The Girl in Black

Chapter 8

Donati motioned for Gabriel to sit down. “The president is a straight talker, as our American friends say. He will listen to what you have to say, Holy Father.”

“He should have listened in the first place. From the moment he arrived at the Vatican before the war, I warned him that he was on a path of disaster. I say that the war has no justification because there is no real threat to America or its allies, that he has not turned all the way to a reversal of the conflict, that the United Nations is not Only the United States has the appropriate authority to deal with this. But I spent most of my anger on the last argument against the war. I think the US President will quickly win on the battlefield. "You are very strong," I said, "and your opponents are very weak". But we also predict that in the years after the war, America will face violent uprisings. I also warned him that if he used force to solve the crisis, he would only create a worse crisis. The Muslim world will think it is the New Crusade of white Christians. Terrorism cannot be defeated by terrorism, but by economic and social justice.

The Pope, after concluding his sermon, looked at the two listeners to see the reaction. His eyes darted back and forth a few times before settling on Gabriel"s face. "Looks like you want to counter what I just said."

“You are a man of great eloquence, Holy Father.”

“You are part of the family, Gabriel. Just say what you think."

“The radical Islamic forces have declared war on us - America, the West, Christianity, Israel. According to the law of God and the law of man, we have the right, indeed the duty, to resist.”

“It is better to resist terrorists with tenderness and humanity than with violence and bloodshed. When politicians resort to violence, it is always the people who suffer first.”

“The Holy Father seems to believe that the problem of terrorism and radical Islam could be solved by making them more like us – that if poverty, illiteracy, and tyranny were not so common, In the Muslim world, there will be no young men willing to sacrifice their lives to injure or kill others. They have seen our way of life but they don"t want to live it. They saw the democracy we have, but rejected it. They see democracy as a religion against the commandments of Islam, so they will fight back with rage they consider sacred. How can we bring justice and prosperity to the Muslims who believe only in death?"

"This certainly cannot be imposed on them with the barrel of a white man"s gun."

“I agree, Holy Father. Only when Islam changes itself will there be social justice and true prosperity in the Saudi world. But in the meantime we can"t just sit back and watch Islamic extremists try to destroy us. That, Holy Father, is also immoral.”

The Pope rose from his desk and opened a large window overlooking St Peter"s Square. Nightfall. Rome was transforming at his feet.

“I was right about the war, Gabriel, and I was right about the future that awaits all of us—Muslims, Christians, and Jews if we do not choose another path. But who will listen to me? I"m just an old man in a monk"s clothes living in a gold-plated cage. In Europe we live as if God didn"t exist. Anti-Americanism is our only religion now.” He turned to look at Gabriel. "And against the Jews".

Gabriel was silent. The Pope said, “Luigi informed me that your side has just discovered that I was plotting to assassinate me. Another conspiracy,” he added with a sad smile.

“I am afraid so, Holy Father.”

“Is this funny? I was the one trying to stop the war in Iraq. I am the one trying to bridge the gap between Islam and Judaism. Yet I am the one they want to kill.” The pope looked out the window. “Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe they don"t want a bridge after all, which is me."

Most evenings Pope Paul VII and Monsignor Donati dine together in the papal quarters with one or two guests. Donati often strives to create a light, relaxing atmosphere, and the occasional mention of work is limited to discreet conversations about the Council of Cardinals. That evening, however, the atmosphere in the Pope"s dining room was different. The hastily convened guest list includes not only old friends but also those responsible for protecting the Pope: Captain Karl Brunner, commander of the Swiss Guard dedicated to protecting the Pope, General Carlo Marchese with the Carabinieri Armed Police Force, and Martino Berlano, Deputy Italian Security Service.

Gabriel passed pictures and summaries to them in Italian with an Austrian accent. His presentation was more concise than what he had given Donati in Jerusalem that morning, and he did not mention Ali Massoudi by name. However, his tone confirmed that Israeli Intelligence considered the threat real and needed to take steps to protect the Pope and the Holy See. When he finished speaking, the faces of the people of the Security Forces were serious, but not panicked. They have been through things like this many times, so they have experience in putting in place the necessary procedures to increase security around the Holy Father and the Vatican when necessary. Gabriel listened to them review these processes. When they paused in conversation, he cleared his throat.

"What do you want to suggest?" Donati asked.

"Perhaps we should move tomorrow"s service indoors - into the papal auditorium."

“Tomorrow the pope will beatify a Portuguese nun,” said Donati. “We think there could be several thousand Portuguese pilgrims, plus a huge crowd like every other ceremony. If we move the ceremony to the room, many people will not be able to attend.”