485. Special Envoy of the Holy See 3

Chapter 485 – Holy See Envoy 3
Hearing Liberte say that, Anthony revealed an expression of remorse and pain.

“Your Excellency, it’s all my fault, when I was scouting the candidates for the new Archbishop of Horned Bay, I supported Elvis. I didn’t expect that after he actually became the archbishop, he would mess up Horned Bay like this.”

A small smile appeared on Liberte’s originally taut face as he consoled the young Cardinal Priest.

“Oh, my dear Anthony, there is no need to blame yourself so much. The appointment of the Archbishop of Corner Bay was the result of comprehensive consideration by the Holy See. Haven’t you heard that Elvis was chosen at that time because he was the sanest one among a bunch of lunatics. If it had been anyone else, the current Horned Bay would still be a different story!”

Liberte sighed softly.

“Alas, that’s probably the inevitability of history. Even though we propped up a relatively sensible bishop to the throne, the situation still developed into something we didn’t want to see, and we can only say that this place, Horned Bay, is intricate with all kinds of contradictions, which intertwine with each other, catalyze each other, and ultimately spawn the monstrosity of war. You see, the poverty of the landlocked countries versus the wealth of the coastal countries, the power claims of the church versus the power claims of the secular rulers, the openness brought about by the development of commerce versus the conservatism naturally supported by religion, and all these kinds of things, none of them are easy to solve. Elvis, he just happened to be the archbishop at this time, but whether or not it is Elvis in the archbishop’s position can only advance or delay the current situation, and no matter who is in power, it is not possible to solve on all the contradictions, the so-called war is the general outbreak of these contradictions.”

Just as he had finished speaking, the ecclesiastical envoy saw a trace of doubt flash through Antony’s eyes.

“What’s the matter? My dear Anthony?”

Liberte, who was already over fifty years old, was very taken with the young man in front of him, the youngest Cardinal Priest with an unlimited future.

He was more than happy to answer questions for this young junior.

“Oh no, it’s nothing.”

Anthony shook his head slightly and said, “I was just having trouble immediately understanding your profound insights due to my own stupidity.”

Liberte laughed and said, “This is not any profound insight, it is merely the result of experience gained from living for decades, when you are old enough, you will naturally understand this.”

Anthony asked again, “Since you think the situation is so pessimistic and that there is a certain amount of irresistibility in its development, why would you risk hostility to make the trip.”

“I ……”

Liberte did not answer immediately; he cast his own eyes up to the sky, which was now a dusky yellow; the sun was halfway down, and night was fast approaching.

After a long time, Libert said:
“It’s probably because I’ve always believed that everyone has the last shred of rationality hidden in their hearts.”

Then both men fell silent and walked side by side for some distance before parting at the corner of the cloister.

Anthony looked at Liberte’s departing back and said to himself in a soft, inaudible voice: “Lord Envoy, my purpose in following you to Horn Bay is to shatter what you call the last vestige of reason.”

……

In the Speaker’s office of the Supreme Convocation of Nisborough, Speaker Marcus and several heavyweights were discussing a letter, including Joe Foster, the patriarch of the Foster family
The Speaker asks, “My friends, how much sincerity do you think this Lord Liberte comes with?”

Foster replied, “Marcus, even if he comes with great sincerity, I don’t think it will do much good. Unless ……”

Speaker, “Unless?”

“Unless a direct order is given by the Holy See to the Church of the Horns to stop the witch hunts and to stop interfering in the internal affairs of the countries along the river. The fire is already burning, and throwing handfuls of dirt on it won’t do much good.”

“That …… seems unlikely!” The Speaker sighed.

“You guys should stop having any illusions! Prepare for war!”

Councilor Horace, who advocated a hard-line approach to the Church, pumped his fist.

“It is now our last moment, we are in a position as if we are standing on the edge of a cliff, even one more step backward on our part will bring us falling into the abyss of ten thousand fathoms, and together with the glory of the Horned Bay Alliance, as well as the riches bequeathed to us by our forefathers and those we have accumulated on our own, they will all come to naught in the moment of the fall.”

Horace was so excited because his family ran the slave trade, and war was the most effective way to quickly acquire large numbers of slaves.

The fact that anti-church sentiment among the people could rise so quickly was something that the men of the Convocation hadn’t expected.

Come to think of it, the mysterious, unknown book of grievances was a major push.

It is a book that anyone with a little conscience would gnash their teeth at the Church when they read it.

And, there is one very clever point in the main thrust of the book.

Instead of opposing the Lord of Light, the main god universally believed in by the nations of mankind – which might have caused the adults who came into contact with this book to not even read it – it separates the Lord of Light from the Papacy (and the churches it governs around the world) and cuts them into two separate beings.

The book also quotes extensively from the Canon in its attacks on the Papacy, and the author’s theological mastery is so breathtaking that throughout the book it feels as though the Papacy is doing everything in violation of the Canon that they themselves so vigorously preach.

The book boldly raises several questions.

–What makes the Papacy representative of the Lord of Light?
–What gives the Holy See a monopoly on the interpretation of the Canon?
–Is the Holy See doing things that violate the Canon under the banner of the Lord of Light?

The impact of these queries on the faithful is enormous.

For thousands of years, the Holy See and the Lord of Light have been equated in people’s minds; the Holy See is the manifestation of the Father’s power on earth, and the Holy See is the bearer of the Father’s authority on earth.

No one had ever questioned whether the Holy See was qualified to represent the Lord of Light.

Now, this book of informative data and profound attainments planted the seed of doubt in people’s hearts.

Under the diligent watering of the recent series of operations of the Church of the Horns of the Gulf, this seed quickly grew and sprouted, growing larger and larger.

The result of its growth is the creation of a new denomination, and a large number of former churchmen have openly separated themselves from the Corner Bay Church and set up a new organization.

The Convocation also tried to investigate the book to find out from whom it came, but in the end, they could only find out that the books came from the Northwest Bay, and when they asked the printer who made the books, the other party refused to answer on the grounds that they had signed a non-disclosure agreement with the user.

The book was later banned by the Lords of Arda, however the book’s numbers in the Horned Bay are still growing rapidly.

Perhaps some one has purchased the Arda’s printing presses and started printing it themselves.

(End of chapter)