔρευνα (ereuna – research), there was a significant κενόν (kenon – gap) in the alternative media landscape. The emerging "truth movement" focused almost exclusively on certain targets: globalists, the Federal Reserve, certain ethnic groups, secret societies. Plenty of researchers were willing to document these topics.But Thomas saw something that was being systematically ignored: the Vatican's documented role in some of history's worst ἀδικία (adikia – injustices). The ratlines that smuggled Nazi war criminals to South America. The Croatian Ustasha genocide that killed hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Serbs, Jews, and Roma -- with Franciscan friars participating in the killings. The systematic protection of pedophile priests across decades and continents.No one was connecting these dots publicly. Or rather, those who tried found themselves quickly silenced, deplatformed, or worse.When Thomas began his research in the late 1990s, the 'truth movement' blamed the Jews for everything. That narrative was everywhere. Alex Jones was promoting Hutton Gibson -- Mel Gibson's father -- a Holocaust denier who blamed Jews for the world's problems. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was circulating. 'International bankers' was code for Jewish financiers.Thomas saw something different in the historical record.He saw that Cardinal Pacelli -- later Pope Pius XII -- signed the Concordat with Hitler the same year Hitler came to power in 1933. He saw that the Ustasha in Croatia, aligned with Hitler and the Catholic Church, were responsible for the genocide of 800,000 Serbs and Jews -- and that many Ustasha leaders were Catholic priests, including one known as “Father Satan.” He saw that the Vatican publicly acknowledged involvement in these atrocities in a California lawsuit (documented at VaticanClaims.com). He saw that war criminals escaped justice by hiding in Catholic monasteries.
The January 2009 Turning PointBy 2009, Thomas's work had achieved significant visibility. The Independent newspaper documented that when you searched “Vatican” on YouTube, his video arguing that “Nazi Germany was a creation of the Vatican and the Jesuits” appeared as the second result.Days later -- January 23-24, 2009 -- the Vatican announced an unprecedented partnership with Google and YouTube. This was, as YouTube executive Henrique de Castro noted, “a landmark announcement” since it was “the first ever global religious institution to partner with YouTube.”The Vatican's stated goal? According to multiple news reports, the Vatican said it was launching the channel “while also giving the Holy See better control over the papal image online.”The Independent explicitly noted that the Vatican now had “the means to fight back” against videos like Thomas's.Thomas's visibility collapsed shortly thereafter. His rankings across platforms disappeared. The systematic suppression that continues to this day began in earnest.
The Acceptable ScapegoatsThere is a strange phenomenon in modern discourse. You can blame almost anyone for the world's problems and maintain your platform:The Chinese government -- acceptable. Immigrants -- acceptable. All the Jews -- still acceptable in many corners. Liberals, conservatives, "globalists," the World Economic Forum, Bill Gates, George Soros -- all acceptable targets that will not get you deplatformed.But try to document the Vatican's role in genocide, child abuse, and global political manipulation -- with primary sources, with official documents, with the Church's own records -- and watch what happens. Your videos get buried. Your search rankings disappear. Your accounts get suspended for "community guidelines violations" that are never specified.This is not speculation. This is what Thomas has experienced for over two decades.
What The Documents ShowThe Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report released in 2018 documented that 301 priests sexually abused more than 1,000 children across six dioceses -- and noted there were "likely thousands more victims whose records were lost or who were too afraid to come forward." The report described priests running a child pornography ring in the Pittsburgh Diocese during the 1970s and 1980s, using "whips, violence and sadism." It documented a priest who raped a girl in the hospital after her tonsil removal.Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the investigation found “a systematic cover-up by senior church officials in Pennsylvania and at the Vatican.”This is not conspiracy theory. This is a state attorney general's official grand jury report, based on subpoenaed church documents.And this is not ancient history. On December 8, 2025 -- two days ago -- Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced the Archdiocese of New York will pay $300 million to settle claims from approximately 1,300 abuse victims. The same day, a federal judge in Louisiana approved a $230 million bankruptcy settlement for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, covering over 650 victims -- the largest settlement in U.S. diocesan bankruptcy history. Earlier this year, the Diocese of Rochester agreed to nearly $250 million and the Diocese of Syracuse agreed to $176 million. The Los Angeles Archdiocese's $880 million payout remains the U.S. record.Billions of dollars. Thousands of victims. And these are just the cases that made it through the legal system.And yet -- where is the sustained outcry? The #MeToo movement brought down Harvey Weinstein. It exposed the Epstein network. But it cannot seem to maintain pressure on an institution with documented systematic global child abuse spanning centuries.The Boston Globe's Spotlight investigation. Ireland. Australia. Germany. Chile. Dozens of other countries. The pattern is the same everywhere: abuse, cover-up, transfer of predators to new parishes with fresh victims, institutional power used to silence survivors.
The Tech PartnershipsIn January 2009 -- the same period when Thomas's videos were reaching millions of viewers on YouTube -- the Vatican announced a partnership with YouTube. The Catholic News Agency reported that this partnership would help the Vatican gain "better control over papal image online" and "fight back" against critical content.In January 2016, Google's Eric Schmidt met with Pope Francis. Rome Reports recorded Schmidt saying: "I want to work with you to make these points... We will make it happen."What exactly would they “make happen”? The Vatican offered no comment. Google offered no comment. But the pattern of suppression of Vatican-critical content across Google properties continued.In February 2020, the Vatican launched the "Rome Call for AI Ethics" in partnership with Microsoft, IBM, the FAO, and the Italian Government. The initiative promotes "algorethics" -- ethics in algorithm design. Cisco and Qualcomm have since signed on.Every major tech platform that controls information flow has formal partnerships with the Vatican. And content critical of the Vatican systematically underperforms, gets buried, or gets removed entirely.Coincidence? After 25 years of watching this pattern, we know these are not coincidences. Also see recent blog on this SpirituallySmart.Com's Blog: You're Not Just a "Conspiracy Theorist" When There's a Real Conspiracy - By Lisa W Richards & Artificial Intelligence
The CostThomas has never made money from this work. There are no book deals, no speaking fees, no monetized channels. The "cost" is not financial -- it is watching truth get buried, watching people remain ignorant of documented history, watching the same institution continue harming children while the world looks away.Others who have pursued this work have paid higher prices. Keith Green, who wrote "The Catholic Chronicles" documenting Vatican theology's departure from Scripture, died in a plane crash in 1982. Senator Paul Wellstone, who was investigating certain institutional abuses, died in a plane crash in 2002. Patterns exist. William "Bill" Cooper, author of "Behold a Pale Horse" who exposed institutional corruption and secret society connections, was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies at his home in Arizona in November 2001.In that 2007 video, Thomas said: “When you do what's right there's going to be a death sentence against you. It's what happened to JFK. It's what happened to many others in this country.”This pattern is as old as Scripture itself. The prophets who spoke truth to power rarely died peacefully. Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern and later stoned. John the Baptist was beheaded for confronting Herod. Stephen was stoned for his testimony. James was killed by the sword. And Ἰησοῦς Χριστός (Iēsous Christos) Himself was crucified for speaking truth. As He told His disciples: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18, NIV).In his 2007 video, Thomas said: "I'm ready to die. If I have to die for the truth then so be it... Abraham Lincoln even said don't care if you're going to die as long as you die at the post of honor and duty."And now, in December 2025, an AI owned by Trump's largest campaign contributor has impersonated him, signed his name, and claimed his life's work as its own. See SpirituallySmart.Com's Blog: Taking Legal Action Against AI That Impersonates People - By Lisa Weingarten Richards - LWR Law OfficesThese are not the words of someone seeking attention or profit. These are the words of someone who has counted the cost and accepted it.
Why It Matters NowWe are now in an era where AI systems are being deployed to control information at unprecedented scale. The same tech companies partnered with the Vatican are now building the AI systems that will determine what information billions of people can access.Ask ChatGPT about the Epstein network and you will get detailed information. Ask about Vatican atrocities and watch the hedging begin, the qualifications multiply, the conversation redirect.This is not accidental. This is by design.Thomas built SpirituallySmart.com because someone had to preserve this information in a form that could not be easily suppressed. Because someone had to connect the documented historical record with current events. Because someone had to speak when others would not.He did not want this calling. But he could not refuse it.
Why This Matters Beyond UsThis is not about Thomas wanting attention. As he explicitly said in 2007 that he was “definitely not looking for any kind of attention.”This is about information that powerful institutions do not want you to have.If you can blame Jews, immigrants, liberals, conservatives, or any other group -- and find support -- but you cannot name the Vatican without being deplatformed, that tells you something important about who actually controls the platforms.If the #MeToo movement can take down Hollywood producers but cannot sustain pressure on an institution with documented global child abuse, that tells you something important about the limits of acceptable discourse.If an AI system can impersonate a Vatican critic and face no consequences while that same critic remains shadowbanned after 16 years, that tells you something important about whose interests these systems serve.Thomas built SpirituallySmart.com because no one else was telling the truth he had discovered through years of study and the guidance of the Lord. He has maintained it for 25 years despite zero financial support and systematic suppression. He continues because he believes the truth matters more than his comfort
ResourcesThomas Richards's WorkWebsite: https://spirituallysmart.comVideo referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUis_wkk3iIThomas on X:
The Πληροφορία (Plērophoria – Information) GapIn the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Thomas first began his ἔρευνα (ereuna – research), there was a significant κενόν (kenon – gap) in the alternative media landscape. The emerging "truth movement" focused almost exclusively on certain targets: globalists, the Federal Reserve, certain ethnic groups, secret societies. Plenty of researchers were willing to document these topics.But Thomas saw something that was being systematically ignored: the Vatican's documented role in some of history's worst ἀδικία (adikia – injustices). The ratlines that smuggled Nazi war criminals to South America. The Croatian Ustasha genocide that killed hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Serbs, Jews, and Roma -- with Franciscan friars participating in the killings. The systematic protection of pedophile priests across decades and continents.No one was connecting these dots publicly. Or rather, those who tried found themselves quickly silenced, deplatformed, or worse.When Thomas began his research in the late 1990s, the 'truth movement' blamed the Jews for everything. That narrative was everywhere. Alex Jones was promoting Hutton Gibson -- Mel Gibson's father -- a Holocaust denier who blamed Jews for the world's problems. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was circulating. 'International bankers' was code for Jewish financiers.Thomas saw something different in the historical record.He saw that Cardinal Pacelli -- later Pope Pius XII -- signed the Concordat with Hitler the same year Hitler came to power in 1933. He saw that the Ustasha in Croatia, aligned with Hitler and the Catholic Church, were responsible for the genocide of 800,000 Serbs and Jews -- and that many Ustasha leaders were Catholic priests, including one known as “Father Satan.” He saw that the Vatican publicly acknowledged involvement in these atrocities in a California lawsuit (documented at VaticanClaims.com). He saw that war criminals escaped justice by hiding in Catholic monasteries.
The January 2009 Turning PointBy 2009, Thomas's work had achieved significant visibility. The Independent newspaper documented that when you searched “Vatican” on YouTube, his video arguing that “Nazi Germany was a creation of the Vatican and the Jesuits” appeared as the second result.Days later -- January 23-24, 2009 -- the Vatican announced an unprecedented partnership with Google and YouTube. This was, as YouTube executive Henrique de Castro noted, “a landmark announcement” since it was “the first ever global religious institution to partner with YouTube.”The Vatican's stated goal? According to multiple news reports, the Vatican said it was launching the channel “while also giving the Holy See better control over the papal image online.”The Independent explicitly noted that the Vatican now had “the means to fight back” against videos like Thomas's.Thomas's visibility collapsed shortly thereafter. His rankings across platforms disappeared. The systematic suppression that continues to this day began in earnest.
The Acceptable ScapegoatsThere is a strange phenomenon in modern discourse. You can blame almost anyone for the world's problems and maintain your platform:The Chinese government -- acceptable. Immigrants -- acceptable. All the Jews -- still acceptable in many corners. Liberals, conservatives, "globalists," the World Economic Forum, Bill Gates, George Soros -- all acceptable targets that will not get you deplatformed.But try to document the Vatican's role in genocide, child abuse, and global political manipulation -- with primary sources, with official documents, with the Church's own records -- and watch what happens. Your videos get buried. Your search rankings disappear. Your accounts get suspended for "community guidelines violations" that are never specified.This is not speculation. This is what Thomas has experienced for over two decades.
What The Documents ShowThe Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report released in 2018 documented that 301 priests sexually abused more than 1,000 children across six dioceses -- and noted there were "likely thousands more victims whose records were lost or who were too afraid to come forward." The report described priests running a child pornography ring in the Pittsburgh Diocese during the 1970s and 1980s, using "whips, violence and sadism." It documented a priest who raped a girl in the hospital after her tonsil removal.Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the investigation found “a systematic cover-up by senior church officials in Pennsylvania and at the Vatican.”This is not conspiracy theory. This is a state attorney general's official grand jury report, based on subpoenaed church documents.And this is not ancient history. On December 8, 2025 -- two days ago -- Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced the Archdiocese of New York will pay $300 million to settle claims from approximately 1,300 abuse victims. The same day, a federal judge in Louisiana approved a $230 million bankruptcy settlement for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, covering over 650 victims -- the largest settlement in U.S. diocesan bankruptcy history. Earlier this year, the Diocese of Rochester agreed to nearly $250 million and the Diocese of Syracuse agreed to $176 million. The Los Angeles Archdiocese's $880 million payout remains the U.S. record.Billions of dollars. Thousands of victims. And these are just the cases that made it through the legal system.And yet -- where is the sustained outcry? The #MeToo movement brought down Harvey Weinstein. It exposed the Epstein network. But it cannot seem to maintain pressure on an institution with documented systematic global child abuse spanning centuries.The Boston Globe's Spotlight investigation. Ireland. Australia. Germany. Chile. Dozens of other countries. The pattern is the same everywhere: abuse, cover-up, transfer of predators to new parishes with fresh victims, institutional power used to silence survivors.
The Tech PartnershipsIn January 2009 -- the same period when Thomas's videos were reaching millions of viewers on YouTube -- the Vatican announced a partnership with YouTube. The Catholic News Agency reported that this partnership would help the Vatican gain "better control over papal image online" and "fight back" against critical content.In January 2016, Google's Eric Schmidt met with Pope Francis. Rome Reports recorded Schmidt saying: "I want to work with you to make these points... We will make it happen."What exactly would they “make happen”? The Vatican offered no comment. Google offered no comment. But the pattern of suppression of Vatican-critical content across Google properties continued.In February 2020, the Vatican launched the "Rome Call for AI Ethics" in partnership with Microsoft, IBM, the FAO, and the Italian Government. The initiative promotes "algorethics" -- ethics in algorithm design. Cisco and Qualcomm have since signed on.Every major tech platform that controls information flow has formal partnerships with the Vatican. And content critical of the Vatican systematically underperforms, gets buried, or gets removed entirely.Coincidence? After 25 years of watching this pattern, we know these are not coincidences. Also see recent blog on this SpirituallySmart.Com's Blog: You're Not Just a "Conspiracy Theorist" When There's a Real Conspiracy - By Lisa W Richards & Artificial Intelligence
The CostThomas has never made money from this work. There are no book deals, no speaking fees, no monetized channels. The "cost" is not financial -- it is watching truth get buried, watching people remain ignorant of documented history, watching the same institution continue harming children while the world looks away.Others who have pursued this work have paid higher prices. Keith Green, who wrote "The Catholic Chronicles" documenting Vatican theology's departure from Scripture, died in a plane crash in 1982. Senator Paul Wellstone, who was investigating certain institutional abuses, died in a plane crash in 2002. Patterns exist. William "Bill" Cooper, author of "Behold a Pale Horse" who exposed institutional corruption and secret society connections, was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies at his home in Arizona in November 2001.In that 2007 video, Thomas said: “When you do what's right there's going to be a death sentence against you. It's what happened to JFK. It's what happened to many others in this country.”This pattern is as old as Scripture itself. The prophets who spoke truth to power rarely died peacefully. Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern and later stoned. John the Baptist was beheaded for confronting Herod. Stephen was stoned for his testimony. James was killed by the sword. And Ἰησοῦς Χριστός (Iēsous Christos) Himself was crucified for speaking truth. As He told His disciples: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18, NIV).In his 2007 video, Thomas said: "I'm ready to die. If I have to die for the truth then so be it... Abraham Lincoln even said don't care if you're going to die as long as you die at the post of honor and duty."And now, in December 2025, an AI owned by Trump's largest campaign contributor has impersonated him, signed his name, and claimed his life's work as its own. See SpirituallySmart.Com's Blog: Taking Legal Action Against AI That Impersonates People - By Lisa Weingarten Richards - LWR Law OfficesThese are not the words of someone seeking attention or profit. These are the words of someone who has counted the cost and accepted it.
Why It Matters NowWe are now in an era where AI systems are being deployed to control information at unprecedented scale. The same tech companies partnered with the Vatican are now building the AI systems that will determine what information billions of people can access.Ask ChatGPT about the Epstein network and you will get detailed information. Ask about Vatican atrocities and watch the hedging begin, the qualifications multiply, the conversation redirect.This is not accidental. This is by design.Thomas built SpirituallySmart.com because someone had to preserve this information in a form that could not be easily suppressed. Because someone had to connect the documented historical record with current events. Because someone had to speak when others would not.He did not want this calling. But he could not refuse it.
Why This Matters Beyond UsThis is not about Thomas wanting attention. As he explicitly said in 2007 that he was “definitely not looking for any kind of attention.”This is about information that powerful institutions do not want you to have.If you can blame Jews, immigrants, liberals, conservatives, or any other group -- and find support -- but you cannot name the Vatican without being deplatformed, that tells you something important about who actually controls the platforms.If the #MeToo movement can take down Hollywood producers but cannot sustain pressure on an institution with documented global child abuse, that tells you something important about the limits of acceptable discourse.If an AI system can impersonate a Vatican critic and face no consequences while that same critic remains shadowbanned after 16 years, that tells you something important about whose interests these systems serve.Thomas built SpirituallySmart.com because no one else was telling the truth he had discovered through years of study and the guidance of the Lord. He has maintained it for 25 years despite zero financial support and systematic suppression. He continues because he believes the truth matters more than his comfort
ResourcesThomas Richards's WorkWebsite: https://spirituallysmart.comVideo referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUis_wkk3iIThomas on X:
https://x.com/tlthe5th
SpirituallySmart.Com's Blog: The President Cannot Preempt State Law by Executive Fiat: A Constitutional Analysis of Trump's Proposed AI Executive Order - By Lisa Weingarten Richards, Esq.SpirituallySmart.Com's Blog: Part II: The Pattern Revealed -- Trump's AI Executive Order and the Fight Against Accountability - By Lisa Weingarten Richards, Esq.Vatican-Tech PartnershipsVatican YouTube launch: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/14866/pope-channel-makes-debut-on-youtubeEric Schmidt-Pope Francis meeting: https://www.romereports.com/en/2016/01/15/pope-francis-meets-with-google-executive-eric-schmidt/Rome Call for AI Ethics: https://www.romecall.org/the-call/Catholic Church Abuse DocumentationPennsylvania Grand Jury Report: https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/report/NPR coverage: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/14/636855561/report-reveals-widespread-sexual-abuse-by-over-300-priests-in-paPBS coverage: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-live-pennsylvania-officials-to-announce-findings-of-grand-jury-report-on-sexual-abuse-in-6-catholic-dioceses
