Occasionally, the Ecumenical Council looking after the general affairs of the Church would announce that it was open to a wider circle for an extended period but that was not case at this point in time. Renauld knew when he chose the “Altar of the Chair” that it had all the traits that would make an assailant comfortable with his task. He would have privacy, time and an escape route that would ensure his getaway was unobserved.
Continuing down the main central aisle of the long nave, he wasted no time in getting to the restricted chapel. Inside, he pulled the thick velvet purple curtain along its rails indicating that the chapel was being used by the Pontiff, who wished to pray in solitude.
Inside the church was the Chair of St. Peter, which gave the room its name. Its wooden frame had b
