NationStates Jolt Archive

Archbishop Inteki bowed very slightly to his colleagues. “Eminence, your Excellency, Monsignor, Father…” Receiving nods in return, he seated himself and drew two sheets of paper from a folder, sliding them across the table to the man whose red zucchetto marked him as a Prince of the Church.

Cardinal Rinaldo Francesco Rimini picked up the sheets of paper and scrutinized them carefully, nodding gravely as he did so, then set them down and looked around at the others. “Bene. We have the Holy Father’s mandate, and the specific directive from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. What we do not have, however, is a precise form for this enquiry, since it is to be officially,” he grimaced a little at the implied contradiction, “informal.”

Monsignor McDonough, a rawboned, weatherbeaten man whose leathery skin and gnarled hands betrayed a lifetime of hard work in extreme climates, shrugged. “A Committee of Review is a Committee of Review, is it not?”

“Quite so, Monsignor, but the situation is… anomalous. We are not here to review the products of the man, so much as the Province. And we are handicapped by a considerable lack of knowledge of the Province, in this case. Communications from Iesus Christi have been impaired for more than two decades.”

“Then I suggest,” Father Hnesta’s voice was soft, but nevertheless carried a curiously authoritative tone, “that we begin by asking the Archbishop for a complete report on the state of the Province. Based on the Holy Father’s authority, we are lawfully delegated to receive such a report as though it had been rendered to his Holiness in person.”

“Although a personal audience and certification of the devotional visits will still be required to satisfy all of his ad limina requirements.” The Cardinal peered over his wire-rimmed spectacles at the pale priest, who merely nodded dutifully.

“I think that is fair,” Archbishop Inteki rumbled. “He should be given a chance to report without prejudice. Regardless of the established problems with Iesus Christi, we have no substantive grounds to assume that Archbishop King himself is guilty of unorthodoxy.”

If a slight whiff of skepticism floated through the room at Inteki’s generous words, it was quickly and sternly banished. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith took its role, even at such a preliminary stage, very seriously indeed. A judicial objectivity was required. Formidable as the Committee might be, both severally and invested with the corporate authority of the body that had once been known as the Office of the Holy Inquisition, they would hold themselves to the highest standards of impartiality in their work.

“Very well,” the Cardinal concurred. “The appointment has been confirmed. We will reconvene, then, when the Archbishop arrives.”

The members of the Committee of Review dispersed. From this point forth, they would not discuss their task among themselves or with anyone else, except in the Committee process.

The Iesus clergy had solemnly celebrated mass within their own apartment, the Sacrifice of the mass offered for ‘All faithful clergy, especially archbishop King..”.
In his short homily to his brother priests, King was up-beat.
“We are strong in the Lord, and the gospel of truth. We have nothing to fear as long as we remain loyal to this gospel…..nothing can harm those who seek shelter in the lord…
All truth resides in the Church, salvation is only through Christ and God made humanity alone in his own image and likeness”


“We’ll pray for you….”
King smiled “Thank you brothers. We maybe Pilgrims in a heathen land but the Lord is with us…”
With great care the archbishop placed his documents in his briefcase, the numerous documents and letters crucial to his coming defence.
“Father Graeme, if you’d bring the car around. The Committee awaits”

Archbishop Inteki had returned to his desk when the soft note and flashing icon on his dataviewer indicated the arrival of Archbishop King’s car. He acknowledged the page with a keystroke to his secretary, and picked up a portfolio of materials as he rose. With massive, leisurely grace befitting his physical presence, he paced down the short hall.

The meeting room was small, and (as always, nowadays) somewhat inadequately air-conditioned. Six chairs, three on each of the two long sides, were arranged around a rectangular table. Three tall windows, in the wall opposite the door, admitted gold-tinged Roman sunlight in angled blocks; dust motes could occasionally be seen dancing above the slightly-scarred wooden surface of the table. The walls were painted a dull light beige, the woodwork was dark with age. A rather pedestrian, but imposingly large, crucifix, dominated the short wall on the end of the room to the right of the door, it was matched on the left by a painting of St. Jerome in his study, executed by a seventeenth-century Florentine painter of modest ability. There was nothing else in the room.

Father Hnesta was already seated, at the oblong table right-angled to the door, in the chair furthest to the right and facing the door as Inteki entered with Cardinal Rimini almost on his heels. The priest rose from his chair and bowed, slightly, as Rimini moved around the table to the left, and seated himself directly facing the door. Inteki took in this arrangement, and then without comment or change of expression, seated himself facing Father Hnesta. As he seated himself, Monsignor McDonough entered, and made for the chair on Cardinal Rimini’s right.

Inteki had sent his secretary, Father Tesuque, to escort Archbishop King. The slender, aging, brown-skinned priest bowed politely as the Archbishop’s car drew up, and introduced himself. “Benvenuto, Excellency. I am Father Tesuque, secretary to Archbishop Inteki, Secretary of the Congregation. If you will be pleased to come with me?”

The archbishop smiled, and warmly grasped Father Tesuque hand.
“A pleasure to meet you Father, may the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you…Of course…lay on…I'm fully prepared.”
King had the look of a man who tried to keep in shape, but the tell tale signs of someone who used food in his battle with celibacy were showing underneath his simple black clericals.
“I hope I haven’t keep anyone waiting, Rome is less controlled than the streets back home. A lot more hectic,”
The room wasn’t quite what King had expected, but picture of St. Jerome was a comfort, not that he held the biblical scholar in high regard but it simply reminded the archbishop of every Catholic theology college on the planet…

Father Tesque returned the handclasp, and nodded as he indicated the direction. “Rome can be confusing… It is rarely what one expects it to be,” he added, with somewhat obscure ambiguity as he led the way through the high-ceilinged, rather dim corridors. He opened the door politely for the Archbishop, nodding respectfully to the Cardinal, and closing it quietly as he effaced himself. He would not himself, Father Tesuque reflected as he returned to his desk, have wanted to face quite such a formidable segment of the Congregation’s membership.

But the formidability wasn’t a matter of looks, really. The four men greeted Archbishop King quite cordially. Archbishop Inteki performed introductions, and as he seated himself again, Cardinal Rimini took over.

“We are so very glad to see you in Rome, brother,” Rimini nodded. “We have been most concerned by the lack of communion between the Iesian Province and Rome, especially since civil order has been more or less restored. I hope your journey was a pleasant one?”

“My brothers in Lord Jesus…my trip was excellent. I'm enjoying seeing Rome again i must say...."
King paused, he didnt want to seem rude but thought moving on wouldnt be a bad idea...he didnt feel that at ease.
"If you'll excuse me brothers, perhaps I could brief you on the situation...A general state of the Church in Iesus. To put your concern at rest....
As you well know, Iesus Christ has over the last few years experienced many great trials and horrors. There are still nations who seek to over turn the will of God, and turn back the tide of the glorious revolution that occurred over 50 years ago. Even today Iesus culture and her Catholicism is under attack from the tides of foreign aggression. Because of this constant foreign assault, the Iesus government in her wisdom holds tight control of travel and communication. Only due to the benevolence of our current leader, Matthew Iesus…God bless and keep him…has my current travel been allowed.
Thus it is this background of constant assault that has prevented the canonically required constant contact between the holy see and your most loyal province: Iesus Christi.
I have documentation signed from officials in the Iesus government confirming all that I say…I hope therefore that provisions under canon 1323 will be enacted upon now that you have been made aware of the situation. It simply was beyond our control….
Our nation is thriving in the spirit of Christ, our seminaries are full and our churches crowded daily. It is my belief that the Church in Iesus has a positive effect on the government, I believe the fruits of our influence can be seen in our nations family values, devotion to Church law and religious orthodoxy.
The great devotion to Our Lady has been a constant strength to our people in these times of trial. So also has the movement to canonize General Matthew Iesus, father of our current leader and of beloved memory. I do believe evidence showing the miraculous intercession of this man has been sent to the congregation…
Also, there is great hope amongst the clergy that a Iesus seminary college will be allowed to open in Rome. The Iesus government has already vouched to pay all costs…and has also indicated the desire to increase charitable support of Church causes.
Sadly we have had our issues…especially within our clerical community…a small minority of priests have used their position to support subversive groups…Thankfully the government has been fair and even handed in its response to such evil actions.
The Iesus council of priests has given me letters to confirm the positive state of our Church,
Iesus Christ remains …always…a bulwark of Catholic Truth and tradition."

“Well, that all sounds very promising,” Cardinal Rimini’s tone was mild. “And naturally, your letters will be read with great interest. However, it would be as well, I think, to establish a factual basis for further exploration, especially since there has been so little opportunity for our Iesian Province to maintain regular communion. Let us start with Provincial authority. Who is currently acting as Metropolitan of the Province? Who are acting as regional Archbishops? How many Bishop remain, and of what status—diocesan, coadjutor, or Auxiliary? Who is currently acting as President of the Episcopal Conference, where does it meet, and how often?”

The Cardinal’s manner was unstudied and pleasant. Father Hnesta quietly set the portable dataviewer on the table in front of him to ‘record.’ The members of the Committee watched Archbishop King with apparently detached interest.

The Archbishop tried to continue on in the same tone, at the same time he handed over diocese particulars.
“My brothers, Cardinal Patrick McCullum is metropolitan of the Iesusian Province, His health is known to be fragile and thus we look to Rome for the appointment of a Coadjutor.
Of the 16 Diocese of Iesus Christi, 13 have Bishops fulfilling their sacramental role, the remaining three diocese have been taken under the wing of other Bishops until Rome sees itself clear to ordaining replacements.
Only eight Auxiliary bishops remain within the province, and they are a vital part of their respective diocese.
The Bishops are highly taxed, and the creation of new diocese is high on the agenda, the current medieval format of diocese is not helpful considering the vast numbers of faithful to shepherd. Thankfully there are several Bishop Emeritus who help the voluminous workload of their bishops, but still the lack of curia guidance and assistance is being felt…...
Due to the fluctuating availability of Cardinal McCullum, I have been forced to head the Iesus Bishops conference with the able assistance of Bishop Polle. Thankfully we are able to meet often, as are the faithful priests of Iesus.
We look to Rome to appoint Coadjutors , Auxiliary’s and successor bishops. I believe the need is urgent"

Cardinal Rimini nodded. “Indeed, we are most concerned. Only sixteen diocese for a Province the size of Iesus Christi is manifestly inadequate. We will hope to receive a Ternus from Cardinal McCullum very soon. His leadership must be a great comfort to you.” He glanced at Monsignor McDonough.

The Monsignor, his scarred face placid, nodded to the Archbishop. “Given such a situation, your Excellency, it becomes clear that the burden on your diocesan clergy is a considerable one. It is all the more imperative, then, to ensure that they are receiving both adequate and orthodox theological and pastoral formation. We would not wish to have another Austrian situation. Secularization or any taint of government or political influence would pose severe problems in recognizing the status of Iesian seminaries.”

“We would like to review seminary curricula, as well as the credentials and publications of administrators and instructors. Given the abysmal and disgusting human rights record of the Iesian government, it is imperative that the taint of such ideology be excluded from the tender nurturing ground of our priests in Iesus Christi.”

He smiled sadly. “We would expect, given the extent of government intervention in education generally, that vocational formation would be seriously impeded, and require most careful and conscientious discernment and preparatory procedures. Whatever materials you can provide relating to such matters will also be reviewed with considerable interest.”

His smile grew more cheerful. “It may encourage you to note, however, that there has already been a case opened for the beatification of Bishop Drew and all other Iesian clergy put to death for refusing to take the Oath.” He blinked, suddenly, and was silent, his eyes turning involuntarily to Father Hnesta.

Father Hnesta, however, merely looked grave at the thought of all those martyrdoms, his pale-silver eyes meeting and holding King’s gaze steadily, steadily…

King willed himself not to flinch, he wasn’t totally sure his mind had overruled his body…..
“Archbishop Drews death was an unfortunate event, but the blame squarely is on his own shoulders. The Oath is a necessity in Iesus at this time…I did not hesitate to sign it…and I strongly advised all priests and religious to do likewise. I do not believe treason is justified by canon law….and I am certain that when you inquire of the faithful you will lean there are no Iesus martyrs of conscience. The only martyrs in Iesus are those who uphold the Cross in face of heresy….
I also strongly disagree with your conception of Iesus, and our government. I believe Iesus is one of the safest and Christ like nations on the planet…naturally at times the state has to be harsh, but like a mother with her Child she is only harsh out of necessity. I don’t believe you should comment so glibly on a nation that you know relatively little. I hope the curia is open enough to see past perceived externals."

With some effort King calmed himself, his tone had begun to rise…
“The Cardinal is a wonderful man, and I’m sure since his reputation is renowned you all trust his judgement and leadership…thus you can be sure the Iesus church itself is strong and independent...Our seminaries, our entire nation is in the firmest theological firm grounding....
of course there would be no scepticism about this if we had recieved the support due to us. "