The Celtic Conspiracy

by Hansen, Thore D.

“Very well, sir.” Ronald’s driver was one of the few people who somehow managed to arrive on time, no matter what the traffic in Washington was like.

  Some of the justices would continue to resist Jennifer’s appeal, but he knew he had two or three securely on his side. Plus the court in Boston had dismissed the case far too quickly; just the formal irregularities were serious enough. Ronald knew that everything was coming down to the wire now. His—and the president’s—political survival was hanging from the thread of Jennifer’s seamless marshaling of evidence and his clever maneuvering to provide for any contingency.

  The telephone rang.

  “MacClary.”

  “Ronald, it’s Jennifer. I just heard from Democratic Senator Jeff Bukake that one of the justices in the court is trying to mobilize against you. There are rumors that a Republican in the House of Representatives wants to mount an impeachment process against you if you vote to take on my appeal.”

  MacClary wondered on what basis someone could launch an impeachment process. His lectures couldn’t possibly be enough to discredit him to that extent. Had Rome come up with something insidious?

  “Well then, I have to get enough of the justices on my side to make my vote unnecessary, Jennifer,” he said, surprising himself by how calm and composed his voice sounded.

  “Ronald, if what I’ve heard is correct, it will be enough that you’re still a member of the court, let alone the chief justice. If the case is adopted, there won’t be any way of stopping it anymore.”

  “Jennifer, there are three months until the congressional elections. The president has a respectable majority right now, and by the time any impeachment procedure comes to a vote, this whole thing will be long over.”

  “Not necessarily. You know as well as I do that a hearing can be postponed until the process against you has been resolved one way or another.”

  “Jennifer, please! Are we really still so backward that we’re going to let attempted murder, theft, and cover-ups simply go unchallenged?”

  He could hear Jennifer sigh. “Ronald, be honest. How many justices do you have on your side?”

  “Well, I have Bob Johnson, Ian Copter, and Barbara Andrews for sure. I confirmed that this morning. I don’t think a single one of the justices would take the risk of going behind my back like that. If it should come out, they’d be in hot water themselves. But who knows. I’ll be at the court in an hour and I’ll speak with Alex Winster. I hope I can make him see the light. I might have to play my trump card earlier than I had planned. I’ll discuss it with Ryan, and then we’ll see. Oh, and another thing. Yesterday I spoke with some delegates from the Irish Parliament and told them about our find. The Irish Foreign Ministry has clearly committed itself to our cause and wants to make this clear under international law. They stand ready to do more.”

  “That’s good news, Ronald. Good luck in court.”

  “Thank you. I’m afraid I’m going to need it.”

  * * *

  VATICAN CITY, ROME – MARCH 26

  Salvoni had finished his siesta when he heard the news broadcast on the radio. One item made his afternoon coffee superfluous. Could he really be so lucky?

  He quickly got up, pulled on his pants and shirt, and ran out of the room as if his life depended on it, straight into a priest who was coming toward him in the corridor and who was now getting up again, cursing the whole time. When he arrived at the press department, Salvoni attacked the most recent Italian wire copy.

  “I can’t believe it! Thank you, Lord, thank you.” Salvoni pulled his cell phone from his pocket and tried to reach Lambert, to no avail. He ran through the gardens of Vatican City to the Government Palace, ran up the steps, and stormed into Lambert’s office.

  Lambert sat in an adjoining room making a telephone call in English. He threw a grim look toward Salvoni, but Salvoni’s beaming face made him take the telephone away from his ear.

  “What is it?” Lambert whispered.

  Salvoni hurried over to Lambert and gave him the wire copy as Lambert asked the person on the telephone to wait a moment. As he read the news he almost dropped the telephone. “Mr. Carrington, I’m afraid I have to interrupt our conversation for a bit. I believe our situation has taken a dramatic turn. I’ll call you right back.”

  Lambert hung up and looked at Salvoni. “Has this been confirmed, Victor?”

  That was the first time in nearly thirty years that Lambert had addressed him by his first name. “Yes, I think so. He was found in Austria.”

  Lambert smiled darkly. “Are you aware that this changes everything? Be ready for a trip to Washington. We shouldn’t miss this opportunity to snatch the justice’s triumph against the Holy Church from his hands. Have you had everything taken care of in Orvieto? Are the rest of the scrolls here?”

  “Yes, they are in the archive of the Holy Father.” Salvoni was suddenly plagued by doubt about the reliability of the news, about the possibility of opposition. “As much as I would enjoy it, isn’t it a bit too risky, just flying off to Washington?”

  “No, don’t worry about it. Not only do we have diplomatic immunity, we also have the full support of the Holy Father.”

  Salvoni knew that Lambert was a sly fox. He was always amazed at Lambert’s ability to protect the Vatican from any kind of criticism or even criminal prosecution. That’s what assured him his almost untouchable position, and Salvoni, not for the first time, was convinced that he was standing in front of the next pope.

  “I will inform the Holy Father,” Lambert said. “You are welcome to come with me. I think you have earned the right.”

  SUPREME COURT, WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 26, AFTERNOON

  Even though he felt as though his talk with Jennifer had brought him to a new level of understanding, Ronald could hardly contain his rage. For more than a quarter of an hour he’d been sitting in the conference room waiting for the justices. And something else Jennifer had told him was bothering him even more. Not only had Ruth Copendale lived all those years with the horrible knowledge about the death of his father, but she had apparently also prayed for Ryan, Shane, and Deborah on the evening before their departure for Austria. He had never known her to pray outside of church.

  “Ronald!”

  “Elora, I’m glad you got here first, I—”

  “You don’t have to explain anything to me, Ronald,” Justice Elora Spencer said. “It might surprise you, but I will be voting to approve this petition if I’m convinced by the lawyers and the facts. The president called me yesterday. I didn’t vote for her and she’s not a member of my party, but in this case she was able to convince me that I shouldn’t let myself be guided by my respect for the Vatican, and I won’t. You, however, are still a problem.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “How could you get involved in this matter in Dublin, Ronald? There are two possibilities as I see it. Either you tender your resignation now or you take the risk of being forced out of office. No matter what you decide, we won’t block the hearing. I’ve spoken with the other justices, and if we count your vote, we’ll have a majority—”

  “Well, that should make you happy!” John Faster said, plowing into the room. “This Church founded our civilization, with all its strengths and foibles, and you go and stomp on it.” Faster, as always, was ready for a fight. Enraged, he slammed his briefcase on the polished conference table.

  Elora Spencer leaned forward a bit and laid both of her hands on the table. “John, could you calm down a bit, please? None of us has any intention of indiscriminately harming the Church. But we’ve already discussed all of this. You’ll have sufficient opportunity to pick apart the lawyers.”

  Faster reluctantly calmed down and sat, his face crimson red, at the other end of the conference table. The remaining justices methodically entered the teak-walled conference room. An enormous Persian rug gave the room an air of warmth.

  Ronald opened the session as usual. “Dear colleagues, we’re speaking today about the urgent app
lication from the district attorney in Boston and the attorney representing Thomas Ryan, a US citizen. In light of recent events, I would like to make one thing absolutely clear: my private research and lectures have no influence on my professional integrity, even if one of the justices present today has tried to discredit me for it.”

  A murmur went around the room.

  “It’s a good thing there aren’t thirteen of us and that you, Faster, are not Judas, otherwise people might think we were at the Last Supper here. Of course, it’s possible that Senator Bukake was simply mistaken yesterday.”

  Faster stood up and slammed a copy of the Constitution on the table. “Mr. Chief Justice, this is our Constitution. Perhaps you’d like to sue the United States as well, since we haven’t always followed our own rules.”

  “I’d be happy to discuss that after our session. However, the United States is not claiming to be the representative of God on earth.” Several of the justices couldn’t refrain from laughing at Faster’s tantrum. “Now please sit down.”

  Faster, frustrated, complied.

  Barbara Andrews, one of the justices whom MacClary had always respected and admired, entered into the conversation. “My dear colleagues, our problem lies not only with the public reaction to the proceedings. There is also the matter of the Vatican’s status under international law. We should perhaps follow the opinion of the ICC and the majority of states, which—”

  “What do you mean by that?” Ian Copter interrupted.

  “Let me explain. Based on recent developments, it is quite possible that the next General Assembly of the United Nations will adopt a resolution to withdraw recognition of the Vatican as a subject of international law.”

  “That’s completely ridiculous!”

  Feelings were starting to run high, but Justice Andrews didn’t let this sway her.

  “As I said, Justice Copter, that is the new opinion of the community of states. According to the classic rules of international law, what is missing from this construct is the essential feature of a state, namely citizens. The unusual thing about small nations is that membership is only given for a limited amount of time and—”

  “That is irrelevant here. Until otherwise decided, the Holy See is a person governed by international law, and its members therefore enjoy the privileges appertaining to it,” Adrienne Morburg said. “But what are we talking about here anyhow?” Justice Morburg was usually somewhat shy, but she was also a very clever jurist who didn’t let herself be dragged into politics so easily.

  “Let me finish. There is a gradual recognition that the diplomats of the Holy See are just a pale reflection of their former glory. They are relics from a time when the pope was intimately bound to the emperors and kings of Europe.”

  Faster snorted. “And what does that have to do with this case?”

  “A great deal. Above all, my esteemed colleagues, it should show us quite plainly that we cannot allow ourselves to have any hesitation in handling this case like any other. If it should be determined that the case in Boston was dismissed with undue haste—”

  MacClary put up his hands. “My dear colleagues, please, calm down. Justice Andrews is completely right. I was just in The Hague a few days ago. Even there, international law is experiencing a certain structural change. Still, I suggest that we concentrate here and now on the concrete case before us and look at what went wrong in Boston.” Andrews had done him a huge favor with her stance on international law and international significance, but he was trying not to be too obvious in his show of appreciation.

  “An excellent idea,” Elora Spencer remarked dryly. “I have spent quite a bit of time with this case already, and I am voting for adoption of the petition.” She magnanimously looked around at the astounded faces of her colleagues. “Let’s hear what the lawyers have to say. And Faster, I’d like to take the liberty of saying one thing to you as a justice, but also as a wife and mother. For years I’ve been observing the victims of sexual violence in psychiatric clinics, and a not insignificant number of them involved church dignitaries. These people are with us in spirit at this table as we decide if it’s possible to bring the Vatican or even members of the Vatican to trial. As a Christian you should be the first one to lay aside your double standards and feel sympathy for these victims and for the millions of victims who have died over the past centuries because of the Vatican’s aggressive claim to power.”

  She said this with such piercing clarity that even Faster sank down into his chair and didn’t say another word.

  HOTEL MONACO, WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 28, MORNING

  Two days had passed. Despite Jennifer’s fears, nothing had been heard from the House of Representatives. Justice Spencer’s lecture had apparently made Faster come around. She was sure that he was behind the attempt to remove MacClary from office.

  That morning Jennifer had invited everyone to the Hotel Monaco for breakfast to go over the final plan. While Deborah and Ronald were arguing over the best time for a press conference for the scientists and Jennifer was making last-minute notes, Shane was wearily staring at the television in the hotel bar, dozing off.

  When the bartender changed the channel, Shane was jolted awake. CNN was reporting from Europe.

  “Hey, could you turn that up, please?” Deborah asked the bartender.

  “As announced today, a lawsuit has been filed in Boston against the Vatican. According to as yet unsubstantiated reports, it is not related to the current abuse cases. Instead, it concerns an internationally relevant cultural theft in which an American citizen was reported to have been seriously injured. According to the charges, members of the Vatican police stole extremely provocative documents from the time of the founding of the Catholic Church from a private archaeological team from Ireland. The Vatican is said to be in illegal possession of a substantial number of the parchments. A team of experts and scientists in Washington has already substantiated the dating of other documents from the find and is attempting to sort through the first translations.

  “According to the experts, the parchments are from the fourth century, the time of the founding of the Church, and are reported to reveal controversial details about the circumstances surrounding the Church’s beginnings. According to reports by the director of a private institute for archaeology in Washington, Joseph Pascal, this information will be made available to the scientific community in the coming days.

  “The charges are being vehemently denied by the Vatican’s American legal team. Since the case has already been dismissed in Boston, the appeal will be heard starting tomorrow in the Supreme Court in Washington because of its international significance. Since news of the trial was announced, several hundred people have already gathered in front of the White House to demonstrate against any premature condemnation of the Vatican. It is rumored that Cardinal State Secretary Thomas Lambert has flown to Washington and will make a statement about the charges tomorrow.

  “We turn now to Rome, where our correspondent Tom Leaver is in St. Peter’s Square to report on initial impressions there.”

  MacClary stared speechless at the television.

  Jennifer put a hand on his shoulder. “Ronald, we knew it wouldn’t remain a secret for long.”

  “Yes, of course, that’s not what’s bothering me. We can’t let the demonstrations escalate. We have to be very careful to rein in the media tomorrow.” He turned to look at her. “Jennifer, you know that we can’t talk with each other in the courtroom. Please, no matter what happens, don’t reveal any more than necessary in the first hearing. In the second hearing, you’re free to do what you will. I can’t tell you more than that right now. They really think that they’re going to get out of this unscathed.” Shaking his head, he turned back to the television.

  “Tom, what can you tell us?”

  “Well, here in Rome, the reaction to the charges is relatively calm, and it’s rumored that the Vatican is trying to play down the whole thing as a mistake, that the case actually revolves around the act
ions of individuals rather than the Church. Many priests here are sure the facts of the case will be cleared up as quickly as possible.”

  “Thank you, Tom. We’ll be bringing you continuing coverage of this in the coming days. As our reporter in the White House has learned, demonstrations have been reported in front of several US embassies, including those in Germany, Italy, and France.

  “And now, a summary of the news from Europe.”

  * * *

  Jennifer looked at Shane’s face and could tell he wasn’t happy.

  “Adam, what’s wrong?”

  “The same thing that’s bothering Ronald,” Adam said, still staring, transfixed, at the screen. “We knew people would revolt. There have been too many horrible things for too many years to avoid that.”

  Jennifer understood what he was saying. The first reactions from the churches demonstrated how much aggression this whole thing was unleashing, but then there were also voices like that of the American Bishop Ellington, who was calling for reforms in the Vatican and more courage in the face of historical truth.

  “Jennifer, don’t you see what the danger is here?” Adam continued. “If people are reacting this way now, before a single detail about the actual content is made public...”

  “I know, Adam. We’ll take care of that.”

  “I hope so. I don’t want to be party to something that leads to widespread violence.”

  “I know,” she said quietly, taking his hand. “I don’t either.”

  “Then hang on to that feeling you have right now when you’re making your arguments in the Supreme Court tomorrow. We have to learn to stop the dogma, Jennifer. Let’s just lay the historical facts on the table and let the world show us what the legacy of the original inhabitants of Europe looks like.”

  Jennifer thought about a conversation she’d had with Ryan a little while ago about his experiences with religion and revenge in Northern Ireland. Christianity determines who would be the next victim. How long was this insanity going to go on? How long would people be allowed to use faith as a justification for murder, rape, and slavery?