Keys of This Blood

The Keys of This Blood: The Struggle for World Dominion Between Pope John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the Capitalist West is a 1990 book by Malachi Martin, a former Jesuit priest and author who wrote extensively about the Roman Catholic Church. Published by Simon & Schuster, the book examines the political and religious changes taking place at the end of the Cold War, interpreting them as a struggle among the Holy See, the Soviet Union, and the capitalist West for influence over the future world order.

Contents and central argument

Martin presents the late twentieth century as a decisive period in which competing political and ideological forces were attempting to shape the future of humanity. He identifies three principal contenders: Pope John Paul II, the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and the political and economic leadership of the capitalist West.

Martin argues that these contenders represent different visions of the political, economic, and spiritual organization of the world. He examines the Catholic Church's international influence, the changing direction of Soviet communism under Gorbachev, and the role of Western capitalism in shaping international institutions and society.

The book's argument is not simply that the Cold War was a confrontation between communism and capitalism. Martin also regards both systems as potential vehicles of materialism and secularization, contrasting them with what he considers the spiritual claims of Christianity. He describes the period as a decisive contest over the principles that would govern an emerging global society.

Pope John Paul II and the collapse of communism

A major theme of the book is the international role of Pope John Paul II. Martin emphasizes the Pope's Polish background, his opposition to communism, and the influence of the Catholic Church in Eastern Europe. He places particular importance on the relationship between the Polish Pope and developments that contributed to the weakening of Soviet control over Eastern Europe.

Martin interprets the decline of communist authority as part of a larger contest involving religious conviction, political leadership, and competing conceptions of society. The book gives substantial attention to Poland, the Soviet Union, and the changing relations between Eastern and Western Europe.

The book was published in 1990, as communist governments in Eastern Europe were collapsing and the Soviet Union was undergoing profound political changes. Its interpretation of these events therefore appeared during a period of exceptional uncertainty about the future of international politics.

The new world order

Martin uses the concept of a new world order to describe the emerging international system and the struggle to determine its character. He considers the growing integration of political and economic institutions alongside the influence of religious and ideological movements.

His account presents the Catholic Church as a global institution with interests and influence extending beyond the conventional boundaries of national politics. Martin argues that the Church's leadership was engaged in a struggle over the spiritual direction of the emerging international order, while other political and economic forces pursued competing objectives.

These claims form part of Martin's interpretation of contemporary events. The book's more ambitious assertions about secretive networks, coordinated strategies, and the intentions of international leaders should be distinguished from independently verified historical evidence.

Reception and criticism

The book attracted attention for its broad account of the relationship between religion, geopolitics, and the end of the Cold War. Its central argument and extensive treatment of the Catholic Church's international role also attracted criticism.

A contemporary review in Publishers Weekly characterized Martin's account as an elaborate and unpersuasive interpretation of the struggle among global political forces. The review questioned the book's presentation of its behind-the-scenes claims and its explanation of the Vatican's role in international developments.

Kirkus Reviews likewise criticized the book's expansive geopolitical interpretation, describing its treatment of the competing forces as rambling and unconvincing.

The book is therefore best read as Martin's interpretation of late twentieth-century religious and political developments rather than as a neutral account accepted by historians in all its particulars.

Bibliographic information

• Author: Malachi Martin
• Original publication: 1990
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Genre: Geopolitical analysis; religious and political commentary
• Original subtitle: The Struggle for World Dominion Between Pope John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the Capitalist West
• ISBN: 0-671-69174-0 (1990 edition)

See also

• Malachi Martin
• Pope John Paul II
• Mikhail Gorbachev
• Cold War
• Collapse of communism
• Roman Catholic Church
• New World Order