Paolo Cirino Pomicino

"Corruption has always been a constant companion of humankind. After all, Catholic culture itself teaches us: without money, there are no Masses. Think of the Peter's Pence collection. The challenge for us politicians, and for all those who administer public affairs in general, is to navigate our own path towards God by seeking mediation."

"The truth is that when Christian Democrats die, everyone applauds them and some even wanted to canonise them, yet when they are alive, everyone wants to claim the lion's share for themselves. Some time ago, Berlusconi chose Scajola to reorganise himself politically, and now he has chosen Angelino Alfano. Similarly, when the Democratic Party was formed, it elected Rosy Bindi as its president. This shows that political Catholicism is a breeding ground for the ruling class."

"The European cultures that govern the member states are the environmentalist, liberal, socialist and Christian democratic cultures. In Italy, these cultures are currently absent, due to a form of bipolarity that is not political but rather linked to electoral technicalities. We are the only Western country where there is a majority bonus. There is only one precedent in the country's history: the Acerbo Law. Indeed, Mussolini did not even make use of it, as he received 65 per cent of the vote and the majority bonus was not triggered."

"Consent is won by promising a great deal and always delivering, but in dribs and drabs."

"This scoundrel (Antonio Di Pietro) said that the growth of the 1980s was linked to the world of bribes."

"If it weren't for the great comedian, now somewhat on the wane, namely Grillo, how many people would have had the opportunity to enter Parliament with the M5S?"

"Indeed, we were wrong not to speak out against the costs of politics, and none of us has become rich. We took refuge behind hypocrisy. But we paid the price for the fact that, for us Catholics in the Christian Democrats and for the Communists, money was the Devil's dung. We should have told the truth about the enormous cost of election campaigns. Besides, those who financed me were all friends; it was perfectly well known who was supporting me. Craxi also said this in his famous speech in Parliament. But, in hindsight, it can be said that many of the accusations against that ruling class were exaggerated."

"My mother was a woman of great faith. When my second brother, Mariano, died at the age of 33, and I broke the news to her, she turned to a painting of Our Lady of Pompeii and said through her tears: 'I don't understand You, but I entrust him to You.' That testimony has stayed with us through many other tragic moments."

"(Referring to Salvini) Those who wave rosaries in the streets should also remember that Hell exists."

"The best trick is to tell the truth – no one believes it anyway."

"Let's not insult the First Republic; there is absolutely nothing that resembles it. There is a political leader, Salvini, who actually demands full powers, creates a government crisis and then, however, says: We can continue working."

"That has never happened. Then there is a Prime Minister who gives full powers to one of his ministers in an emergency – in the First Republic, if anything, it was the Council of Ministers that would decide on such a measure. A precedent that does not exist."

"Interviewer: Why did you title your book on the Second Republic? Pomicino: It’s a metaphor to describe the new political situation after the Mani Pulite operation. We suddenly became a country devoid of any political culture. Indeed, we are the only European country that does not have a liberal, socialist, green or Christian democratic party. Responsibility lay with the old PCI which, by promoting the use of the judiciary to defeat the parties of the true centre-left, worked to obliterate everyone’s political culture, having lost its own."

"Interviewer: The operation Clean Hands was a consequence of the fall of the Berlin Wall? Pomicino: Not only did the Communist Party end up under its rubble, but, thanks to the 'Via Pal' team at the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office, so did the parties that had won the battle of history. Mani Pulite was orchestrated by the shareholder bourgeoisie led by De Benedetti. De Benedetti believed he would be the new leader of the country’s future government, which would bring together the financial and industrial elite from the upper echelons of Italian capitalism and the PCI of Achille Occhetto and Luciano Violante, which still had a strong local presence."

"Interviewer: Little has been said about this plan in the newspapers or in historical accounts. Pomicino: In 1992, when the centre-left secured 55% of the vote, a Socialist-led parliamentary term was due to begin, with a Christian Democrat as President of the Republic. This political configuration was not to the liking of US intelligence and of the faction comprising the PCI and the shareholder bourgeoisie, which dreamed of making a fortune by selling off, or rather, selling at a loss, 25% of the publicly owned Italian economy to international financial groups. One only needs to read Giuseppe Guarino's memoirs to realize this."

"Interviewer: A sell-off that ultimately did indeed take place. Pomicino: Today, it has been completed. However, instead of consolidating public finances, the debt has tripled, rising in current terms from €839 billion in 1991 to €2,400 billion today, with the middle class suffering severe impoverishment."