your help. We must not allow our faith to wither on the vine from past sins. We must look forward with divine guidance to lead us in a resurgence born of a renewed devotion to our true mission. In the coming days, you will find that many changes have been made within the Church … changes that some of you may not approve of. That is your choice. For those of you who believe that these changes violate some of the basic religious tenets of our faith, I can tell you now that we considered only antiquated edicts that came from man and not from God. These decisions were not taken lightly, and I can assure you that none of our religious principals were altered in a decision-making process that included several of the men sitting in this room today. If, for some reason, any of you feel that you cannot make the adjustment as the Church evolves in the new millennium, please feel free to retire from your present positions with our blessing and know that you have our sincere gratitude for the years you have served us.”
The cardinals all looked to their right and their left, each wondering who would be returning the next time the pope called them all together.
The pope waited for another question, but none came.
“Before I leave, I have one final piece of business I would like to pass on to you in person. Today, I am appointing my second-in-command … our new Secretary of State, Cardinal Leopold Amodeo.”
Applause broke out as a shocked Leo turned toward the pope with his mouth hanging open.
“Those of you who know our good friend the cardinal know that he has never sought this position, nor did he ever wish to hold it, but hold it he must, for it is God’s decision to make, not his.”
Glancing over at the pope, Leo could tell by his solemn intensity that this was not a matter to be argued. It was done. His worst fear, the fear of promotion to a higher office, had just come true.
Turning on his heels, the pope nodded to Leo and the two men strode from the chapel against the background noise of hushed voices all talking at once. Making their way back to the papal apartments, Leo followed slightly behind, afraid to speak, as if he had just been chastised instead of being promoted to the second highest office in the Catholic Church.
Casting a glance back over his shoulder, the pope smiled. “What’s the matter, Leopold? Is something bothering you?”
“I knew you were up to something, I just didn’t realize it involved me.”
“You’ve been tapped as our battlefield commander, Cardinal, and as a student of history, I’m sure you know what that position entails.”
“Let’s just say that I believe the Church would be better served by someone other than myself, Your Holiness. It seems that lately I’ve grown weary. In fact, I was thinking just this morning of a quotation I remembered from a class I taught on the French and Indian War in America, when the French commander described his British counterpart as
“So, you’re not up to the task?”
“I will do whatever Your Holiness wishes.”
“You remind me of myself the day I was elected Pope. I too had the same self-doubt. For weeks a cloud of depression hung over me as I struggled to accept the fact that God and others had seen something in me that I had not seen for myself. The same applies to you, Leopold, and in time you will come to see that this was the right decision for the Church. I have faith in you, but more importantly, God has faith in you.”
The two walked on in silence until they reached the pope’s library, where the pope refilled Leo’s glass from a new bottle of wine. “A toast to my new Secretary of State.”
Leo managed a weak smile as he lifted his glass in return.
The pope’s eyes narrowed at Leo as he reclined on a couch and crossed his long legs. “I have some news that might cheer you up a little, Cardinal.”
“You’re resigning?”
Both men began to laugh as the comfortable familiarity of two old college friends returned.
“No, actually it involves one of the changes coming to the Church.”
Leo was immediately curious. “I was wondering about those. Please tell me we’re going to resume saying mass in Latin.”
“That’s one of the changes we’re making. Another involves the marriage of priests.”
The pope maintained a neutral expression as he swirled the wine in his glass.
“After the First Lateran Council in 1123, priests have been forbidden to marry and have children, something that’s always struck me as being hopelessly out of touch with reality. Since the Middle Ages, we’ve clung to an antiquated custom that has done nothing but bring great harm to our religion, but after tomorrow I plan on changing all of that. Catholic priests will be free to marry and have families. We will be striking back at evil where evil has struck at us. Had this practice been banned years ago, we might not have suffered the sins of those who infiltrated our ranks and preyed on those who trusted them. I want our priests to be proud to walk down the street wearing their Roman collars again. Men need balance in their lives, and the love of a good woman and the ability to father children is a God-given right that should never have been taken away in the first place, especially when you consider the fact that those who made that decision also believed in things like self-flagellation and burning innocents at the stake for joining a different church.”
“The Cathars?”
“Yes, the Cathars were viciously persecuted, among others. Which brings me to another point, Cardinal. Before you start your new job I need you well rested. You are my senior general now, and we must find out what Eduardo is up to in Iraq. That will be your first order of business when you return.”
“Return from where, Your Holiness?”
“From the sabbatical I’m sending you on, only this time you’re not allowed back for a month.”
Leo stood by the window and looked down upon Saint Peter’s Square. “Now is hardly the time for me to be going on vacation, Marcus. You’ll need me here for Midnight Mass at Christmas.”
“I’m afraid I must insist. The Church has purchased some property in France … in the mountains along the Spanish border. I believe that’s an area you are very familiar with. Your plane leaves tonight.”
EPILOGUE
It was late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, and the sun was already beginning to dip on the horizon when Leo drove the rented Nissan SUV through the village of Foix and headed up the steep mountain road. Even though he had just left this place, he had already started dreaming of the day when he would return. To him, this was as close to the mythical land of Shangri-La as any real place on earth. The time he had spent there in isolation with his friends, hiding out among the giant trees of the forest, had been some of the most peaceful days of his life, and unlike the others, he had felt no relief the day they had all learned they would be leaving their forest retreat to return to their former lives.
Looking through the windshield at the winter storm outside, he was now thankful that he had rented a vehicle with four-wheel drive as he continued up the mountain road to the three rustic cabins that had just been suspiciously purchased by the Church. There, in a peaceful glen away from the world, he would finally be able to take long solitary walks through the forest, thinking and writing in blissful isolation as he planned for the spiritual tribulation he knew was coming. There had to be answers to his questions about God’s plan for the future, and something told him that it would be here in the mountains that those answers would come to him.
The steep dirt road to the cabins had disappeared beneath a foot of snow, and Leo could feel the tires grab for traction as he turned off the highway and began to climb past tall, white-dusted pines. He pushed down on the gas and continued up, peering ahead through the blowing snow, until finally he spotted a yellow light streaming from a front window of the cabin on the far left, a shining beacon marking the way for a wayward traveler on a cold winter’s night.
Sliding to a stop, Leo noticed a small blue jeep covered in snow. Puzzled, he grabbed his suitcase from the backseat and braced himself against the frigid wind as he opened the door and tramped his way through the
