The Hounds of Rome - Mystery of a Fugitive Priest

by Tom Clancy

  Some of the Knights, apparently satisfied, left the catacombs, but a few rushed to the airport to intercept the priest or failing that, to make sure he was gone. At the gate, the airline representative would not say whether Father Stephen Murphy had left on the flight but she did say that the flight was full.

  41

  Phillip Cardinal Rhinehart climbed the red-carpeted steps that covered the marble staircase leading to a long corridor on the second floor of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. As he walked, he passed bronze busts and paintings of former popes arrayed along both sides of the corridor. He followed a young priest who had been assigned to lead him to the office of Cardinal Hartzinger—the universally feared German who headed not only the Curia but also the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. The Congregation, in particular, focused on disciplinary matters. Knowing this, Cardinal Rhinehart had been somewhat perplexed, not to say shaken, when the message came summoning him to Rome. He had been summoned to the Vatican before, but it had always been to attend a ceremony or conference in the company of the other American cardinals. This was different. The message was curt. “Cardinal Hartzinger desires that you come to the Vatican at once.”

  After greeting Cardinal Rhinehart with a stiff formal handshake and a half-hearted attempt at a thin-lipped smile, Cardinal Hartzinger ushered him into a conference room that adjoined his office. Hartzinger, the German, could have been a twin of Rhinehart—tall, trim, ramrod straight, with a graying brush haircut. In different dress, they both could have been mistaken for officers in the German army high command.

  On entering the small conference room, Cardinal Rhinehart glanced admiringly at walls and ceiling that were covered with brilliantly colored frescoes depicting scenes from Christ’s life. He was introduced to two other cardinals, neither of whom he had met previously, who were standing near the conference table. He shook hands with Cardinal Mbotu, a black from South Africa and Cardinal Giovanni from Sicily. Rhinehart would have liked to see an American cardinal on the panel for moral support, but it was not to be.

  Relegated to seats along the back wall about a dozen bishops sat quietly waiting for the meeting to begin. They would not participate but were available to answer any questions that were referred to them. Rhinehart assumed they were part of a study group that researched matters for the cardinal.

  Speaking slowly and precisely, Cardinal Hartzinger opened the meeting. He got right to the point with no introductory pleasantries: “The holy father is seriously concerned about several problems in the Archdiocese of Washington that have gained his attention and his displeasure. These pertain to the apparent proliferation of pedophile priests in the archdiocese and the manner of dealing with them; in addition, there are reports that a seminary located in Washington near the grounds of Catholic University has become almost exclusively a refuge for homosexuals. A number of seminarians have withdrawn and have filed complaints about the widespread misconduct of many of the resident seminarians.

  “If I may interrupt, Eminence,” Cardinal Rhinehart said, addressing his equal in a subservient manner, hoping for leniency. “Surely the pontiff is aware that the problem of pedophile priests in America is widespread—not confined to my archdiocese. Boston, for example… “

  “The holy father is quite aware. The other dioceses will be attended to in due time. For the moment, however, we focus on your archdiocese because it is the seat of the apostolic delegate to the United States.”

  On hearing these charges, Rhinehart’s face grew somber. His hands balled into fists, but to conceal his reaction, he dropped them to his lap. He wasn’t aware his archdiocese was noteworthy in regard to pedophile priests, and even if it were, he resented the Vatican meddling in the internal affairs of his archdiocese. He suspected it was the overreaching power of Hartzinger that was behind it all.

  “The holy father is concerned,” Hartzinger said, “not only with the number of priests who have been accused, two of whom have been convicted in American courts, but also with the practice of transferring priests who have been credibly accused of pedophilia from one parish to another. These supposedly secret transfers are, thanks to the overly ambitious American media and lawsuits by those who claim to be victims, secrets no longer. Not only does this manner of handling the problem cause risk to those in other parishes, it has become a huge embarrassment to the church. We on the panel concede,” Hartzinger said, nodding to left and right to acknowledge his brother prelates, “and the holy father knows that you are not alone in this.” The other cardinals on the panel nodded in agreement. “Almost every diocese in America has been involved in this same practice, but as I said, we singled you out because your archdiocese has been involved in some serious abuses and is, in particular the seat of the apostolic delegate. In other words, the pontiff’s ambassador to the United States.

  As he listened, Cardinal Rhinehart grew increasingly angry that the Vatican had selected him as a scapegoat. He could feel the color rising on the back of his neck. He knew he had done the very best he could under difficult circumstances. He hadn’t created the problem, he hadn’t selected or ordained any of these priests who were for the most part middle-aged or elderly—it had been done long before his time. It was a problem that had simply been dumped on him when he was elevated to the red hat. He also resented the fact that the American church was being singled out. Surely, Cardinal Mbotu’s South Africa and Cardinal Giovanni’s Sicily and every other country with a Catholic population has pedophile priests. The difference was clearly attributed to the tendency of Americans to right every wrong with litigation and the scandal mongers of the American press. “You do understand that I have no control over the number of cases. These involve offenses that date back twenty, thirty, or even more years. In fact, some of the accused are dead.”

  “We understand, but you must defrock a number of priests and improve screening of seminarians.”

  “I am in the process of doing that,” Cardinal Rhinehart replied matter of factly. “Those who claim they have a calling to the priesthood are now being examined closely by a battery of psychiatrists. If we detect the slightest tendencies in the direction of pedophilia, they are dismissed. We err on the side of caution, and some potentially very devout priests are lost in the process—men who have no tendencies to pedophilia, but who object to the penetrating intrusiveness of the examinations, and who are disgusted by an apparent lack of trust in them by their church. We walk a tightrope. And surely you realize that if our measures are perceived as overly stringent, they will not help to alleviate the shortage of priests in the United States.”

  “The steps you are taking are commendable,” said Cardinal Giovanni, speaking for the first time, “and they will no doubt be of benefit. They will strengthen the church of tomorrow.”

  On hearing this, Cardinal Mbotu nodded in agreement. Even Hartzinger seemed to be softening. Rhinehart thought he might be coming out of the woods in the interrogation. His optimism was premature.

  “Turning to the manner in which you handle errant priests today...” said Hartzinger, trailing off.

  “They are given therapy,” Rhinehart responded quickly. “It’s true we have been transferring them to other parishes, but it is with assurances from psychiatric professionals that after completion of therapy their behavior will change.”

  “Apparently it has not changed in many cases,” Hartzinger said, leveling a cold gaze at the American cardinal. “Which brings me to the real concern of the holy father. He believes that as soon as the question arises, as soon as you suspect a problem based on a complaint, you must conduct an intensive inquiry. We are not saying an accused priest is guilty simply based on one or more complaints, but it must not be handled surreptitiously.”

  “We have always acted to keep the good of the church in the forefront,” Cardinal Rhinehart said. “We have acted to minimize embarrassment to the Church...to avoid scandal.”

  “But surely you realize that the result is widespread scandal when this is perceived as a
coverup. The problem escalates from that of an errant priest to an accusation of complicity on the part of the archdiocese and possibly even the Vatican.”

  “Eminence, when I become convinced that a priest has not responded to therapy and continues these practices in another parish, I transfer him to a remote monastery. Priests who are deemed incorrigible are sent there from dioceses all over America.”

  “Yes, we are aware of one such monastery—the Passion Monastery in the Arizona desert. But are you aware that a dozen priests have died there in the past year?”

  “Yes, but I understand that a few died of old age, and a few died of Aids.”

  “And the others? I have learned that this is not an environment for spiritual reclamation of a soul gone astray. It seems directed to elimination. Here we have the holy father traveling throughout the world preaching against human rights abuses, and word comes that priests...human beings...are being abused—even brutalized inside his own church. When word of this leaked out, the leaders of some other religions began calling the pontiff a hypocrite. Don’t you understand how much harm this does… how this undercuts his message?”

  “I am not familiar with the treatment given at the monastery. May I suggest that Bishop Hernandez is the one who should be called to task about a monastery under his supervision?”

  “Yes, and he will be. However, we are reminded that Hernandez is merely a bishop, and a relatively new one at that, while you are one of a handful of principal leaders of the church in America. As such, you have a level of responsibility that transcends his. We in the Vatican cannot do everything. Abuses in the American church must be handled by its own leaders. It is outrageous that such matters are allowed to add to the burden of the holy father.”

  On hearing this, Cardinal Rhinehart’s anger began to fade, replaced by a contrite feeling that he had indeed let things get out of hand. The holy father had been his benefactor and he had repaid him poorly.

  “You are,” Cardinal Hartzinger continued, “enjoined to investigate conditions at the monastery in the company of Bishop Hernandez, of course. Any human rights abuses must cease immediately. Please inform your brothers in America of our wishes. We do not dispute that the concept of sending errant priests to such a place rather than simply transferring them to other parishes is a correct one. Nor do we believe that traditional therapy is the answer. In the difficult surroundings of the Passion Monastery there is an outside chance of reclaiming them, but if not, the austere conditions at the monastery together with the thought that they might spend the remainder of their lives there, may convince them to resign—a voluntary step, one that allows them to remain in the faith. Defrocking is called for in many cases, but as you surely know, it risks adverse publicity and lawsuits when these men feel they have been deprived of future salary, retirement, and health care. But let me be clear. The Passion Monastery must stop certain practices—in particular, the selection of priests for what I have heard are bloody simulated crucifixions. We have learned that some priests are subjected to scourging, the way Christ was, but worse than that, the crucifixions result in some bleeding from a crown of thorns, near asphyxiation due to hours hanging on a cross and resulting trauma. This is a form of torture that must cease.”

  “Which brings us to another problem,” Cardinal Hartzinger continued. “You transferred a Reverend Stephen Murphy to Bishop Hernandez, apparently with an arrangement for financial support. The priest was then sent to the Passion Monastery from which he later escaped. You are aware of this, of course.”

  “Yes, I am familiar with the case.”

  “Regarding the priest, Stephen Murphy, we understand he is not a pedophile or a substance abuser, he is a clone. And there is some evidence he is most likely a chimera; that is, a hybrid.”

  Cardinal Mbotu spoke for the first time: “I am unfamiliar with these terms. Please explain.”

  Cardinal Hartzinger, recognizing that Mbotu had not been on the panel that had made an extensive review of the matter of cloning, provided details of the cloning process. He explained his and the Curia’s concern about human cloning and in particular the process of mixing animal cells with human cells, thus producing a chimera.

  “Can this be done? Has it been done?” asked Mbotu.

  “Of course it has,” replied Hartzinger. Haven’t you heard of sheep-goats produced by cloning? In a word: hybrids?”

  “Good heavens. What do they look like?”

  “The new creatures have some of the features of both.”

  “And the purpose of it?”

  “Merely to amuse the scientists, I suppose. If these things can be done, they feel challenged to attempt them.”

  Cardinal Mbotu, looking down, his elbows resting on the table, brought his hands up to cover his eyes. He slowly shook his head. “Again the curse of science,” he said softly.

  “Now with a human-animal chimera,” Cardinal Hartzinger continued, “one winds up with a hybrid who we believe is not a complete human being in the eyes of God. Almighty God does not implant a soul in an animal. Let me explain further. A separated part of a human, like an arm or a leg, is obviously not a complete human in the eyes of the church or of God. This arm or leg does not have a soul in its own right. The soul resides in the being from whom these parts came. Similarly, a part-human formed of a mixture of human and animal cells, we conclude, has not been given a soul by God. There is one soul only, and that one soul resides in the tissue donor—the one from whom the clone was produced. The being that results is a manufactured product, a synthetic human. God alone implants souls, scientists do not.”

  “I am in complete agreement with what you say about cloning,” Cardinal Rhinehart interjected, “and as soon as I learned the background of Stephen Murphy, I transferred him to Arizona to, shall we say, influence him to resign the priesthood.”

  “You transferred him to rid yourself of a problem,” Cardinal Hartzinger shot back. “And when he refused to resign and escaped, you asked Bishop Hernandez to send Passion brothers to eliminate him.”

  “Those were never my instructions,” Cardinal Rhinehart said emphatically. “They were to apprehend him and return him to the monastery; that’s all.”

  “But he has complained through sources that the monks have no compunctions about killing him. They have already tried to kill him in fact. Apparently, since he is a chimera, they do not believe this would be murder. But remember, the secular world sees him as human. To those outside the church it would be deemed murder.”

  “May I ask what you suggest I do about this?”

  “Murphy is in Rome. We have information that he is living at the San Callisto Catacombs. Through sources that I will not identify he has asked for the church’s position on the validity of a human clone, and in his particular case, on the validity of a chimera. We have studied this at length and our answer will be a grave disappointment to him.”

  “As I said, I feel the same way,” Cardinal Rhinehart said. “But what can be done? We have tried to coerce him into quietly resigning the priesthood without fanfare, but he refuses. You surely understand our serious concern about the effect the disclosure of a chimera in the priesthood would have on the thousands of parishioners who have received sacraments...invalid sacraments at his hands. Publicity about this would be devastating. Can you imagine all the couples who mistakenly thought they had been married by a priest? All those who honestly thought they had been absolved of their sins in the confessional? All those who thought they were receiving the Sacred Host at Mass from someone not empowered to perform the consecration? I would have a tragedy on my hands.”

  A door opened. Cardinal Rhinehart was astonished to see a thin, bent figure in white standing on the threshold—the pontiff himself.

  The cardinals immediately rose to their feet. Cardinal Rhinehart moved forward and bent his knee....

  “No formalities, please,” the pontiff said. “We welcome you, Brother. We trust your journey from South America was not too uncomfortable?”

&nb
sp; “From North America, Holiness.”

  “Oh yes. Now I remember. You are from the Archdiocese of ....”

  “The Archdiocese of Washington, Holiness.” The rumors were true. Cardinal Rhinehart was certain that the pope, approaching ninety, and rumored to be growing senile, could not remember his name even though they had met on many occasions. Worse, in fifteen minutes the pontiff might not even remember he had been there.

  “We have learned sadly, that a young man has been murdered.”

  “Yes, Holiness,” Cardinal Hartzinger replied. “It was the young man who claimed he was a clone of St. Peter.”

  “By whose hand?”

  “We are not sure, Holiness, but we suspect the Knights of Carthage.”

  “All of this killing in the world must stop,” the pontiff mumbled, dejectedly shaking his head as he turned slowly to leave the room. Cardinal Hartzinger closed the door behind him. He was obviously embarrassed. “His Holiness is not feeling well.”

  “Why doesn’t he retire?” asked Cardinal Giovanni.

  “He refuses,” Hartzinger said. “He wants to die—to go before God as the pontiff. If you were in his shoes, I am sure you would feel the same way.”

  After the brief incident, it was clear to the cardinals present who was running the Vatican. Reading their thoughts, Cardinal Hartzinger said, “I do it of necessity, my Brothers. Now let me say again: the holy father calls for honesty and openness in dealing with errant priests.”

  Turning to Cardinal Rhinehart, Hartzinger said tersely, “There are two things you must do concerning Reverend Murphy: first, the monks must cease their chase.”

  “I have no idea how to contact the monks. I will contact Bishop Hernandez and relay the message to him.”