Riccardo: The Man Who Blew Up the Pope

Rob Ferraro

A corpse that explodes inside the Vatican. A papal doctor who hides behind secrecy, lies, and forbidden photographs. This is not fiction — it’s a true story. For decades, the scandal surrounding Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, personal physician to Pope Pius XII, has been buried under shame and silence. Now, after years of research in hidden archives and forgotten testimonies, the truth comes to light. From Nazi-occupied Rome to the shadowy dawn of the Cold War, this investigative series blends true crime and history to reveal one of the strangest, most unsettling sagas the Catholic Church has ever tried to forget. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 1

  1. 1 - The Devil's Hour

    Episode 1

    1 - The Devil's Hour

    Every papal death revives a haunting memory: the secret science of preserving the body, and the grotesque disaster of 1958, when Pope Pius XII’s corpse exploded. This first episode rewinds to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tracing the parallel rise of Eugenio Pacelli — the future Pope Pius XII, the most powerful pope of the modern era — and Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, the ambitious outsider who would become his unlikely companion. Along the way, shadowy figures emerge, including Fernando Asuero, the Spanish healer whose bizarre cures drew the Vatican’s and Mussolini’s attention, and rumored experiments involving cocaine and other dangerous remedies. From the turmoil of World War I to the shadows of a changing Europe, the episode uncovers the improbable beginnings of a relationship that would end in betrayal — and a scandal that still haunts the Catholic Church. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
  2. 2 - All the Pope's Men

    Episode 2

    2 - All the Pope's Men

    Rome, 1930: a city under fascist rule, where the Vatican seethes with spies, secret deals, and political violence. In this shadowed world, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli — soon to become Pope Pius XII — rises to power, while at his side emerges the unlikely figure of Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi: gambler, racecar driver, and unorthodox physician. This episode explores their growing bond, tracing Pacelli’s ascent within the Church and Riccardo’s reckless double life. At the center lies homeopathy — a controversial medical tradition surrounded by both believers and skeptics. With the help of experts, we explore its history, its promises, its limits, and why it may hold the key to understanding the strange alliance between Pope and doctor. From the smoky backrooms of fascist Rome to the guarded corridors of the Vatican, Episode Two probes the mystery of a relationship that defied logic — and left behind questions the Church has never fully answered. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
  3. 3 - The Bones of Saint Peter

    Episode 3

    3 - The Bones of Saint Peter

    As Nazi troops invade Poland, Pope Pius XII faces the most terrifying choice of his life: condemn Hitler and risk the Church’s destruction, or remain silent and watch the world burn. In the shadows of Saint Peter’s Basilica, secret excavations begin to unearth the Apostle’s bones — a mission that becomes a dangerous mix of faith, archaeology, and espionage. Beneath the Vatican, plots to assassinate Hitler unfold, while above ground, bombs rain down on Rome for the first time in history. At the Pope’s side is Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi — oculist, homeopath, gambler, and loyal companion. Together, they navigate a city under siege, Nazi conspiracies, forbidden relics, and a chilling plan to kidnap the Pontiff himself. From hidden tombs to burning streets, Episode Three reveals how faith, betrayal, and science collided in one of the darkest chapters of the Catholic Church. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min
  4. 4 - The Doctor Who Outlived Hitler

    Episode 4

    4 - The Doctor Who Outlived Hitler

    The Vatican under siege. Nazi forces occupy Rome and tighten their grip around St. Peter’s Square, as Hitler plots to kidnap Pope Pius XII. At the Pope’s side stands Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi — an unorthodox physician, gambler, and keeper of secrets. Surviving the Nazi threat forges their friendship in fear and mystery, binding Pope and doctor closer than ever. After the war, a new rival appears at the court of Pius XII: Dr. Paul Niehans of Switzerland, whose experimental cell therapy at Clinique La Prairie — promising eternal youth, embraced by celebrities yet shadowed by suspicions of quackery — threatens Riccardo’s influence over a Pope fascinated by alternative medicine. Then comes murder. The body of Wilma Montesi is found on a beach near Rome. The case ensnares Riccardo and threatens to drag him — and perhaps even the Vatican itself — into the abyss, before erupting into a political scandal of sex, power, and intrigue that shocks Italy and remains to this day one of the country’s most famous cold cases. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
  5. 5 - The Killer Footbath

    Episode 5

    5 - The Killer Footbath

    1953. On the beach at Capocotta — before the hunting estate of Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi — the body of young Wilma Montesi is discovered. What should have been a routine investigation quickly turns into a true crime scandal. Police rush to close the case, dismissing her death as the result of a footbath gone wrong. The explanation is ridiculed across Italy, seen as a blatant cover-up. The murder mystery engulfs Riccardo, putting both his career and the Vatican’s reputation on the line. As rumors of sex, drugs, and political corruption swirl, the Communist Party seizes the chance to exploit the scandal, destabilize the government, and tip the balance of the Cold War. The Montesi murder becomes not only a political earthquake but also one of Italy’s most infamous unsolved cold cases — a haunting shadow that lingers to this day. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    41 min
  6. 6 - Paranormal Activity

    Episode 6

    6 - Paranormal Activity

    As the Montesi scandal fades, it leaves deep scars on Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi and his bond with Pius XII. In the aftermath, Riccardo descends into a forbidden world: by 1954, he is promoting M.B.R. 36, a fraudulent cancer cure, while secretly dabbling in séances and the occult — practices condemned by the Church. Newly uncovered documents and unheard testimony reveal how this descent pushed one of the Pope’s closest insiders to the brink of sorcery and quackery, dragging the Vatican into perilous shadows it could not control. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min
  7. 7 - Who Owns the Pope's Body?

    Episode 7

    7 - Who Owns the Pope's Body?

    In 1954, Pius XII’s health collapses — and with it, his trust in his lifelong doctor, Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi. Newly unearthed diaries from Cardinal Domenico Tardini expose a year of rivalries, deception, and failed cures: rectal feeding, false medical bulletins, and the clash between Riccardo and the charismatic Dr. Paul Niehans. As the Pope suffers visions and humiliation, medicine turns into politics, and the Vatican becomes a battlefield of egos. This episode reveals the hidden struggle for control over the dying pontiff’s body — and his legacy. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  8. 8 - The Pope Who Wouldn't Die

    Episode 8

    8 - The Pope Who Wouldn't Die

    October 1958. Pope Pius XII is dying in Castel Gandolfo. Beside his bed: doctors, nuns… and Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, leaking secrets to the press. A false death announcement shocks the world. A forbidden photograph captures the pontiff in his last moments. And Riccardo, the Pope’s own doctor, prepares the most disastrous embalming in history. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  9. 9 - Anatomy of a Pontiff

    Episode 9

    9 - Anatomy of a Pontiff

    Pope Pius XII is dead. His longtime physician, Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, remains at his side, carrying out his final duty. But above all looms Cardinal Eugène Tisserant — the iron-fisted Dean of the College of Cardinals — determined to dismantle Pacelli’s inner circle. Sister Pasqualina, the Pope’s housekeeper and right hand, is forced out. And Riccardo makes a desperate gamble: an experimental embalming with the mysterious Dr. Oreste Nuzzi — an “aromatization” tinged with the occult, promising miracles. Under the glare of the foreign press, Galeazzi-Lisi insists he has preserved the Pope as Christ was prepared for burial, with oils and resins. But the body of Pius XII is beginning to tell another story… Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    21 min
  10. 10 - The Man Who Blew Up the Pope

    Episode 10

    10 - The Man Who Blew Up the Pope

    The embalming of Pope Pius XII ends in catastrophe: his body decomposes before horrified witnesses, exploding during the funeral procession. As the Vatican scrambles to contain the disaster, scandal erupts. "Paris Match" publishes a secret medical diary and a shocking deathbed photograph of the pontiff — the first time a Pope has ever been seen stripped of all dignity. At the center is Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, accused of betrayal, deprived of his medical license by the Medical Association, and branded the man who profaned the Pope. But new documents, revealed here for the first time, uncover a hidden truth. With Tom Ponzi, Europe’s legendary private detective, drawn into the investigation, the story becomes a noir tale of espionage, medicine, and faith. Galeazzi-Lisi is ruined, forgotten, and left to die in obscurity — yet history will forever remember him as the doctor who blew up the Pope. But perhaps, after today, everything could change. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

  11. Season 1 Trailer

    Trailer

    A true crime podcast uncovering Vatican secrets and scandals. Pope Pius XII — Eugenio Pacelli — the wartime Pope, the most powerful pontiff of the modern era. At his side for thirty years stood Dr. Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi: eye doctor, homeopath, pseudoscientist, gambler, spiritist, even entangled in one of Italy’s most famous cold cases. An extraordinary and improbable figure, bound to the Pope by a troubled relationship that ended in betrayal. What bound them together? Why did Pacelli keep him close, against all warnings, until the very end? And how did that relationship lead to the grotesque climax of an exploding corpse in the heart of the Vatican? For the first time, with years of archival research and previously unseen material, this investigative true crime series reveals a hidden chapter of Catholic Church history — a story of power, betrayal, and forbidden truths. RICCARDO: The Man Who Blew Up the Pope. Discover more at RiccardoPodcast.com — where, starting September 17, 2025, you’ll find documents, research, and exclusive insights expanding on the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    3 min

Trailer

About

A corpse that explodes inside the Vatican. A papal doctor who hides behind secrecy, lies, and forbidden photographs. This is not fiction — it’s a true story. For decades, the scandal surrounding Riccardo Galeazzi-Lisi, personal physician to Pope Pius XII, has been buried under shame and silence. Now, after years of research in hidden archives and forgotten testimonies, the truth comes to light. From Nazi-occupied Rome to the shadowy dawn of the Cold War, this investigative series blends true crime and history to reveal one of the strangest, most unsettling sagas the Catholic Church has ever tried to forget. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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