. . .and the NWO the selfsame organization, you will recall, that Paul VI surrendered the papal tiara to (so you'll forgive me if I hold Church-UN relations with more than a little suspicion).
Wow--is this figurative or literal? I didn't know this.
Somewhere in between, but close enough to literal for the truth of the statement to stand.
From TIA:
After the celebration of a Byzantine Mass on November 13, 1964, during the 3rd session of Council Vatican II, Paul VI descended the steps of the papal throne in St. Peter's Basilica and laid the tiara on the altar in a theatrical gesture, symbolically renouncing to the richness of the papal office. Picture at right.
He ordered that the tiara be sold and the money given to the poor. Card. Francis Spellman of New York provided the necessary funds for its acquisition. It remained for some time at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, and today it is permanently displayed at the crypt of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
So far, we don't have any datum that allows us to affirm without a doubt that after that ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica and before the acquisition by Card. Spellman, the Pope sent it to the UN. The report of Paul VI's gesture in L'Osservatore Romano (November 14, 2008) does not refer to this alleged donation. We would appreciate receiving a serious report certifying that this donation took place.
What we can affirm with certainty is that on October 4, 1965, on his visit to the UN in New York, during the 4th session of Vatican II, Paul VI gave a papal cross and a papal ring to the General Secretary of the United Nations, Mr. U Than, with the same aim: that they be sold and the money given to the poor.