Westerners, especially Americans, have no idea how the Islamic mind operates.’
‘And Mount Hira and Tirich Mir?’ Father Vittorio asked.
‘Mount Hira is a few miles from Mecca,’ David said. ‘In the month of Ramadan, starting from the time Muhammad was in his early forties, he would climb Mount Hira and it is there he received the first of his Revelations from God, through the Angel Gabriel, in his native tongue. To get to the cave, he had to climb to the top of Mount Hira and then climb over the summit.’
‘I’ve been to Mount Hira,’ Tom said. ‘Muhammad’s cave is on the vertical side of the mountain and quite secluded. The roof of the cave slopes towards a small opening at the back, and if you look through it you can see the Kabah in the distance.’
‘You’ve been to Tirich Mir as well?’ David asked.
Tom nodded. ‘Tirich Mir is the highest peak in the Hindu Kush on Pakistan’s north-west frontier with Afghanistan, up there with Everest. It’s also a notoriously difficult area to police. Many areas are outside the jurisdiction of the central or provincial governments, which explains why the United States has had so much difficulty capturing bin Laden. Even if they do, there are a hundred more who will take his place.’
‘It’s a very clear warning,’ Giovanni said, his face very serious. ‘Unless we stop this madness that somehow one religion is favoured by God over the others, a madness that my own calling has been guilty of for centuries, we will destroy ourselves in the process.’
‘I agree,’ Tom said. ‘From what Mike McKinnon told me about al-Qaeda, they are intent on unleashing a nuclear attack that will totally destroy major Western cities as soon as they are ready.’
Patrick had been very quiet, taking it all in. Finally he spoke. ‘And having George Bush strutting around as if he’s on a mission from God doesn’t help.’ He paused and looked at Giovanni, his mischievous look returning. ‘Although now that I’m in charge of foreign policy, I’ll be keeping those thoughts to myself, Holiness.’
‘Patrick’s right though,’ David said more seriously. ‘One of the keys to this is an engagement of the moderates for a recognition of all religions. I spoke to Ahmed last night. He thanked me for Israel’s restraint after the Damascus Gate bombing, and we’re both confident we can turn this peace agreement into a reality. That will be a big first step.’
‘The problem is, Holiness, how do we handle this in the short term?’ Patrick continued, looking at the Omega Scroll. ‘The media will be having a field day,’ he added, winking at Tom.
‘In the end that’s up to Allegra and David,’ Giovanni said. ‘I agreed to be part of any release, and I intend to honour that.’ He turned to Tom. ‘As well as the media conference, where the messages will probably be distorted, how would you feel about interviewing me for my views, one on one?’
‘It’s called an “exclusive” in the trade, Holiness, and I think the time-honoured response would be “is the Pope a Catholic!” The questions will still be difficult though,’ he added. ‘What will you say if I ask you whether or not you believe Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene?’
Giovanni smiled. ‘I will give that some thought, although my initial response would be that many scholars are coming to that conclusion, and that our faith must always be based on truth rather than dogma, and it is therefore a subject that is worthy of debate.’
Tom raised an eyebrow and inclined his head in a silent gesture of respect for Giovanni’s answer. ‘And if I were to ask you about DNA being delivered from a higher civilisation?’
‘I can see we’re playing first grade here,’ Giovanni replied. ‘As a scientist I have delved into the extraordinary intricacies of biochemistry, but I have always felt that behind the exquisite design of nature lies an awesome and mystical Creative Spirit. Many people will rule this out until it has been proven. I have an open mind, preferring not to rule it out until it has been disproven.’
Tom looked pleased. The interview had the potential to be electric. ‘And the warning?’
‘The warning, like those contained in Isaiah and Daniel, is terrible and the threat is real. Unless the powerful Christian nations change course, accept the validity of other religions, and actively work towards an understanding and acceptance of them, I fear the threat will become reality. It is within our power to change the direction of annihilation in which we’re now headed. It is something that I will touch on at the end of my inauguration ceremony in two days’ time, which I hope you will all be able to stay for.’
‘Yes, and it will be a great privilege to interview you, although I think any training that might be required in the art of the fourth estate will be minimal,’ Tom said with a grin.
Two nights later, back in their hotel suite, Allegra and David watched the re-run of Giovanni’s inauguration on CCN. At the end of the broadcast Pope John XXIV appeared on the balcony above the Piazza San Pietro.
Giovanni stretched out his arms and the warmth of his smile was felt by everyone in the square below.
‘A philosophy of the great faiths of the world is needed now,’ Giovanni said. ‘More than at any other time in the history of humanity. The true messages of Christ, Muhammad, Abraham, the Buddha and others have a remarkable resonance and similarity. Love and tolerance for your neighbour, regardless of faith, gender or race.’
The Spirit smiled.
‘The fanatics and fundamentalists on all sides, including Christianity, have to be persuaded that to insist on one path and an ownership of truth to the exclusion of all others, in a world as brilliantly diverse as ours, is to insist on a path that can only lead to the annihilation of civilisation. The truth will set us free. Let us follow our various paths in peace instead of war. For there is,’ Giovanni concluded, ‘more than one path to the Omega.’
