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A HIGHLY-controversial book to be published in Britain next week will attack the reputation of Pope John Paul II, who is currently the subject of attempts to make him a saint.

The 448-page hardback book, called "The Power and the Glory: Inside the Dark Heart of John Paul II's Vatican" has been written by author David Yallop.

Yallop's earlier book, the award-winning In God's Name, exposed details about financial corruption inside the Vatican and raised questions about the death of John Paul I.

Now Yallop has returned to Rome to write a new story - which he claims is the true history of the papacy of John Paul II.

According to the publishers, one unnamed senior American Catholic prelate who has read the book said: "It makes The Da Vinci Code read like the Teddy Bears' Picnic."

In the book, David Yallop says that from the first moment of his election as Pope, Karol Wojtyla sought political influence and a role on the world stage. Promising a renewed church, John Paul II became the first "media Pope", travelling around the world to preach his message, becoming famous for his ability to appeal to the masses.

He became a symbol of hope for the poor, while courting political influence with world leaders.

But, says Yallop, this public image of the charismatic new Pope did not match the truth of what was going on behind the scenes.

In the book he claims the legacy of Pope John Paul II abounds with myths, fantasies and disinformation. Among the claims made by Yallop in the book are:

• Facts that contradict the traditional image of John Paul II as the liberator of Poland and his central role in the tearing down of the Iron Curtain.
  
  Yallop claims to have information from secret Polish Police files, CIA files, the US State Department, the former East German Stasi and the KGB, as well as the personal papers of Ronald Reagan to prove his case.
  
  
• Claims that Karol Wojtyla, who was ordained in 1946, was protected and accorded privileges by the occupying German forces for much of World War II.
  
  
• John Paul II, after he became Pope, tried to conceal the extent of child abuse in the church worldwide and to protect the clergy involved.

The book also contains a rare photograph of the Pope taken seconds before his attempted assassination.

According to the publishers, Constable and Robinson, Yallop's book is "a bold and unflinching look at the career of a man currently being fast-tracked to sainthood." They say Pope John Paul II's papacy has left the church in crisis, both financially and spiritually.

This weekend marks the second anniversary of the Pope's death at the age of 84 and the demands for his beatification and subsequent canonisation are gathering pace.

Yallop's new book on Pope John Paul II will be published internationally next Thursday.