Hi Paddy,
Paddy wrote:
Quote:
At the risk of repetition and of going round in circles, the only other thing that I can find on this at the moment is in Jean-Luc Chaumeil’s book “La Table d’Isis “, 1994, p.124:
‘...l’association du Prieuré de Sion [...] Nous avons pu contacter les anciens members de ce bureau, qui sont partis d’un grand éclat de rire, quand nous leur avons parlé de Rennes-le-Château. Selon son ancien président, il ne s’aggissait à l’époque que “d’un club de boy-scouts” et, “RIEN D’AUTRE”...!’
[‘... the association of the Priory of Sion [...] We were able to get in touch with the former members of this committee, who burst out laughing, when we talked to them about Rennes-le-Château. According to its former president, it was at the time only "a club for boy scouts" and "NOTHING ELSE"...!’]
Not sure if the chapter and verse helps.
No, don't think you're being repetitive at all...thanks for posting.
I have that quote from another of Chaumeil's books and it is interesting in and of itself.
What I am interested in is the other 'quote' that is constantly repeated as being from a BBC show. Was it adapted from the Chaumeil 'quote', or did the BBC actually interview Bonhomme, as is so often claimed?
Picknett put the claim a little differently from that used above ('The original president Andre Bonhomme made this statement on a BBC special about this mysterious group in 1996'). In
The Sion Legacy, she writes:
Quote:
In 1996 Bonhomme told the BBC: “The Priory of Sion doesn’t exist anymore. We were never involved in any activities of a political nature. It was four friends who came together to have fun. We called ourselves the Priory of Sion because there was a mountain by the same name close by. I haven’t seen Pierre Plantard in over 20 years and I don’t know what he’s up to but he always had a great imagination. I don’t know why people try to make such a big thing out of nothing.” (4)
When the reference number is checked, it reads:
Quote:
'To the makers of the BBC Timewatch documentary 'History of a Mystery' (written and directed by William Cran and broadcast in September 1996), as quoted in Smith, 'The Real Historical Origin at [sic] the Priory of Sion'.
Unlike so many others, Picknett does not claim that Bonhomme was interviewed on air (perhaps she even bothered to WATCH the said show before making claims about it!). However, it is worth asking whether Picknett checked with BBC sources to confirm that they had interviewed Bonhomme and he had made the above statement? Or did she take it directly from 'The Real Historical Origin at [sic] the Priory of Sion'?!
On reviewing 'The Real Historical Origin of the Priory of Sion', the latter seems the more likely IMHO:
Quote:
THE REAL HISTORICAL ORIGIN OF THE PRIORY OF SION
The President of the 1956 Priory of Sion was André Bonhomme.
André Bonhomme was one of the four founding members of the Priory of Sion in Annemasse in 1956, along with Pierre Plantard. He is tired of being harassed by inquiries about the nature of the association and doesn't want any publicity – he refuses to be interviewed on television or on radio. He doesn't understand where people get the idea that the Priory was anything other than what it was – just a small club of friends.
This was the statement he made to the BBC in 1996:
"The Priory of Sion doesn't exist anymore. We were never involved in any activities of a political nature. It was four friends who came together to have fun. We called ourselves the Priory of Sion because there was a mountain by the same name close-by. I haven't seen Pierre Plantard in over 20 years and I don't know what he's up to but he always had a great imagination. I don't know why people try to make such a big thing out of nothing."
And to quote French Researcher Jean-Luc Chaumeil from his 1994 book ‘The Table Of Isis, Part 2, The Templars Of The Apocalypse: The Message Of A Sacred Enigma - Tales, Legends And Myths Of Rennes-le-Chateau’:
"Finally, the Priory of Sion was created in 1956. We were able to contact former members of this office, who all burst out laughing when we mentioned Rennes-le-Château. According to its former President, the association was at the time a "club for boy scouts" and NOTHING MORE….!"
And from the BBC 2 Timewatch documentary The History of a Mystery (1996):
"There's no evidence for a Priory of Sion until the 1950s; to find it, you go to the little town of St-Julien. Under French Law every new club or association must register itself with the Authorities, and that's why there's a dossier here showing that a Priory of Sion filed the proper forms in 1956. According to a founding member, this eccentric association took its name not from Jerusalem, but from a nearby mountain (Col du Mont Sion Alt. 786 m). The dossier also notes that the Priory's self-styled Grand Master Pierre Plantard, who is central to this story, has done time in jail."
So from this, can we take it that the claim here is that the BBC supposedly interviewed Bonhomme, got the above statement, but then didn't use it in the 'History of a Mystery' Timewatch Special, perhaps because of Bonhomme's reluctance to recieve any publicity (begging two obvious questions - why is he so extremely publicity shy anyway, and why bother giving any statement to the BBC at all, if he feels that way). Yet couldn't the BBC have read out his statement without naming him, just as they seemingly did with the claim about 'the nearby mountain'.
Also, how are we to assume that knowledge of the supposed Bonhomme 'statement' to the BBC became PUBLIC knowledge. Was it through private correspondence with Chaumeil, or perhaps the author of 'The Real Historical Origin of the Priory of Sion'?
Interestingly, the Bonhomme claim
AFAICanRemember used to be referenced on the Wikipedia PoS and Plantard pages. However, the pages have now been changed and the Bonhomme claim has been removed!
I'd be very interested to hear what you think Paddy, and what anyone else thinks?!
Come on, it'll be fun
Regards,
Spartacus
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