“So that wasn’t you chasing us in Newport? And at the McDonald’s?” he asked.
The Monsignor shook his head, a distasteful look on his face. “Absolutely not.”
He wasn’t sure what to believe. But why would the priest lie now that he had them in his custody? “So how did you find us?”
“One of my parishioners lives in Tyngsboro, across the street from the Map Stone. I asked her to call if she saw anyone. When she phoned, I raced over with a few of our youth counselors.”
Cam glanced at Amanda. She seemed to be thinking the same thing he was. Either the Monsignor was telling the truth, in which case he had gone to a lot of trouble just to have this conversation with them, or he was lying, in which case they were his captors and really had no choice but to listen to him anyway. “So what’s this urgent information?”
Marcotte brought his hands together as if praying, rested his chin on them as he spoke. “First of all, are you aware I am a theology professor at the College of Holy Cross, in Worcester?”
“No.”
“I am fortunate to be able to both minister and pursue my interests in education and history. One of the … uncomfortable … subjects in academia these days, especially in the theology field, is the study of Templar history.” He offered a sheepish shrug. “A colleague of mine likened the study of the Templars to a kind of academic pornography. Everyone is fascinated by the subject but nobody wants to get caught with their nose in the book.”
Cam smiled. Not a bad line for a priest.
“Having said that, the Templars are a vital part of medieval history. Their impact can’t simply be ignored.” He smiled at Amanda, then turned back to Cam. “I’m curious, what did Ms. Spencer tell you was the treasure the Templars may have brought to the New World?”
Cam summarized: Perhaps they brought religious artifacts, perhaps ancient knowledge, perhaps gold and silver. Perhaps all three. “If you have something to add, please do so.” He dropped his hands to the table. “I’m in way over my head here. Everyone but me seems to be an expert in medieval history. I feel like I’m trying to do a crossword puzzle in a language I don’t speak.”
Marcotte smiled. “In fact, I do have something to add. Do you remember the name of the two families identified in The Da Vinci Code as carrying the bloodline of Jesus?” he asked, referring to the popular 2004 novel by Dan Brown theorizing that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus and bore his children.
Amanda shrugged. “I read it when it was first released, before I left London. I don’t recall the names.” Cam didn’t remember either.
“And you haven’t reread it since?” the cleric asked.
“No. Why?”
The Monsignor smiled. “That explains it. If you had, you would have immediately recognized one of the names. Remember, the book is fiction but it is based on historical sources. One of the bloodline families was Plantard.” He leaned forward in his chair. “The other was St. Clair.”
“Sinclair,” Amanda whispered, her eyes wide. “Cam, I showed you the picture of Sir William’s tombstone, Prince Henry’s grandfather, the name spelled St. Clair. They Anglicized their name when they moved to Scotland. But it’s the same family.”
“Wait a second.” Cam’s neck tingled. “Our Prince Henry, who came to America and carved the Knight, is part of the Jesus bloodline?”
* * *
Amanda was the first to break the silence in the church basement. “I knew there was something the Consortium wasn’t telling me.”
The Monsignor smiled kindly. “I have a feeling there are a number of things the Consortium is hiding.” His eyes shifted from Amanda to Cam. “From all of us.”
She frowned. “I hadn’t even heard of Prince Henry when I read The Da Vinci Code. But I should have made the connection.”
“Don’t be hard on yourself. Brown only mentioned the names a couple of times in the book. Most people don’t remember them. Without any context, they mean nothing. They’re just names.”
Cam didn’t share Amanda’s frustration. He never saw this one coming. He simply didn’t have enough experience and background in the subject to make these types of connections. On the other hand, The Da Vinci Code was fiction. “How do we know the author didn’t just come up with the St. Clair name by happenstance? And are you just assuming this Jesus bloodline theory is true? Last I checked, the Vatican wasn’t exactly going along with the idea.”
“I think we can all agree that the Vatican responded in the only way it could—denial,” Marcotte said. “But for the purposes of understanding the Sinclair family and its history, we need to consider the possibility that the bloodline theory is valid.” The Monsignor paused, waiting for disagreement, before continuing. “Brown got his ideas from a book published in the 1980s called Holy Blood, Holy Grail. In fact, the authors of that book sued Brown, accused him of stealing their ideas. Anyway, Holy Blood, Holy Grail names the Sinclairs, along with a few other families, as carrying the Jesus bloodline. These families descend from the Merovingians, a dynasty that ruled present-day France and Germany in the fifth through eighth centuries, the Dark Ages. The Merovingians trace their ancestry back to Mary Magdalene, to when she arrived in France after fleeing Jerusalem. For those who believe the Jesus bloodline theory, it’s pretty much a given that in medieval times the Sinclair clan was a major branch of the Jesus family tree.”
“You’re talking 12 or 13 centuries,” Cam countered. “The family tree by then would have been a forest—there must have been thousands of Jesus heirs. How can you single out the Sinclairs?”
“You’re not thinking in ancient terms. In the Dark Ages and medieval times, royal families were very careful to keep their bloodlines pure. Family trees looked more like vines, circling back on the themselves, sometimes even at the risk of choking off life.” He stood, retrieved a book off a side table and opened to a marked page. “Here’s a quote from Niven Sinclair, modern patriarch of the Sinclair clan: ‘When I was studying our family history, I reached a point when I could almost predict who was going to marry whom. Just as we returned to root stock with our Aberdeen Angus cattle, the Sinclairs did this every third generation. Many marriages were annulled on the grounds of consanguinity but were ‘restored’ after paying the Church money.’”
“In other words, they married their cousins,” Amanda said.
“Correct. And they did so seemingly for a purpose, even against the laws and norms of the day. So the number of direct heirs would actually have been fairly small. As leader of the entire Sinclair clan, it is safe to conclude that Prince Henry carried as much Jesus blood as any man alive.” Marcotte took a deep breath. “So, to sum up, not only do we have the Knights Templars fleeing the Church, escaping to America with their treasures but we have them being led by Prince Henry Sinclair, purportedly heir to the Jesus bloodline.”
After allowing his words to sink in, the cleric leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. “Could it be that one of the things Prince Henry transported was a genealogical record, evidence that Jesus’ bloodline lived on in the Sinclair line?”
Amanda slapped the table. “Yes. That makes perfect sense. If such a record did exist, of course they would be concerned for its safety. The New World would be a ideal spot for Prince Henry to hide it--”
“Because nobody else knew how to get here,” Cam interjected.
The Monsignor nodded. “Exactly. The Church would kill—literally—to suppress such a genealogy, especially during medieval times. And Prince Henry would have gone to great lengths to preserve it because it established his family’s holy bloodline.”
Cam eyed Marcotte. The lawyer in him wanted to slow this down a bit, make sure they weren’t getting ahead of themselves. It was one thing for Dan Brown and others to write that Jesus had heirs. But for a priest to be so matter-of-fact about it seemed odd. “Monsignor, do you believe the bloodline story?”
He pressed his hands together, holding them under his chin as if in prayer. After a few seconds he took a deep b
reath and pulled a folder from his briefcase on the floor. “In fact, I do. It would have been highly unusual for Jesus, as a Jewish male and a direct descendant of King David, not to marry and have children at an early age--”
“Wait a second,” Cam interrupted. “What about the immaculate conception? How can Jesus be part of King David’s line? How can he be part of any line?” Cam himself didn’t believe Jesus was the son of God. But he wasn’t wearing a priest collar.
“True,” the Monsignor smiled. “But at the time Jesus was a young man, it was believed he was the son of Mary and Joseph and therefore part of King David’s line. Joseph never denied paternity so legally Jesus was his son and part of his line. In fact, the Book of Matthew traces Jesus’ Davidic line through Joseph while the Book of Luke traces it through Mary. His dual Davidic lineage, on both his mother’s and father’s side, played a large part in Jesus’ acceptance by the populace as the Savior. And as I said, the norms of the time would have required a male of royal lineage to marry young and continue his line.”
“Okay,” Cam conceded.
“But you asked me about Jesus’ heirs, not his own conception. And I said I believe he did indeed procreate. As a priest, as a man who preaches faith over reason, I would like to believe otherwise. But as a scholar, I have reached a point in my life where I cannot ignore the evidence. For example, Bernard de Clairvaux, a 12th-century Cistercian monk and one of the most powerful men in the history of Christiandom, referred to Mary Magdalene as the ‘Bride of Christ’ in his Sermon 57. Furthermore, there is simply too much local legend and tradition throughout Europe for the story to be false. Look at this, for example.” He slid a photograph across the table. “This is a stained glass window in Kilmore Church in Western Scotland. It was built in 1906 so it’s not all that old but, again, it reflects the traditions and beliefs of the people. The window shows Jesus holding hands with a pregnant Mary Magdalene.”
[ http://www.kilmore.org.uk/glass.html ]
STAINED GLASS WINDOW FROM KILMORE CHURCH, DERVAIG, ISLE OF MULL, SCOTLAND
Cam studied the window. There was no doubt the bearded, haloed figure was Jesus. “How do you know its Mary Magdalene with him?” Cam asked.
“Long red hair and a green gown—these are historical attributes of the Magdalene.” Marcotte smiled and spread his hands. “Besides, the caption along the bottom says so.”
Cam squinted. “So it does.”
“She clearly has a bun in the oven,” Amanda said. “Not much room for interpretation there.”
“And their right hands are clasped in the universal symbol of matrimony,” the Monsignor concluded.
“Legend is more historical than fact, because fact tells us about one man and legend tells us about a million men,” Can whispered, recalling the flier promoting the Westford Knight speech at the library.
Amanda looked at him. “What was that?”
“Nothing. Just something I read.”
“Here’s another example.” Marcotte slid another image across to them. “This is a carving from Royston Cave, in England. The cave was a secret Templar meeting spot and its walls are covered with carvings displaying Templar legend and symbolism. Probably 14th century, after they were outlawed. This one shows Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their daughter Sarah—by the way, the name Sarah, fittingly, means ‘princess’ in Hebrew. The three figures are surrounded by ancient fertility symbolism, in case the message wasn’t already clear. It is apparent that the Templars, at least, believed in the bloodline theory.”
[ http://www.benhammott.com/royston-templar-cave.html ]
CARVING AT ROYSTON CAVE, ENGLAND, PURPORTEDLY SHOWING JESUS, MARY MAGDALENE AND DAUGHTER SARAH
They studied the image. “How come this stuff never came out before?” Cam asked.
“In fact, it has been debated for centuries among theologians. In the end, I think the local legends and traditions tell the true story. Written history reflects the beliefs or opinions or agenda of the writer. Local legends and tradition are more universal, less malleable—as you said, they tell us the beliefs of millions. They are often the most accurate versions of history.”
Marcotte faced Amanda. “Getting back to the matter at hand, my guess is that the Jesus bloodline is why this Consortium of yours is comprised of so many families that descend from Prince Henry. They not only want to prove their ancestor was first to America, they also want evidence that they descend from Jesus himself.”
“They want to locate the genealogy,” Amanda breathed. “They reckon Prince Henry buried it in America.”
“Exactly. And I believe that, as much as the Consortium wants to find this genealogy, the Church even more so wants it to remain buried. They have been able to limit the damage done by The Da Vinci Code by dismissing it as pop fiction. But hard evidence—a genealogy, for example—could shake the very foundation of the Church.”
“Wow.” Cam whistled. “So that’s our treasure, that’s what somebody doesn’t want us to find. The Sinclair genealogy. The Jesus bloodline.”
“I would not say for certain but I think it is a strong possibility. I have made a number of calls to colleagues, both here and abroad.” The Monsignor smiled. “You may be surprised to learn that priests gossip like a bunch of old women. And based on what I’m hearing, I believe the people who are making life so miserable for you and Ms. Spencer—and who maimed your cousin and killed your dog and murdered Mr. McLovick—are affiliated with an orthodox faction of the Church.”
“Opus Dei?” Cam asked.
The cleric smiled again. “Despite recent publicity, Opus Dei is not a militant group. I may not agree with much of their orthodoxy but I don’t believe they are capable of this type of paramilitary operation.”
“So then, whom?” Amanda pushed.
“Have you ever heard of the Legions of Jesus?” They shook their heads. “They are orthodox Catholic clergy based in Latin America. They played a large role in supporting the right-wing dictatorships of people like Pinochet in the late 20th century and have close ties to many of the paramilitary types still running around Latin America. Mostly they draw support from Catholic business tycoons. Recently they’ve become active in the U.S.” The Monsignor paused. “They also have close ties to certain radical, orthodox factions within the Vatican.”
Great—another cabal. Another connection between the Church and fascists. “Didn’t the Vatican help a lot of the Nazis get out of Europe at the end of World War II?”
“Exactly, and it’s related to this. Historians call it the Rat Line—sort of like a perverted version of the Underground Railroad, with the Church hiding Nazis and helping them get to Latin America. The Vatican was afraid of communism spreading and it thought the Nazis would be a good counter-balance to the Communists in Latin America. A lot of the Nazis became advisors to the Latin dictators, helping them with security and military strategy. The ties between the Vatican and the right-wing groups in South America have been strong ever since. They often do the Vatican’s dirty work, sometimes without the Vatican even having to ask.”
Cam swallowed. “You mean we’re up against the Vatican?” He stared at the Monsignor, his eyes shifting involuntarily to the priest’s collar. “And you’re on our side?”
“I don’t believe the Vatican is directly involved. At least not Vatican leaders. But there are ties between certain Vatican factions and the Legions of Jesus.” Marcotte spread his hands. “Regarding the question of my allegiances, I have wrestled with my place in the Church often over the past few years, especially in light of the priest sex abuse cases. It was difficult to maintain my faith in light of such … un-Christian behavior by both the priests and the Church hierarchy. But in the end, I still believe the Church does more good than harm, still does the work of Jesus in many parts of the world, still offers faith and comfort and peace to millions of people.” He smiled. “In many ways, I feel like many Americans disillusioned by our foreign policy. I am embarrassed and disappointed. But I’m not ready to up and move to Can
ada yet. I feel like I can do more good by staying with the Church, to try to effect change from within.”
He continued. “So, regarding things like the possibility of a Jesus bloodline, as a Jesuit and an educator I don’t agree with keeping these types of secrets.” He explained that the Jesuit order often took liberal positions that didn’t align with the strict teachings of the Vatican. “You, Mr. Thorne, saw firsthand in the priest sex abuse scandal what happens when an institution like the Church operates in secret. Which reminds me: The founder of the Legions of Jesus is believed to have sexually abused a number of children. Without apparent penalty.”
Cam felt the familiar outrage building in him again, remembered the anguished face of his friend Marty in the months after returning from YMCA summer camp. If the devil really did exist, he did not wear horns or carry a pitched fork or tempt man with promises of riches or power. He took the form of a leering man in a priest’s collar.
The Monsignor sighed. “In any event, I believe in open, honest discourse. If the Church is built on faulty dogma, let us address it head on. If Jesus married and had a child, so what?” He shook his head. “Is the Church so vulnerable, so morally precarious, that it cannot deal honestly with its history? I believe such an exercise would strengthen the Church, allow it to distance itself from the sins of the past and empower it to perform truly Christian works here, today.”
Rising to his feet, the Monsignor stared down at them. “However, I also realize that you two have found yourselves in a mess not of your own making. If you wish, I can make some calls, try to get word to this … paramilitary team … that you have called off your search, that you are willing to allow these treasures, whatever they are, to remain buried.”
Marcotte was a college professor as well as a monsignor. But was he really that well connected? Perhaps they were wrong to trust him.
He seemed to read Cam’s thoughts. “I understand your suspicions. Remember that six-degrees-of-separation theory that went around back in the nineties, that every person on earth can be linked together through six others? Well, in the Catholic religious community it’s more like three or four degrees. As I said earlier, priests gossip like old women. Everyone knows someone who knows someone. I’m sure I could reach the right people. I think they might be convinced to let you be.”
Cabal of The Westford Knight: Templars at the Newport Tower (Book #1 in the Templars in America Series) Page 16
