Diksha Sundriyal
In Paramount+’s ‘Evil,’ three people of conflicting beliefs are hired by the Catholic Church to determine whether a given case falls under the Church’s jurisdiction because it is supernatural. In the beginning, the trio tries to bring new perspectives to the table as their views about the cases clash, but soon, all of them have to accept that some things cannot be explained completely, no matter what they do.
As the show expands its lore, it brings in more things related to the Church, which makes things even more interesting. One of those things is the Entity, the Church’s secret service, whose existence is never publicly acknowledged. Interestingly, this is a reference to a real-life secret service that the Church may or may not be associated with.
The Entity is Inspired by an Allegedly Real Vatican Secret Service
‘Evil’ is a fictional series created by Robert and Michelle King. However, with each episode, they try to do something that feels more grounded in reality, allowing the audience to relate to a given situation, irrespective of their religious and scientific beliefs. This thread of tying the fictional story to the real world allows the creators to reference many things in real life, and the Secret Service is a result of that.
Officially, the Vatican has denied any existence of a secret intelligence agency. However, being a small country of its own, it is logical for the Vatican to have structures in place to protect itself and its people, especially on the higher rung of the hierarchy. The Entity is believed to be that organization. Again, there has been no official acknowledgment from the Vatican, but two authors have explored this premise in their books. ‘The Entity: Five Centuries of Secret Vatican Espionage’ is written by Eric Frattini, and ‘The Entity: The Vatican Intelligence Service’ is by Antonella Colonna Vilasi. Both writers have several books under their belt, a lot of which explore the story surrounding a different intelligence agency in the world.
According to these books, The Entity, previously known as the Holy Alliance, was formed sometime in 1566 and since has been one of the most influential intelligence agencies in the world. It is alleged in the books that the Entity has been a part of all sorts of missions, which include everything from killing a head of a state to financing shady things overseas and being indulged in arms and other things. If it’s really true, then it makes sense that the Church wouldn’t publicly want to be associated with these things and, hence, has refused to accept that there is a secret service working for them.
It might also be that the Secret Service’s purpose is limited to protecting the important people in the Vatican and is not really related to any espionage activities. In ‘Evil,’ the show takes the Entity’s presence in a different direction, with the supernatural threat seen as a more pressing concern rather than dabbling in a dangerous political endeavor. Due to the dicey nature of the place, it makes sense that Robert and Michelle King delivered their own version of the organization.
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