the papal altar and the holy relics of Saint Peter. Made of dark bronze accented with gold vine leaves, it was created by Lorenzo Bernini in 1624 under the direction of Pope Urban VIII. For centuries, Christians had built their churches in the shape of a cross, and Saint Peter’s was no exception. The altar lay in the center under the colossal dome designed by Michelangelo; although sadly, he never lived to see it finished.
“I’m surprised the Jesuits didn’t grab you, John. How did you end up in Assisi?”
“Actually, I applied to Jesuit seminary shortly after I met Father Morelli. He realized I needed time to make a decision about the priesthood, so he arranged for the brothers in Assisi to accept me as a novice for a year.”
“What do you think of the monastic way of life so far?”
“It’s definitely not my calling. I have a feeling the Church is going to need men of action in the years to come, so that’s why I’ve chosen the Jesuits.”
“You have a lot to decide, John. As you probably already know, the ranks of the Jesuits have begun to dwindle over the past several years. We’re kind of like a peacetime army now. The priesthood is in trouble, and the Church is desperate for qualified candidates, especially men who are morally incorruptible in today’s climate of hostility toward our religion. A few bad ones have destroyed the work of thousands of good ones, but I’m heartened by the words of Saint Paul when he said, ‘Where sin has abounded, there grace will even more abound.’”
With the smell of incense permeating the air, an elderly bishop ascended the steps to the altar and raised his right hand in the sign of the cross. “
“Good morning, Leo. I see you’ve met John.”
“Yes, and I see you’ve already been at work this morning, Father.”
Morelli’s eyes widened. “How did you…?”
Leo cast his eyes down at Morelli’s mud-covered shoes.
“Oh. I wanted to take a look at something under the Basilica, but it appears that Emilio and a team of construction workers were there first. Evidently, he’s had a wall constructed sometime in the past few days to block me from reaching my latest excavation. That little toad of a man has been spying on me again.”
“Why don’t you go over his head?” Leo asked.
“Now is not a good time to rattle any cages around here. Until I know who we can trust, I can’t afford to bring any unwanted attention to my work.”
Morelli looked across the aisle at a group of nuns burning holes through them with their eyes and lowered his voice. “Did you know that Emilio made the suggestion to the cardinal that we should have a subway station constructed right under the Vatican? Can you imagine that? The man thinks it would be a great way to control the crowds and eliminate bus traffic. We could let the faithful just pop up like ground squirrels for a quick look around and then duck back down again. His plan would destroy literally thousands of years of history and make it impossible to do any further archaeological exploration of the area.”
“I agree, that’s pretty appalling, Anthony, but I’m sure the archaeological committee of Rome would put a halt to any plan like that as soon as it was presented to them.” Leo knew that the subway system in Rome would have been much more extensive if it weren’t for all the historical treasures buried below.
“The Italian government doesn’t have any say about what goes on inside Vatican City. I seem to be fighting a constant losing battle against those who want to destroy our past for some reason.”
A final blessing from the altar brought the Mass to an end and the multitude streamed past the immense doors into Saint Peter’s Square and through the colonnade created by Bernini. The three men loitered in the cool morning air before deciding to head across the street for breakfast in a small sidewalk cafe.
The waiter brought strong Italian coffee while the three men studied their menus and chose the Italian version of ham and eggs. Leo scanned the table for condiments and looked around at the different foods being served at other tables. “Too bad you can’t get hash browns in Italy.” He had a weakness for greasy American food.
Father Morelli reached into a napkin-covered basket and pulled out a peach muffin. “This cafe caters to Americans, but you can tell by the flavor of the meat that they serve only local ham that’s been cured according to strict Italian law. Thankfully, hash browns haven’t found their way here yet. I highly recommend their pastries.”
The sun was rising across a pale blue sky, erasing the early morning shadows crisscrossing the narrow Roman streets and bringing warmth to their outside table as the men began to eat. John was still studying his ham, looking as if he had discovered a new life-form, while Morelli gobbled his eggs and smothered his muffin with butter.
“Are you familiar with the ancient area below the Basilica, Leo?” Morelli asked between sips of coffee.
“I’ve only heard stories about it, but I’ve never had the opportunity to go down there myself. It must be fascinating, especially for an archaeologist.”
“It is. Directly below the Basilica, under the main altar, is the Vatican grotto, a sanctified crypt where many of our most venerated popes are buried. Then, below the grotto, is an ancient pagan and Christian necropolis that dates back to the second century. It was discovered by a team of archaeologists in the 1940s. That was the area I was looking around in this morning. About the same time they discovered the necropolis, they found a small tomb there dating to AD 160. That was the tomb that held the bones of Saint Peter. It’s one of the most important archaeological finds to date in the Christian world.”
“Saint Peter died years before that,” Leo said. “How did they know that was really his tomb?”
“It’s believed by many that the first few generations of Christians moved his body around for almost a century in an effort to hide it from the Romans. The archaeologists who made the discovery found an inscription that marked it as his final resting place.”
John was sipping his coffee in silence as he listened to the two priests. “I noticed that you still use the term AD, Father Morelli. Haven’t modern scholars decided to replace it with the new abbreviation CE?”
Morelli winced. “I absolutely hate the new abbreviation CE. As you both know, AD is Latin for
Leo had to smile. His old friend was very perceptive about a lot of things other people let pass without notice. “So, you were digging around below the Basilica before breakfast?”
“Oh … yes. I wanted to check that area one last time for evidence of the ancient seal mentioned in the code, and that’s when I discovered the wall they had built to keep me out.”
“Keep you out of where, Anthony?”
“There is another, even deeper and more ancient area beneath the one I was in this morning. One of the workers discovered it by accident about six months ago, and for the past few weeks, John and I have only been allowed to spend a few days down there exploring and mapping the region. From what we’ve seen, the area appears to be a section of the old Roman catacombs. The seal we’re looking for is either in the Vatican grotto, which is above the level I was in this morning, or behind the newly constructed wall in the deeper area we haven’t fully explored yet.”
Leo took another sip of coffee. He loved the ambience of these small sidewalk cafes in Rome. There was something about the light and the air, along with the history and pace of life that made thinking clearer, more in tune with living in the moment. Maybe that’s why so many artists and writers were returning to Europe for inspiration like they did back in the 1920s.
Leo’s reverie was interrupted by Father Morelli’s voice. “I’m sure you know by now, Leo, that my fascination with archaeology has always had a higher purpose. I’ve never doubted that the Bible was inspired by God, but proving it has been something that has eluded scholars for over two thousand years. Do you know why, at this exact time in history, we’ve uncovered the hidden code in the Bible?”
Leo had to think back to their previous discussion of the night before. “I suppose it has something to do with the development of computers.”
“Exactly. It also coincides with the timetable set in the Bible. The Jews returning to their homeland after two thousand years was the first prophecy to be fulfilled. The discovery of the embedded code within the Bible, and the ability to decipher it, was never meant to happen until now. We are on the verge of a whole new understanding of
