longer be eligible to vote. The Holy Father had extended him in his appointment and no one present at the meeting tonight was in any doubt where his loyalties lay. The ‘old bull’ was clearly not happy.
‘Unfortunately not.’ Professor Martines confirmed what most already knew. ‘There is an enormous amount of research being conducted, but the present treatment is restricted to reducing the effects of the disease, not to alleviating the disease itself.’
‘I thought there was some promising research coming out of the United States.’ This time the question came from Cardinal Rinato Fiore, Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
‘Eminence, I assume you are referring to some work done at the University of Colorado and the Columbian University where they are assessing whether or not cell transplants can restore the dopamine function.’ Professor Martines chose his words carefully. ‘Medical scientists in the United States have shown that dopamine-producing cells can take root, survive and function after a transplant. That gives us some useful clues for further research, but I’m afraid that while the work has shown some promise, implanted cells cannot be fully controlled. An overproduction of some chemicals can trigger involuntary movements which can be quite disturbing.’
‘And the Holy Father’s present condition?’ asked Cardinal Fumagalli, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.
‘You will appreciate, Eminence, that the Holy Father has been on medication for a very long time. One of the characteristics of Parkinson’s is that over time, its effects become commensurately more severe. His Holiness’ stooped posture is, I’m afraid, just one symptom of that. As the illness progresses, more and more medication is required and unfortunately the side-effects become more pronounced.’
‘I understand that in time, Professor Martines, medication might no longer be effective?’ Petroni’s interjection was designed to ultimately force the direction of a decision in his favour.
‘Sadly, we are probably close to that point now, Eminence. To be blunt, apart from his problems with movement and writing, and sometimes with speech, His Holiness is suffering increasingly from nausea and vomiting. He is not sleeping and he is becoming progressively more tired as his dosage of levodopa is increased. There will come a time when the drugs will no longer be effective and appearances in public may be difficult, if not impossible.’
‘And what of the Holy Father’s mental state?’ Cardinal Fiore had ventured where no one else had so far dared, but this was too much for Castiglione.
‘Someone should rule that question out of order!’ Castiglione spluttered, looking directly at Cardinal Petroni. ‘It is not up to us as cardinals to sit here and discuss the Holy Father’s mental capacity as if he were some priest we’re considering putting in a home.’
‘I can understand that some of us, all of us, find this distasteful,’ the Secretary of State responded calmly, ‘but it is not the first time that the Church has had to face this sort of difficulty.’ The Secretary of State turned to face Cardinal Castiglione. ‘There is a lot of experience around this table and none of us have more than you, Eminence, but if the stewardship of the Church should pass into our hands, we need to be prepared.’
‘You make it sound as if His Holiness is half-dead already,’ Castiglione snapped.
‘Forgive me, Eminence, I don’t mean to. Please continue, Professor Martines,’ Petroni said, coldness creeping into his voice.
‘If you are asking me whether or not His Holiness comprehends what is going on around him, the answer is unequivocally yes. His mind is still very sharp. However,’ Professor Martines warned, ‘some patients have difficulty with short-term memory and, for some, complex issues are increasingly more difficult to grasp. His Holiness has been accustomed to a very full working day, which is no longer possible. This is causing him a degree of stress which further lessens the effectiveness of the pharmacological intervention.’
Petroni scanned the faces of his fellow cardinals. The reality was that modern medicine could not provide a recovery, nor could it provide a peaceful death. In a way, the cardinals were also refusing to face their own mortality, grimly hanging on to the old inflexible Church they loved. Petroni was determined to press them for a decision on the Pope’s resignation, but tonight was not the time.
‘Thank you, Professor Martines,’ Petroni said, bringing the meeting to an end. ‘You have given us all much to think about and again we are indebted to you. I propose, gentlemen, that over the coming days we should all devote some time, thought and prayer to this serious issue with which the Holy Church is now faced.’
As Petroni walked back to his apartments he thought about how close he was getting to ultimate power. Nothing could be allowed to stand in his way – not Donelli, not Schweiker, and especially not the woman.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Tel-Aviv
M ike McKinnon had dinner on his own in a small restaurant near the US Embassy in Tel-Aviv and then went back to work. The Omega Scroll was proving more elusive than ever and he wearily punched a six-digit code into the keypad on a reinforced door in the basement, behind which worked the ‘declared’ and ‘undeclared’ agents of the CIA in Israel. It was the last of five security checks that had started with the guards on the entrance to the embassy and the magnetometer check. Sitting down at his desk he flicked on CCN to catch up on the Israeli election. The CCN anchor, Geraldine Rushmore, appeared on his screen.
‘Tonight on International Correspondent we look at the changing face of politics and the possibility of renewed hope for peace in the Middle East. Following a convincing win for President Ahmed Sartawi’s Democratic Islamic Party in the Palestinian elections, Professor Yossi Kaufmann has claimed victory in the Israeli poll. We now cross live to Jerusalem and our correspondent Tom Schweiker. Tom, a surprising result?’
‘Yes and no, Geraldine. Yes, in that Ariel Sharon’s Likud Party and Shimon Peres’ Labor Party have both suffered a major loss of support. No, in that Professor Yossi Kaufmann and his Liberal Justice Party have campaigned on only one issue – a just peace, which has struck a chord with ordinary Israelis in the same way Sartawi did with ordinary Palestinians. A lot of people on both sides are sick of the killing and the violence, and these two men represent a genuine hope for a peaceful co-existence. Here’s what Professor Kaufmann had to say when I interviewed him a few minutes ago.’
The vision cut to the Israeli who would soon be Israel’s next Prime Minister.
‘Israelis have had the chance to vote for peace, and they have done so in overwhelming numbers. It is time to end the killing, it is time to end the violence, and as I’ve said throughout this campaign, peace can only be achieved if there is justice for both sides. Neither side will get everything they want, but all of us, Israeli or Palestinian, Jewish or Muslim, all of us have the right to pursue our lives in a country that is peaceful and secure.’
‘And you’re serious about cutting defence spending?’ Tom asked.
‘Continual warfare and killing has devastating consequences,’ Yossi replied. ‘The Iraq war is costing a billion dollars a week, and here, we went into debt to the United States for over four billion dollars on defence last year. If we can achieve peace, and I am confident that together with the new Palestinian President, Ahmed Sartawi, we can, it will mean construction of the wall can be stopped and other defence expenditure can be lowered dramatically. That money can be channelled towards education, health and the environment so our children can live to realise their potential. President Sartawi has already rung to congratulate me and we have agreed to issue a draft peace plan in the very near future.’
Tom smiled. ‘Good luck and thank you for talking to CCN, Professor Kaufmann.’
‘That was Tom Schweiker speaking with the next Prime Minister of Israel. Now to the continuing war in Iraq…’
Mike McKinnon turned the TV off. Perhaps these two might bring an end to the bloodshed, he thought. He turned back to his computer and entered a series of codes. The first email headed ‘Top Secret – Omega’ was from the Director. For McKinnon from DCI. The President is meeting with the Reverend Buffett tomorrow and has asked for an update on the search for the Omega Scroll. Please provide by 1700 hours.
‘Fuck me,’ Mike muttered grimly. ‘Osama bin Laden and his mad mullahs are running around with enough plutonium and deuterium to destroy the financial capitals of the Western World and the White House is still carrying on over a Dead Sea Scroll.’ He smiled to himself. At least the result of the Israeli and Palestinian elections would give them something else to think about. The State Department, Pentagon, Finance and a dozen other departments
