by De Freitas
“With that being said, the company you represent and many of your peers in the media are always quick to dedicate many column inches to these type of stories. However, you do not cover the tens of thousands of priests, bishops, nuns, deacons and other members of the clergy that truly live their life in the service of others. Anyone reading or watching the news over the last twenty years, based on your company’s reporting, would believe that every member of the clergy is corrupted. You fail to mention that we are feeding, clothing, housing and providing education and medicine to millions of people throughout the world. I am fortunate to serve in Dublin. However, many of my fellow clergy live in abject poverty, along with the people they help in some of the most desperate parts of the world.
“You have spent this entire interview trying to embarrass me and the church to which I belong. You care not that you put people off religion. TV ratings and advertising revenue are the Gods you worship. Therefore kindly allow me to ask you a question regarding yourself and your employer. If you can answer me, we will continue this interview, if not I will end it.
Fr. Simon looked at his watch. “I will give you one full minute. Your company’s watchwords are reputed to be impartial and unbiased… therefore tell me and your viewers the last time you or your company did a positive story about the good work of the church?”
The host cleared his throat to buy time, hoping desperately that his producer would say something into his earpiece. There was only silence. He looked up at the production box above the studio lights. His eyes were pleading for help. He quickly began to feel his facial expression was giving away his loss for an answer. For the seasoned host, this was without doubt the most awkward moment he had endured in his entire career. There were no words being spoken. In the chair a few feet away, Fr. Simon sat staring at him with an expressionless look.
It was the longest minute of Eoin O’Connor’s life… Finally, Fr. Simon turned to the camera and said, “I’d like to wish everyone an enjoyable evening and may God Bless you all.”
He slowly unclipped the microphone from his jacket, placed it on the table and walked off the set.
At the Archbishop’s house they watched a blank TV screen. Fr. Simon’s premature departure from the set meant that the production department had nothing prepared. The station fell silent. Cardinal Bertello looked around the room, he knew when he got back to Rome there would be many questions to answer.
CHAPTER 25
The following day, the interview was covered around the world and it played over and over. There were phone-in discussions on the radio and it seemed everyone had something to say. Some focused on the tragic events of Fr. Simon’s life and the faith he showed when everything had been taken from him. Others enjoyed the way he handled the many difficult questions head-on, with poise and dignity, and there were many who admired his courage to walk off the set.
Cardinal Bertello was due to fly back to Rome that afternoon. However, before his departure, he called INTV and expressed his disgust that they had not stuck to the agreed interview format. They blamed their reporter Eoin O’Connor and claimed they had no idea he was going to do this. However, Cardinal Bertello knew this was not the case, as the director had the hotel lobby CCTV prepared. Cardinal Bertello then called Fr. Simon. He thanked him for doing the interview and apologised that INTV had not stuck to the interview agreement.
Fr. Simon got little work done that Monday morning. The phone rang nonstop. Newspaper editors, TV executives, and even a book publishing company asked to see him, with the view of doing a biography. There was huge interest from the public and the media wanted desperately to cash in on it. Fr. Simon politely declined all offers.
Cardinal Bertello boarded the Alitalia flight from Dublin direct to Rome. He took his seat and the stewardess offered him a newspaper. On the front page of La Repubblica, was one word “EXPLOSIVAE”, with a picture of Fr. Simon walking off the set. Thankfully, the article was positive. The young priest was given much credit for the way he handled himself and defended the clergy. After a night of little sleep for the Cardinal, perhaps this idea may not have turned out to be so bad after all.
Over the next few years, the damaging allegations against the church continued. For decades, the Vatican had sent the traditional, old balding member of the clergy to do the media rounds in their defence. However, it did not take long for them to realise that Fr. Simon represented the fastest way to change the news agenda. Soon he became the recognised public face of the church.
In 2009, at the age of forty-one, Fr. Simon was appointed Bishop of the Dioceses of Meath and Kildare in Ireland. After thirteen years of service at Assumption Church, he said goodbye and took up his new role. Within two weeks of his appointment, there was a letter from Archbishop Mark congratulating him.
In 2011, now sixty-seven years of age, Archbishop Mark was elevated to become a Cardinal. Upon leaving St Louis, on his way to Rome, he flew to Dublin to surprise Bishop Simon. They had always kept in contact but this was the first time they had actually seen each other for nearly sixteen years. The two men embraced; so much had changed. Bishop Simon suddenly felt like a child again. His eyes filled with tears as he greeted the man who was the closest thing he ever had to a real father.
Within the walls of the Vatican, Cardinal Bertello was monitoring Archbishop Mark’s travel closely. Bishop Simon had mentioned the influence that Archbishop Mark had on him and the support he had given his mother. Unknown to Archbishop Mark, Cardinal Bertello had played an important role in his elevation to Cardinal, despite the fact he had never met him. Cardinal Bertello was desperate to change the weighting amongst the hierarchy of the church, in an attempt to one day get a more reform-minded Pope in place.
Archbishop Mark left Dublin the following day and arrived in Rome to attend the Rite of Consistory, where he would officially become a Cardinal. As he exited the arrivals hall at Fiumicino airport, he was surprised to be greeted by Cardinal Bertello, who welcomed him to Rome. The two men went for dinner that night and, to Cardinal Bertello’s relief, everything that Bishop Simon had told him was correct, Archbishop Mark had a clear understanding of the change that was needed and the politics, within the Vatican, that would be involved in making it happen.
On 20th July, 2011, Archbishop Mark was elevated to the College of Cardinals. At sixty-seven, he was their youngest member and his appointment was a great success for Cardinal Bertello.
Less than two years after Cardinal Mark’s appointment, Pope Benidict unexpectedly resigned on 28th February, 2013. His resignation sent shock waves throughout the Vatican and led to another struggle between the reform and conservative members of the Vatican hierarchy. It was the opportunity Cardinal Bertello had longed for. In the previous years, he had managed to influence the appointment of some senior members of the clergy who shared his view. Unfortunately, at the Conclave to elect a new Pope, the candidate he pushed for was defeated. On 13th March, 2013 Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church. He took the name Pope Francis.
Pope Francis understood change was needed. However, at seventy-six years of age, he was in no position to go against the powerful forces that opposed any change, which would undermine their power or influence.
On the 26th March, 2014, Bishop Simon was summoned to Rome and asked by Pope Francis to become his special envoy to Syria. He landed in Damascus on 12th June, 2014. By this time the Syrian war had entered its forth year. It was a world away from anything he had seen in Sidon, or Dublin.
He witnessed first-hand, the brutality of man and everything his mother had told him about war became apparent. The soldiers and civilians, on all sides, were bleeding and dying and, behind it all, were the politicians “War Pigs” as she used to call them. At this time, more than any in his life, he thought of his father. The man he knew only because his mother had kept his memory alive, and she was right. It was not a soldier that killed him, bu
t a man in a suit who had brainwashed him with words of patriotism, duty and service to country.
Bishop Simon looked around and saw this once peaceful secular country of various Jewish, Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Armenian Christian, Alawite, Sunni and Shia faiths, practiced by a diverse population of Arabs, Druzes Europeans, Kurds and Turkmen, imploding in an orgy of suffering, death and destruction. However, despite all that was happening around him, Bishop Simon found no shortage of like-minded people from all faiths and he reached out to them. Due to his knowledge of Islam, he related easily to many of their leaders, who were surprised to find a non-Muslim with such understanding of the Quran.
Cultural and religious differences were put aside as many shared a common desire for peace. Through their joint efforts, they encouraged children and teenagers to take part in sports, to visit each other and pray together, in the hope that the hatred would not be passed onto the next generation. Together, they established charities that helped everyone without exceptions. Unfortunately, in a country the size of Syria, their efforts represented only a fraction of what was needed. One of the events that left an indelible impression on Bishop Simon occurred in April of 2015, when he went with Imam Hasan to visit one of the multi-faith schools they had set up for orphaned children.
Sid, a local religious teacher, was just about to start a new lesson and they were invited to attend. Both men gladly accepted the invitation. They were interested to see how the teacher would instruct religion to such a diverse class. The children had each taken out their own religious books and Bishop Simon could see the class represented many of Syria’s religions. The teacher stood before the class, held up a thick book and said:
“Everyone has to pretend that this book is God.” Pointing to one of the children in the front right, he asked: “How do you see God?”
“Sir, God is red and about eleven inches long and five inches wide.”
The teacher pointed to another child directly below him. “Tell us, how do you see God?”
Looking up at the book he said, “I see God as white in colour but only five inches long and about two inches wide.”
Lastly, he pointed to a girl with a headscarf at the back, on the left side of the class. “Tell us how do you see God?”
“Sir, God is red and black with writing. He is eleven inches long and five inches wide.”
“Good,” said the teacher. “Each of the books in front of you, will teach you to develop your personal relationship with the Creator. If you die wanting to know more about your Creator, you will be taken to him. Therefore, we can agree on two things. Firstly, there is only one Creator and secondly, we all see the him differently.”
The class laughed and agreed. Bishop Simon and Imam Hasan looked at each other. They were both thinking the same thing. This was, without question, one of the best analogies they had heard in understanding the different interpretations we have of God.
On 3rd July 2016, after two years in Damascus, Bishop Simon returned to Rome where he submitted his report on his time in Syria to Pope Francis. Soon after, he returned to Ireland and continued as Bishop of the Dioceses of Meath and Kildare.
In 2023, at the age of eighty-six, Pope Francis died peacefully in his sleep. Cardinals from around the world were summoned to Rome to attend the Conclave to elect the new Pope. Cardinal Bertello was still considered the most senior Cardinal. However, because he was over eighty years of age, he was ineligible to take part in the Conclave, but behind the scenes his influence was huge. He had many powerful friends, the most important of which was Cardinal Mark.
Eight days before the Conclave started, Cardinal Bertello and Cardinal Mark met in secret, along with a considerable gathering of reform-minded Cardinals. They all agreed that the church they loved could not go on like it had been. By their actions and subsequent inactions, they had alienated many of the over one billion Catholics and something had to be done. They got down to discussing who amongst them could bring about this change. A number of names were discussed. At the top of the list was Cardinal Mark. However, at seventy-eight he declined the opportunity on account of his age. He was fully aware that he did not have the health, or energy needed to take on the powerful ultra-conservatives within the Vatican. Other Cardinals amongst them were discussed but, like Cardinal Mark, they too felt they would not be able to achieve the change necessary.
With no agreement reached, Cardinal Mark put forward the name of Bishop Simon. No one had considered him, as it was nearly always a Cardinal that succeeded the Pope. However, there was no rule that prevented a Bishop being elected Pope. It did not take long for the group to agree that, if Bishop Simon accepted the nomination, it would be he they would be voting for. That night Cardinal Mark telephoned Bishop Simon in Ireland.
The world media, as always, were gathered in St Peter’s square and a rumour went around that Bishop Simon was possibly being considered. The rumour was reinforced when he was spotted returning to Rome. With this news confirmed, speculation ran wild, especially amongst the US media outlets. Never in history had there been an American-born Pope. The election of a new Pope is always headline news around the world. However, on this occasion, it took on a new dimension and the media had no shortage of content on Bishop Simon. They played everything they had: from the footage of the hotel lobby incident, to interviews with him competing in ten kilometre runs in Dublin as a young priest, to all the media he did when he officially represented the Vatican. Parishioners who knew him from his early years as a priest were interviewed and every one of them, when asked, stated without hesitation that they wanted him to be elected the next Pope.
Following morning Mass at the Vatican, the College of Cardinals, consisting of 118 representatives, entered the Sistine Chapel and, at 11:30am on 12th September, 2023, the Conclave to elect a new Pope began. From this point, until a new Pope was elected, they were not allowed to have any contact with the outside world.
It took four days and twelve votes before the two-thirds majority was attained on 15th September, 2023. As the ballots were burnt, white smoke could be seen emanating from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, signalling the appointment of the new Bishop of Rome. Below, in St Peter’s Square, the crowds cheered as they waited to find out who had been elected Pope.
In a small room next to the Sistine Chapel, known as the ‘Room of Tears’, the new Pope prayed before changing into his Pontifical Robe. Meanwhile, the Cardinal Protodeacon walked out onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to make the announcement the crowd had been waiting for.
“Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum…habemus papam!”
“I announce to you a great joy… we have a pope!”
“Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominu - Dominum Simon John Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Vescovo – Holman.”
“The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord – Lord Simon, Bishop of the Holy Roman Church – Holman.”
The crowds in St Peter’s Square below cheered as the news went live around the world. For the first time in history, there was an American-born Pope. It was quickly noted by many that the new Pope had broken with tradition, by keeping his original name and not taken a papal name. Within minutes, fifty-five year old Pope Simon walked onto the balcony and blessed the crowd. A new pontificate had begun.
CHAPTER 26
The following day, Cardinal Mark was in his office when a copy of the official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano was handed to him. On the front page was a photo of Pope Simon and above it was the word ‘CHOSEN’. A chill went through his body. He sat back in his chair. It was over thirty years since he had thought about it, but the words on the cloth came screaming back…
“I HAVE CHOSEN YOU.”
“THE APOCALYPSE IS WRITTEN IN THE BACK.”
Again, he was overwhelmed by the feeling that he was a part of something much greater, something he was struggling to understand. He recalled all the
events of Simon’s life, the number of unexplained deaths and all the strange circumstances that came together. They seemed to almost force him in the direction of the priesthood. It was as if anything that stood in the way of him becoming Pope had been eliminated from his life. Even his original application to the priesthood would have been rejected, as he was still the number one suspect in two separate murders. However, the death of Sheriff Amos shortly before meant those cases were closed when his application was reviewed.
From the moment Simon became a priest, events happened and almost immediately he obtained an almost celebrity status. Then there was his rise through the ranks of the clergy. It was almost unprecedented in modern times. Looking back, it was clear everything seemed to conspire towards the destiny of him becoming Pope. Cardinal Mark knew he had played a massively important role in Simon’s life. He also knew him better than anyone and there was no question in his mind, that Simon was a man of God.
Many years before, Cardinal Mark had read about the messages given by the Virgin Mary to Sr. Agnes in Akita Japan. He logged into his computer and typed the words “Virgin Mary in Akita third and final message”.
“As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one has never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate, that they will envy the dead. The only arms, which will remain for you, will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests.”
“The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church, in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres... churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.”