May 8, 1968

Did you see P.L.? How did you find him?

He's nervously quite shaken, quite exhausted.

Don't you think they did some magic on him?

That's quite my impression.

Ah, you too.... As for me, I very much feel they did magic so he wouldn't be able to speak to the Pope.

For the moment, he's very exhausted.

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Yes, they've drained him.

It started with a mental attack - every possible doubt: Sri

Aurobindo is "like Saint Augustine"; Mother is "like Virgin

 Mary," it's "the same thing." A mental attack, anyway. After

 that, he became unable to eat: every time he ate, he would

vomit. Then he had fits of hysteria: convulsions, foaming at

 the mouth, and a kind of half madness.

Bah, bah!

Because he wrote to the Pope ... Here's what happened: he

 wrote to the Pope asking him for an audience, but that lette

 never reached the Pope.

Oh!

It fell into the hands of the "Chief of Correspondence," who

 probably sent it to the "Indian department" of the Vatican to

 find out what that Ashram was.... And he was never allowed

 to see the Pope. Eight days later, those attacks started coming.

 And after another eight days, they told him, "Oh, you're too ill,

 you can't meet the Pope. You're 'out of it.'"

Now they're on their guard over there.

But with what he told me, I caught the Vatican's atmosphere....

It's something frightful, a mafia with bands hating each other,

 lying in wait for the Pope's disappearance, not daring to say

 anything: those who are for the Pope dare not say anything

 because they think, "When the Pope dies, Ill need his enemies

 to be elected in his place." They all keep thinking about his

 succession. So no one wants to be the other's enemy and each

watches the other. It's a frightful atmosphere.

Since he gave that letter for the Pope, I've been seeing constant attacks here, constant. These people are dangerous.

And there's a serious fact I learned from P.L. You know that

 the Pope was operated on a year ago....

What for?

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For the prostate. And in fact, it's cancer.

Oh! ... So they're expecting him to die....

And they don't like him. P.L. told me, "At the Vatican, they

 don't like him." They say he is "the son of a journalist, a chap

 who wants to cause a sensation." That's how they judge him at

 the Vatican.

(Mother remains concentrated

 for a long time)

Was the Pope operated on before or after he came to India?

After, I think.

* * *

Then Mother remains

 in contemplation till the end

I have no inclination to speak.... But it's a continuous work, day and night, day and night.... "One" seems to have set off something rather formidable.[[Since April 2, 1968 ("An immense page falling back"). ]]

Nothing to say?

One wonders how all this Vatican business is going to turn

out?

All that they want is to keep things as they are. Their whole will is to prevent things from moving.... Unfortunately, it's easier to prevent things from moving than to make them move.

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