The Fallen and the Elect
Page 43
Chapter 19
Cardinal Millhouse was hoping to have already received information to pass on to Rome from his protégé as soon he had gotten off the phone, especially after hearing that the church’s sponsored key project at Everest was making excellent progress. It was the exposure of the project name Aurora flabbergasting him. Turning some of his attention to Church administration, and taking his mind off the angel investigation, he had before him several documents expounding on the dire financial conditions of several parishes. Even with the sporadic angelic eulogy accounts reported by dioceses, church attendance in several congregations continued to fall off, but in others, there was record attendance, which was especially true after the mass disappearance. During the last ten years, he made some challenging decisions to close several minsters. Many congregations were naught, more so those with nontraditional, Protestant-leaning stances.
Spending the remaining portion of his Saturday morning reviewing e-mails, the Cardinal was confident he would see something from Bishop Grielle to keep him abreast of the situation with the three investigators and any possible new information. Here, he was disappointed again. Glancing at his watch, it was approaching noon, and hunger pangs began to materialize, announcing lunch.
Leaving his office to head down to the dining area, Cardinal Millhouse was unexpectedly met by Bishop Grielle approaching in the hallway. “Andrew?”
“Your Eminence,” Bishop Grielle acknowledged, making the customary greeting, culminating with the kissing of the ring.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Cardinal Millhouse responded. “I'm heading down to lunch. Join me?”
“Thank you, I'd be delighted.”
“So what time do you expect your three dispatches to arrive?” the Cardinal asked of his protégé, the two walking down the icon-and picture-adorned hallway of the large cathedral, with warm sunlight breaching the large partially stained-glass windows aligned on one side and immersing the pieces of art hanging on the opposite walls.
“I imagine, with God's grace, they will be here this evening around 5 or 6 o'clock. Being delayed an extra day and missing their connecting flight out of Mexico City was unfortunate. Their plane landed a short while ago and they wanted some time to freshen up before coming in to brief us. They did say they’ve reason to believe they need to talk to Stephen Williams again to ask him about some of the new information they found in Mexico.”
The Cardinal turned toward the bishop and furled his lip. “I feel you're starting to lose control of your team Andrew,” the Cardinal noted and, sensing Bishop Grielle felt offended, continued with his comments. “You know, it’s disturbing that they found out information concerning Aurora. Our benefactor patron does feel like they’re making great progress yet feels their efforts are not quite ready to be released. If your investigative research team finds out too much, they might not know how to interpret what they find.”
“Your Eminence, the team is finding out what they were charged to. Plus, I'm not sure if I fully understand the relationship with our patron concerning Aurora,” Bishop Grielle commented.
“Nothing much to say about it. Let’s just say that what’s to be revealed in due time will help establish the goal of an ecumenical church.”
“How’s that to be?” Bishop Grielle asked, somewhat confused.
“There's more commonality today than there was ten years ago. Rome is poised to take center stage in combining all faiths together.”
“How?”
“My, my, my. My apprentice is full of questions today. I hate to use the cliché, but I may have said too much already. I do agree that the information they may have found will answer some troubling questions.”
“Troubling questions your Eminence?” Bishop Grielle asked, halting and interrupting their stroll down the ornate hallway.
“Yes, I find it troubling that there seem to be so many coincidences. I find it strange that Father Gates is killed on the way to the funeral where a senior vice president and junior vice president of Everest International, and deacons of Father Gates’s Diocese, themselves die. Also some of Everest’s research staff are killed. Then you have events in Mexico ten years ago to the recent one here in Los Angeles where each has a single survivor and witness, both ending up blind. I don't know?”
“You think they're all tied together?”
“Did you know that Father Gates was the primary administrator, acting as facilitator between the Church and the local free clinics for our parishioners here in Southern California and Mexico?”
“Yes I did.” Bishop Grielle was well aware of Father Gates’ responsibilities, sometimes envious as he believed he himself should have been the coordinator in charge of outreach programs. Bishop Grielle knew that, if not for a promotions moratorium, the Cardinal would have found a way to elevate the Father’s position in the Diocese. The Father’s untimely demise halted the Cardinal’s petitioning for a special waiver for promotion from Rome.
“God's work in helping the indigent will be impacted. Yet God does work in ways we do not understand. It is imperative to ensure Father Hernandez and Sister Justine return from finding out what is going on. They must show that there are forces working against us. We do not want any delays with our greater plans.”
Of course, Bishop Grielle was still puzzled by the Cardinal's comments. “Then why bring them back in such a short amount of time, if we want to find out what truly happened?”
“It's in case they're successful.”
“I'm confused, your Eminence.”
Cardinal Millhouse continued walking. “When your three researchers or investigators, I'm not sure what you're calling them, when they arrive and brief us on everything, I'll tell you more. Now let’s go and eat.”
Bishop Grielle was again suppressing frustration, irritated by his mentor’s ambiguity. Here he was seeing his superior as being duplicitous in how he verbalized his position versus how he carried out managing certain events. Sending the three researchers to Mexico was a perfect example. Cardinal Millhouse would espouse the strong need to determine the cause of the tragic supernatural event. But he then worked to restrict their access to background information or subtly micromanaged control of the team, ensuring they wouldn’t find out anything. As the Cardinal claimed once before, nothing should be revealed that could embarrass the Church, have the appearance of sacrilege, or dissent from Church theology and doctrine. The Bishop would never directly challenge his superior, and he maintained his loyalty even when he might experience apprehension about the Cardinal’s overarching control. After years of loyal service, he hoped he had established a high level of trust. He thought the Cardinal would at least disclose, even incrementally, the full scope of what was thought by many to be a proclamation from a secretive council driving the vision and purpose of the affected dioceses and key sponsors in Los Angeles, Mexico, and Canada, having a global religious impact.
Although extremely dutiful in executing Church directives with Church guidance, without reservation, in the administration of the Diocese, Bishop Grielle felt he excelled brokering many of the meetings, discussions, and planning sessions in the collaboration between the Church, Everest, and other associated companies. The liaisons many times covered the governance of clinics and Church-sponsored medical research projects. Yet he heard rumors of numerous reticent dialogues and meetings without his involvement, many allegedly undercutting his previous work. Most of these included Father Gates.
Bishop Grielle couldn’t understand why Cardinal Millhouse would exclude him from much of the sensitive, confidential administrative workings and information within the upper echelons of the Diocese. He was well aware that Cardinal Millhouse knew that the chances of upward mobility for either one were restricted. The issuance of an edict helped to provide stability for the congregations after the events more than ten years before. Many of the clergy would remain indefinitely in their posts. Mandatory retirement ages would be waiv
ed depending on the extent of vacancies. If anything, the Bishop thought this would remove any suspicions that he would attempt to garner a promotion to Cardinal in another location, if one were to become available.
Cardinal Millhouse did indeed feel threatened. Even though many of the Southern California dioceses felt minimal impact during the mass disappearance, advancements to higher offices in local parishes with a Diocese were curtailed. Yet even after the restrictions on promotions of clergy, Grielle received one of the few during the troubling time being made an official bishop. This elevated him from the honorary position of monsignor. Cardinal Millhouse perceived the career of his subordinate to rise faster than his.