“Not to mention that canon law doesn’t allow for the random expulsion of priests,” droned Cardinal Bauer, in a heavy German accent.
“For that, new laws must be structured, carefully studied and passed.
Laws that will apply to the entire Church, not just our brethren in the States.”
The murmuring and loud whispering swelled. Cardinal Maximilian, gentle but firm, asked for quiet, which slowly returned. “I understand the need to maintain consistency in the Church precepts, but we can’t ignore the sexual violation of children.”
“We understand,” responded Cardinal Osagiobare, his baritone voice and distinct African accent booming, “but many sins plague us from hell.
How does this outrank other pressing issues, such as homosexuality?
Surely, one sin does not outrank another.” Again, Cardinal Polletto smiled inside. He knew that Cardinal Osagiobare spoke of a faction of homosexual priests who called themselves Saint Sebastian’s Angels. Initially formed in the States, their numbers had grown substantially outside the U.S. in recent years.
“Maybe the strategy should lean more toward temporary censure, than outright expulsion? At least until we get a better handle on how to proceed,” Cardinal Polletto finally said.
“What do you mean?” asked the rotund African cleric.
“Instead of expulsion, they could be reassigned. Not allowed to preside over mass or serve in any capacity where children will be at risk.”
“That’s not new,” shot Cardinal Maximilian. “It’s been tried by many of the parishes. It makes us look as though we’re trying to hide the problem. Sweep it under the rug.”
“Exactly,” chimed Cardinal Rousseau. “We’ve tried psychological counseling, long leaves of absence, spent millions of dollars with very little success. We have to take more drastic measures.” The room percolated and buzzed, as the men argued amongst themselves.
“Quiet, gentlemen, please,” begged Cardinal Maximilian.
“And just how will we confirm every accusation?” added Cardinal Polletto, as the noise died down. “Surely, you’ll launch a full investigation into each incident before stripping a priest of his duties. Or should we just hunt them down and burn them at the stake?” Cardinal Polletto’s heavy-handed remark sent tension washing across the room like a tidal wave. Some stood, snapping at him face to face.
Others rushed to his side and fervently argued in his defense. Beautiful.
Cardinal Maximilian banged his fist on the table and begged them to stay calm. “Your enthusiastic support of the brethren is noted,” he said, behind suspicious eyes. “Please, share with us the details of how you would handle a wayward priest under your watch,” he said to Cardinal Polletto.
Every head turned toward Cardinal Polletto. He stood, back erect, serious, scanning the room.
“It’s not my intention to insinuate that such a matter is simple,” he responded. “We should immediately censure any priest caught up in strong allegations, where confessions have been garnered or the evidence is obvious and overwhelming. But since canon law doesn’t allow for arbitrary discharge, we should reassign them, assess the case, and determine if the man can be rehabilitated.”
“And how do we handle the financial liability?” asked Cardinal Maximilian. “We’ve already paid millions because of the most egregious offenders. If we don’t put a halt to this soon, it’ll turn into an international money grab.”
“Even more of a reason not to be rash,” answered Cardinal Polletto.
“If we’re too hasty to castigate and neuter our own, it’ll turn into a feeding frenzy.”
“And what would you call it now?” asked Cardinal Maximilian. “I doubt it can get any more ferocious than it is right now.”
“The media fervor will die down,” Cardinal Polletto offered.
“They’ll move on to another hot topic soon, and then we’ll be able to handle this in a manner more in line with canon law. At a pace that will foster decisions best for everyone concerned.”
“What about the authorities?” inquired Cardinal Bauer. “They could go a long way in helping us sort out these affairs since our own manpower is short, or in most cases, non-existent.”
“And how far should we allow them into Church affairs?” asked Cardinal Polletto. “Certainly their interests don’t coincide with our own.
We should employ private investigators we can control. I, for one, am not in favor of trusting outsiders, or throwing our brothers to the wolves.”
Cardinal Polletto watched the room sink into a morass of confusion and disillusionment, and took delight in seeing Cardinal Maximilian lose control of the gathering. He laughed inside as the chocolate skinned cleric begged for order he didn’t get. The discord and loss of harmony was just another in a long queue of well-spun arguments initiated at the behest of The Order, all designed to erode, disrupt and destroy.
Hedonism in the bowels of the Catholic Church was nothing new.
Since the mandate that all who serve in the priesthood abstain from sex, and only marry the Church, the opportunity to capitalize on the natural fleshly desires that wage war against all but those who share the gift of celibacy with the Apostle Paul, was to Cardinal Polletto’s delight, plentiful.
A longtime, well-known, but only recently publicized concern of Church leaders, homosexuality and sexual perversion, had long been a battleground the Church hierarchy worked feverishly to veil from public eyes. News of these incidents slipped through occasionally, but were easily covered up and dismissed under the cover of secrecy, buried by the unmatchable power and high-reaching influence of the Holy See.
But, as time edged forward, the perversions did not abate, they grew, even into the inner sanctum of the College of Cardinals, including pederasty and sodomy. In some cases, the escapades were so perverse, the Church fathers considered it an epidemic.
The Order of Asmodeus had never fully taken advantage of the Church’s obvious weakness, until Cardinal Polletto rose up through their ranks. The first stage was easy. Nurture and cultivate sexual degradation in the Church at every turn. The Order established a network that tracked each wayward priest and nun, cataloging every abortion, affair, drug user and apostate.
Cardinal Polletto watched The Order’s efforts burst forth within a wave of hedonistic fervor that rivaled Sodom and Gomorrah. Soon, the campaign fed off of itself, and sent the inner sanctum at The Vatican into an all out panic.
The next move was to expose the turmoil to the public. Sensitive information was leaked, articles written, but nothing took hold or had the devastating impact they hoped. The Vatican, no doubt with the aid of the highly surreptitious Hammer of God, managed to quell most of the fires before they really got started, until Cardinal Polletto spotted a diabolically fiendish trend.
While analyzing reports that came in from around the United States, Cardinal Polletto noticed that the number of priests caught up in, or accused of, pedophilia in America had risen sharply since the beginning of The Order’s campaign. It was the hook they’d been waiting for. Not even the upper echelon of Rome could hide decadence against children.
It worked.
The Church fought back, hiding incidents, paying off victims, sending pedophilic men of the cloth to psychiatric institutions, all in an effort to kill any mounting public outcry. Each step of the way, the Il Martello di Dio did its best to find The Order and quail the effort, but to no avail. Once the press got wind of the magnitude of molestation in the Church, it grew into all-out chaos, threatening the foundation of the Church, and the moral high ground it pretended to possess.
Cardinal Maximilian was finally able to bring order to the dim, humid auditorium, but the debate continued to rage on for another hour.
Cardinal Polletto sat quietly and watched the others try to navigate complicated and confusing canon law. Cardinal Maximilian looked dismayed up on stage, occasionally glaring in Cardinal Polletto’s direction, discomfort and disappointment on his face as he shifted back and forth in his chair. Cardinal Polletto allowed a smile to creep on his thin lips. To his surprise, Cardinal Maximilian smiled back, then stood.
As though it were a signal, the others fell silent.
“This has been a spirited debate,” said Cardinal Maximilian, his voice steady, controlled. “But one we’ll have to continue at our next meeting, ninety days from today. Notes from this meeting and an agenda for the next will be sent before that time so that our next discussion will be more productive.”
