Absolution is the
conclusion
of the sacrament of
Penance,
a jewel of the seven
sacraments.
If a Cardinal lies to a
Pontiff...
a minor
misrepresentation perhaps..,
or all that his memory
provides...
We are nothing if not
imperfect beings.
If he lies for the
Church? A venial sin surely..?
The Pontiff senses the
existential crises.
The reputation of all
that was blessed
is shredded by special
commissions laying
bare the beasts within,
those who succumbed
to the works and pomps
of The Devil
those who entertained
their base nature
those who made the
little children suffer,
the innocents who
should have been sheltered
and were horribly
violated.
You must return and
clear your name,
if you are certain as
you claim,
that you are snared in political folly,
a victim of those who would harm our Church?
a victim of those who would harm our Church?
I am, Your Holiness.
But despite
my innocence, the
rumours and the press
have painted me guilty.
It is impossible
to receive a fair trial
now. It is quite possible
that I would be
imprisoned, probable
in fact, the scales are
tipped against me.
And I am old now, my
health is ragged
Your Holiness, it
deteriorates rapidly.
A pacemaker regulates
my heartbeat.
There are popes and
there are popes. This one
is too moderate... too
holy perhaps.
If only Ratzinger were
still here, he would say
let them rattle their
cages,
let them stack their
faggots,
let them howl for
blood, you are here within
the bosom of Mother
Church; rest easy, within.
For some reason an
image of that girl,
the one mother made me
take to the final
primary year dance,
appears now.
She wrote as an 'old
friend with a word of advice'.
The rumours have
embarrassed her;
if only I would return
and clear my name.
God was with me, God
will care for His own.
Priests are lonely
people, and some more than others.
Some, like Ridsdale are
weak. Everybody
has his Achilles Heel.
I kept it under
control, mostly. An
occasional lapse.
I despised the weak.
Man up! I said to him.
Say a decade of the
rosary and ask
for the grace to
overcome temptation.
It was in his nature
and I forgave him.
A priest's life is a
lonely one.
But George, he said,
there's no one else here.
I am afflicted, why did
He make me like this?
I told him, I said,
During the sacrament
of confession you will
address me as 'Father'.
I was hard on the weak
in the confessional.
Mine was the Voice of
God. That girl, the one
made pregnant by her
father, so she said.
I told her. If you have
an abortion
I cannot forgive you.
So I will go
to Hell? She asked. You
will receive your just
punishment. But what
can I do? She asked.
These are simple folk.
The flock ha. Humanity.
Beer, footy and a root
on a Saturday.
They need to know where
sin lies. You sin,
and you risk damnation
for eternity.
My God is to be feared.
He is not a loving god.
All that Vatican 11
kumbaya skippy stuff.
Not for My God. That's
why we are where we are.
The rabble needs rules,
a stiff rod.
In essence they are
stupid. But they can lynch you.
The pack mentality. I
hear them now,
they slaver and howl.
Cardinal, our flocks
diminish, our shepherds die.
You must return, for
your sake and for the
sake of Holy Mother
Church. Say a decade
of the rosary and ask
for God's mercy
understanding and
blessing in your future trials.
Dominus noster Jesus
Christus te absolvat...
So, that's it. It has come to this. Me...
The Sacrificial Lamb. Such heavenly irony.
Well, my lawyers will see about that one.
I will be Pontiff one day. The Church needs
my guiding hand. My God knows it.
So, that's it. It has come to this. Me...
The Sacrificial Lamb. Such heavenly irony.
Well, my lawyers will see about that one.
I will be Pontiff one day. The Church needs
my guiding hand. My God knows it.
