CHAPTER 113

CHAPTER 113

AN APPREHENSIVE SILENCE fell over the small group, who, perplexed, digested the last words of Domenico Di Polli. Without a doubt, what that cardinal had just related was a detailed outline of the Brotherhood of the Serpent's plan for world domination.

But wasn't Domenico Di Polli the main suspect? What advantage would he get from revealing his own plan?

— Your Eminence — Nicole broke the silence — what you have just told us is surprising. We will leave here with the conviction that the world is plunged into unprecedented intellectual blindness...

— Not only intellectual, spiritual as well — completed Di Polli.

— Exactly... We are just not understanding the reason why you revealed all this to us. What he told us should be disseminated not only to us, but to the whole world through television, radio, newspapers, magazines... In short, the Vatican should use all possible means to proclaim this hidden truth!

— I agree with you — Di Polli said amiably.

— Do you agree? — The young woman was surprised — but...

— I agree with you — the Cardinal reiterated — the Vatican should use all the means at its disposal to divulge these hidden truths to the world.

— But Your Eminence, if you agree, then why...

— ... Why are these truths not disclosed? — Di Polli completed the sentence.

— That's right — replied the astonished young woman — why aren't these truths divulged?

— As far as I know, you've been with the Secretary General of the Vatican — said Di Polli, seeming to dismiss the conversation.

— Yes — Victoria confirmed apprehensively. — But how does our visit to Cardinal Messina relate to what you have just told us?

— Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes — pronounced Di Polli.

— Who will guard the guardians? — translated Roman Green.

— Yes, Father, who will guard the guardians? That's the question you all should be asking, who should you trust?

The three remained silent, not knowing what to say to the man they were tasked with investigating.

Di Polli continued:

— Who will watch those who have it in their charge to watch? To what extent is it possible to trust a man, just because he occupies a high ecclesiastical position?

— Are you questioning the integrity of Cardinal Messina? — Victoria asked.

— You asked me a question, Victoria... I'm just trying the dialectic so that you can come up with the answer yourself. I've been asked why the Church doesn't take action...

— Are you saying that Cardinal Messina is part of the plan? — Nicole asked bluntly.

— There are two wings within the Church, young lady; one conservative, of which I am a member, and the other progressive, headed by Cardinal Messina. We are in an internal struggle to determine which of the two will decide the path to be taken by the Catholic Church.

— What do you mean, Eminence? Green asked. — Please be more clear! — We are distressed by his revelations and now, also confused about who to trust.

— Okay, I'll be more clear! During the last few decades there has been a movement within the Church, a progressive movement, which has been trying to drastically reform not only the Church's attitude towards the world, but also the Church itself. Events such as the acceptance of the theory of evolution by Pope John Paul II or even the Second Vatican Council are the result of the strong influence of this progressive wing. Its members, also known as reformers, are supporters of empiricist philosophy.

— Are there adherents of empiricism within the Church? — Green asked.

— Much more than you imagine, Father. There is a struggle of unimaginable proportions between the progressives and the conservative current of which I represent. The objective is to seize the throne of Peter. The faction that conquers the papacy will define the course of the Church. The progressives, led by Joseph Messina, who intends to become the next Pope, currently have a smaller number of representatives in the College of Cadeals, so that the tendency is for the next Pope to come out of the midst of the conservatives.

— And would the pope of the conservatives be you? — Nicole asked.

Di Polli's face flushed slightly at the young woman's pointed question.

— This will depend on the choice of my peers. My name is one of those available. When the current pope was elected, we and the progressives had the same number of cardinals in the electoral college. The solution found was the election of a neutral pope, that is, one who did not belong to either current.

— In order to throw the decision on the fate of the Church to the next election — noted Green.

— That's right, Father. The current Pope is already advanced in years, which means that the fate of the Church will have to be decided in a short time. If the election for the papacy were today, we would elect a conservative pope, however, although winning, our situation is precarious, since we have a small numerical difference, and in the age group in which the majority of cardinals are, in three or four years change everything.

— An internal war within the Catholic Church, between two rival factions: progressives versus conservatives — Nicole interfered —, we always heard comments that there was an internal conflict in the world of Catholicism, we just didn't know that it was of that scale, nor did it cover what the so-called Catholics progressives were influenced by a pagan philosophy.

— Many do not know it — Di Polli replied — there are those who innocently adhere to this new modern conception of the world, imagining it to be a novelty, something that, as the name itself says, will bring progress to the human race. Unfortunately, most people do not know that this modernism only means a return to the ancient heresies fought by the Apostle Paul. When this apostle of Christ stated in his letter to the Romans that:

"The invisible qualities of God are made known by created things"

— There were already at that time those who, in opposition to Paul and influenced by empiricist philosophy, affirmed the same as modernists today, namely: that God cannot be the object of knowledge, being known only by faith.

— But is it wrong to know God by faith? — Asked the woman.

— No, it's not wrong, Victoria, the problem with these theologians is in limiting the knowledge of God to the field of faith, not admitting that God can be a subject of science. They, as followers of the empiricist school, reject the possibility of man knowing God rationally, for them, the instruments of scientific investigation must be used exclusively in the field of material-naturalistic investigation.

— What does this mean in practical terms? — Asked the young woman.

— It's a good question — replied the Cardinal — and as you asked, I'll answer it in practical terms. If you look in any history book, in the chapter that deals with Jesus Christ, you will see that they all exalt the magnificent figure of the Son of God, however, they are silent about the miracles operated by him. Historical science, in accordance with empiricist philosophy, seeks to separate the Jesus-man, placing him as an object of historical investigation. Meanwhile, they omit any reference to Jesus-God, reserving it for what they call questions of faith. For the miracles wrought by Jesus, as the Son of God, under no circumstances can be the object of historical investigation, as a science.

— But is this wrong? — Asked the woman.

— Completely wrong, as a half-truth is often worse than a lie. If, when investigating the life of Christ, history reports only the natural facts of his existence, omitting the supernatural facts that surrounded his life, it ends up doing a disservice to knowledge itself, perpetrating false information about reality.

— And is this part of the plan?

— This is what I believe, just as I also believe that this plan is rooted, not only in the scientific sphere and the arts, as I have just demonstrated, but also in politics and in the economy itself. All sectors of human life are currently under its direct influence.

— Including the Vatican — Nicole noted.

Unfortunately — the Cardinal agreed — from what we can observe, those responsible for carrying out the plan in our century are fighting hard to seize power within the Vatican itself.