“The Church will survive everything. Our most immediate aim is to resist the President’s rise to global power. You say you have evidence?”
“Conclusive evidence.”
He opened the envelope.
“Documents, letters, tape recordings,”
“I will ensure that copies are made and that it reaches the proper authorities. Put it on my desk.”
When Elijah had done so, he slumped back in his chair, and an audible groan escaped his lips. He realized suddenly that he was exhausted and that his body ached.
“You are very tired, my son.”
“So much has happened since yesterday afternoon that I can scarcely begin to speak of it.”
He related all that he had experienced since Christmas Eve.
“I am afraid for my friend Anna. Almost certainly her life is in danger. She may be. . .”
“She is dead.”
“Oh, God. How?”
The Pope handed the police report to Elijah.
“It states that she was murdered, and the crime disguised as an automobile accident in the Apennines. The autopsy indicates that she died on the 21st.”
Elijah suppressed the sob in his throat. The Pope remained silent until Elijah composed himself. “I was afraid this would happen”, he whispered. “Somehow I knew it would happen.”
“When did you last see her?”
“Several weeks ago.”
He removed from the leather envelope the letter she had written at Foligno on the night of her abduction. “It is dated the 21st.”
“She did not suffer long. I will offer the Mass at Saint John Lateran for her soul. She was a brave woman.”
“A brave woman”, he echoed in a broken voice.
“She gave her life.”
“Holy Father, her life must not be wasted! We must do all we can to bring her killers to justice.”
“Justice will be done, in God’s time.”
They sat in silence, each lost in his own thoughts.
Eventually Elijah said: “There is something I do not understand. Why would they disguise it as an accident if they wanted to lay the blame at my feet?”
“I suspect that they thinly disguised the accident and left sufficient signs of murder, in order to create the impression of a crime hastily covered up. This would point the accusing finger elsewhere, say to an amateur seeking to cover his sin. People of this sort do not leave a trail leading to themselves. They are professionals, masters of deceit. Clearly, they wished to kill two birds with one stone, Dr. Benedetti and yourself.”
“Why haven’t they tried to dispose of me?”
“They are hoping to achieve something more than the elimination of a troublesome individual. They want to create a scandal, thereby contributing to the public image of a Church in the last stages of degeneration.”
“In any event, it is over.”
The Pope looked at him sadly.
“Oh, my son, it is far from over. We have not seen the worst yet. We must not suppose that these are master criminals and nothing more. Their assault upon the Church is waged on many levels.”
They were interrupted suddenly by a knock. The Pope’s private secretary hurried into the room and closed the door behind him.
“Your Holiness, Cardinal Vettore wishes to speak with you.”
“Vettore? But he is in China!”
“He is here, Holiness, and he is very agitated. He demands an audience. Shall I tell him to go away? There is an opening in your schedule on Tuesday.”
“No. I will see him. Give me five minutes.”
The secretary went out, and the Pope, his face resolved, turned to Elijah.
“I want you to hear what is about to transpire. Please go into that room and leave the door open a crack. Under no circumstances reveal yourself or interfere in any way.”
Elijah went through to a small chamber beyond the Pope’s desk. The room was little more than an alcove, bare except for a small cot and a prie-dieu. A red vigil lamp burned beneath a tabernacle set into the wall. He genuflected before the Presence, then stood by the door, listening.
“Cardinal Vettore, Holy Father”, said the secretary’s voice. The door to the outer office clicked shut.
“Buon Natale, Your Holiness.”
“Buon Natale, Cardinal Vettore. Welcome back to Rome. Your return is unexpected.”
“Important events have come to light that make my presence necessary. There are developments that have consequences for the Church. We must discuss them immediately.”
“I am glad you have come to me. And on such a day as this! Please be seated.”
“Thank you, I prefer to stand.”
“You bring news from China?”
“There is much to tell you about China, but there are more pressing matters we need to discuss.”
“Tell me, my son.”
“It has come to my attention that there exists within the walls of our own house a conspiracy.”
“A conspiracy. What is its nature?”
“I know it will be difficult for you to believe, but I must inform you that there are members of the college of cardinals who are not loyal.”
“Not loyal to the Church?”
“Say rather that they are not loyal to your person.”
“To the papacy?”
“Well, not exactly. It is your pontificate which seems to have disturbed them. There is a group of bishops, several hundreds I understand, and many cardinals, who have indicated a need for consideration of retirement.”
“Retirement?”
“Your own retirement.”
“I see. What are their reasons? Do you know?”
“From what I can gather, there is a consensus among them that your reign was not what the consistory had hoped for. When you were elected, they had anticipated that the objectives of the Council would be implemented full-force. They feel that your recent encyclicals and the manner in which your disciplinary decisions have been carried out are a return to the preconciliar Church.”
“And thus a dangerous confusion has resulted among the faithful?”
“Exactly. They believe that a younger man, one more imbued with the thought of the Council Fathers would be able to redirect our course and take us as a unified body into the third millennium.”
“What do you think of this idea?”
“I am surprised, of course. Obviously, we are disunited. However, I do not think the present state is necessarily unhealthy. Change is never easy. It may take two or three generations for the Church to stabilize.”
“You perhaps recall that I was a newly ordained bishop at the Council?”
“Yes, I recall that.”
“You were a young man at the time.”
“I was a seminarian. But our professors were quite involved in the Council; some of them were periti, and they communicated their expectations to us. It was an exciting time.”
“Do you think the fruit of the Council is what we had hoped for?”
“There have been some mistakes. But I think on the whole the changes have brought about a more creative approach.”
“There have been misinterpretations of the Council texts.”
“In some regions, there have been imprudent innovations. There have been excesses. However, this group seems to think that the problem lies in another direction. They believe that conservatives have been exerting undue influence and that they have gained your ear.”
“Does the group believe that I have slowed down the process of renewal?”
“Unfortunately, they do.”
“And you, Cardinal Vettore, what do you think of this question?”
“My commitment to you is firm.”
“Do you agree that the widespread conflicts in the fields of doctrine, education, and liturgy are the result of a misinterpretation of the Council?”
“Undoubtedly.”
“By modernist prelates?”
The cardinal did not answer.
“Perhaps b
y conservative prelates?”
“This group seems to think the latter.”
“But you, what do you think?”
“You know that I am loyal.”
“Yes, you said that before.”
“The dissidents are clearly out of order, and yet they have raised some important questions, which may be a valid contribution.”
“Which questions?”
“Well, to be frank, the problem of collegiality.”
“What, precisely, is the problem?”
“Do we or do we not trust the Holy Spirit enough to open the way to a more democratic process?”
“The papacy is therefore a stumbling block in the path of the Holy Spirit?”
“Not exactly. We are presently in a period of transition, and thus, we can expect the normal difficulties of adjusting to a new paradigm of church.”
“How do you envisage this paradigm?”
“I should clarify, Holy Father, that I am not so much referring to my own views as to the opinions of this group. They feel that the national churches would function more efficiently and proceed with a more realistic process of inculturation if we did not pour our dwindling resources into preserving a monarchical model of church.”
“I think the Council was clear on that point, was it not? The Pope is Petrus. He is chief of apostles. His brother bishops validly shepherd the flock of Christ only in union with the chair of Peter.”
“I agree entirely. But the bishops merely wish to ask if they can maintain the line of authority while exercising greater autonomy.”
“Have they considered the lessons of history?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Have they considered the fourth century, when almost all the bishops of the world bowed to the will of an Arian emperor? Only the Pope and a handful of bishops united to him preserved the Christianity of the Gospels. What does this tell us about the Holy Spirit?”
Vettore did not reply.
“Have they given some thought to the behavior of the English bishops during the reign of Henry VIII? Only one bishop remained loyal, if you recall. And have they forgotten how in our own era, the communist party commandeered an autocephalous church, the Orthodox Church in Russia, and used her to subdue her sister churches and to pervert the World Council of Churches?”
“That is the past. We are a new breed of Christian, and we face new dangers.”
“Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We face no new dangers. They are merely variations on ancient themes.”
“I wish it were as simple as you suggest, Holy Father.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I believe that we are facing an uncertain future. We have been weakened by dreadful fragmentation into theological camps. The dissident group will soon begin agitating for a destructuralization, a movement to a more horizontal model of church. The conservatives, as we know, are becoming increasingly hysterical. They condemn not only the Council, but also your pontificate as a betrayal.”
“Ah, so you are suggesting that we strike a course straight down the middle.”
“Exactly.”
“But what if the middle has shifted?”
“Has it shifted?”
“Oh, yes, it has shifted. The true center can never be the exact midpoint between two extremes, for poles are always unstable, ever changing. The true center is above.”
“Regardless, we are dealing with a conservative revolt on one hand and a liberal revolt brewing on the other. That is the painful reality.”
“Those terms—conservative and liberal—they are political terms. They are misleading when applied to the Kingdom of Christ.”
“They are flawed but useful.”
“These conservatives and liberals whom you speak of—do they love the Pope?”
“All but the most radical recognize that the petrine office is a charism. We will always reverence that office, regardless of the model of church. The problem is: What are the precise limits of the office?”
“The Council and two thousand years of tradition are clear on that point.”
“It is not as clear to modern Catholics as it once was.”
“And why is that? How has it become so unclear?”
“Perhaps the natural confusion that arises during a period of change.”
“And so we return to our starting point. Who, or what, is Peter?”
“Could the Holy Spirit be asking us to grow? Perhaps it is time to rethink some of the old structures, including your office. Change is not evil.”
“I repeat my question: All these people, left, right, and center—do they love Peter?”
“Love? I am not sure. Everyone admires you.”
“Admiration is an easy thing to generate. Do they love me?”
Here the first note of impatience crept into the cardinal’s voice: “I do not know.”
“They love me—but they will not obey me.”
Vettore’s reply was inaudible.
“Do you know what love is, my son?”
“Of course. The theological. . .”
“Love is obedience unto death. And rebirth.”
“Obedience sometimes necessitates a courageous dissent. In a free relationship. . .”
“Any attempt to deemphasize the true community of the universal Church in favor of the supposedly more democratic model of regional churches is a grave mistake. One of the consistent tactics of tyranny is to divide and neutralize its opponents, to isolate those movements or voices that stand in opposition to the dissolving of identity.”
“But Holy Father,” Vettore replied in a reasoning tone, “the tyrants are all dead. The age of confrontation is over. The hideous wars and revolutions of our century were the result of various kinds of dogmatism. The time has come to dialogue on every side, to build bridges. Too long have we walked backward into the future, obsessed with our past, trapped within it. The human race is now approaching a quantum leap forward. We must turn and face the future. This and this alone will ensure the saving of the planet!”
“And what is our part in this?”
“We will show that we believe in Man. We have too long alienated the larger human community with our judgments and condemnations, fostering divisions on every side.”
“Cardinal Vettore, beware of that sophistry! If a man says that the sky is blue, is he causing division? Is he being unreasonable? Is he unsympathetic to the man who believes that the sky is red?”
“Sometimes the sky is red.”
“Yes, as the light of day ends, it is sometimes red.”
“You see my point.”
“But take your point farther. Suppose during that brief moment when the light dies, your man proclaims to the world that the sky is always red. He argues that people need only look up to see the evidence before their eyes. The people who live in the confines of our cities have fallen into the habit of not looking up. They live their whole lives in these concrete mazes, illuminated only by artificial light, and they say to themselves, ‘At last we see the sky, and moreover, we see it as it really is. It is red.’ ”
“You are stretching the point too far.”
“Am I? The Roman Catholic Church defends diversity within her universal community—genuine diversity—and she is able to do so precisely because she is a community founded on truth. That is why she will always be strong in a way that earthly kingdoms can never be strong. Every effort of man to replace the City of God is doomed to failure.”
“Why? Why is it doomed to failure? Because we say it is? Have we tried to make a decent civilization on this planet? Have we cooperated with the City of Man? Have we honestly expended every effort to make peace between nations?”
“We have”, said the Pope simply.
“We have not done enough.”
“What would you have us do? Say to unbelievers that we were wrong to offer them the Light? Wrong to speak about the world’s darkness? Wrong to defend the full range of human and divine absolutes?”
/> “I wasn’t saying. . .”
“What are you saying? Your position is riddled with contradictions.”
“I didn’t come here to be snapped at. I came here to help you.”
“Did you? Yes, I suppose that is how you must see it. On Christmas Day, you come to bring the world a gift. This group that you represent, do they also see their vision as a gift?”
“I do not represent them. I am merely. . .”
“If you wish to help the Church, you must tell these dissatisfied cardinals and bishops that the sky is blue. The Church is not a human structure. That is why so many varying cultures and peoples find their identity within her. The growth of regionalism in some corners of Western Catholicism only appears to foster a heightened sense of identity; in reality it contributes to the corruption of identity. Can you explain why the revolt tends toward a numbing uniformity beneath the superficial ‘creativity’ of its individualism?”
“Holy Father, our conversation is becoming sidetracked. The theology of church is complex. Let us return to the problem at hand.”
“That is precisely what we have been discussing.”
“Be that as it may. I have to tell you that your approach will no longer work.”
“And you have a remedy.”
“Yes. I do. With all due respect, I must tell you that there is a growing consensus that you should abide by the rules you have enforced upon your brother bishops. You should consider retirement. A consistory will elect a new Pope, one who is neither liberal nor conservative, who will build upon your very real accomplishments and bring the Church back on course.”
“You are implying, with not very great subtlety, that I have led the Church off course. This indicates to me that you, like these dissidents, also have lost faith in the petrine promise, the unique charism of Peter, the keys of the Kingdom.”
“That is not so. I did not say that. We are not questioning your defense of faith and morals. This is a pastoral crisis. Popes are human. Our history is a long tale with many twists and turns. Many great and not-so-great personalities have occupied your chair. For the moment you are still respected as a man who has achieved much. You will be remembered as a great pontiff. But no one is above criticism. It is for the ultimate good of the Church that you turn the keys over to others who can take up where you have left off. Better that you resign at the height of your greatness than to preside over the steady disintegration of the Church, a tragedy for which you would be blamed by future generations.”
Father Elijah Page 48
