Murder in the Vatican

by Lucien Gregoire

  “Matthew and Luke are direct plagiarisms of Mark, copying it in many cases word-for-word, taking care to change only the phrase ‘Son of Man’ to ‘Son of God.’

  “Yet, even Mathew and Luke don’t claim Christ is God. The early pharaohs, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great and the Caesars were recognized as ‘Son of God’—a step up from man, but not God.

  “Yet, a half century or so after Mark, in which Christ explicitly denies He is God, John explicitly declares Christ is the same God as God the Father. John 10, ‘I and my Father are one.’

  “In Mark—the only gospel written by a man who could have possibly been a witness to Christ’s ministry—Christ denies He is God. Yet, a half century later, by most accounts, Christ changes His mind in John and declares He is God; a gospel written by a man who could not have possibly been alive at Christ’s time.

  “Most bizarre, unlike Mark, Mathew and Luke who do not claim to be direct witnesses and do not otherwise divulge their sources, John—who wrote his gospel more than a century after Christ’s time—claims to be the disciple John who walked at Christ’s side.

  “John lies in the very first verse of his gospel.”

  Mark a few miracles and the resurrection. Christ is not God - Son of Man

  Matthew adds a few miracles and Virgin Birth. Christ is Son of God - not God

  Luke adds a few miracles and Virgin Birth. Christ is Son of God - not God

  John Declares Christ is God. The Son and the Father are one.

  The Reasonable Christ

  “Yet, it is reasonable to believe a man was crucified for radical ideas about the time claimed by the evangelists in the gospels.

  “It is reasonable to believe a man spoke out against the evils of the Hebrew God. In addition to saving the occasional damsel in distress—“He who is without sin cast the first stone”—His ministry centered on the establishment of a redistribution of wealth society—communism—which, by itself, may have ended in His demise.

  “As we do today, Christ lived in a capitalistic society, one driven by greed. He would have been a threat to the rich and powerful at the top that controlled the minds of the masses at the bottom.

  “Christ was the Karl Marx of the first century.

  “Nevertheless, it is not reasonable to believe a man performed the miracles attributed to Christ for if He had fed four thousand Jews with seven loaves of bread and a few fish as Mark had claimed, and five thousand more with five loaves of bread and two small fish as John had claimed, the Jews would have known He was God.

  A Greek God

  “Yet, what has survived suggests something more.

  “Resurrection and Virgin Birth are divinity in Greek mythology, not Hebrew mythology. Moses does not provide for resurrection ‘Dust thus art, to dust thou will return.’ The Jews have no afterlife.

  “In Greek mythology, Zagreus dates back a thousand years before Moses. A tablet in the British Museum reads “Zeus, King of Gods, speaks, ‘Hail thy offspring who come upon thou without lust …Hail thou who has been counted among thieves and murderers… suffered and death …Thou wilt become God from man and rule eternal life.’”11

  “Zeus sends His Son to save the world from sin. Zagreus, Son of Zeus, is born of a virgin—‘without lust,’ a requirement of divinity in Greek mythology. When sent to earth, Zagreus is tried as a criminal by His chosen people—the Titans—who who tear him apart.

  “In resurrection, Zagreus reincarnates as Dionysus who comes to rule the universe as Christ will come to rule in Christian mythology.

  “It follows we have the prophesy of the coming of Christ, a thousand years after the time of Moses in the book of Isaiah, ‘The God of Isaiah speaks, Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and call his name Immanuel…He hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.’12

  “All that has survived—both in ideology and documentation—is powerful evidence the Greeks wrote the gospels. Mark, Matthew, Luke and John were Greek. Every single surviving manuscript predating the sixth century is written in Greek. Not the tiniest scrap predating this time has ever been found in the Hebrew language.”13

  The finale

  He paused a long while to let us catch up. He nailed the lid shut.

  “Once more, ‘religion is a business which entrepreneurs capitalize on man’s tendency to believe in ghosts to accomplish political convictions.’

  “Preachers are little more than politicians who use what ancient political giants wrote in books to accomplish political objectives.

  “To one side, we have those who created the fictional character of Moses to foster a society in which some children are born better than others and are entitled to more. To the other side, we have those who wrote of Christ to foster a society in which all children are created equal and are entitled to an equal share of the pie.”

  He paused that we would remember it all the days of our lives.

  “On Napoleon’s tomb is engraved, ‘Man’s only immortality is what he leaves behind in the minds of men.’

  “True, not only of men, but also, of Gods.”

  Both Jack and I gave him a questionable look of apprehension.

  “It makes no difference whether or not Christ ever lived or whether or not He performed the miracles that are said of Him. What is important of any man, even one who claimed to be God, is not so much His life on earth, but rather what He left behind—like Tao, like Buddha, like Mohammed, like Lincoln, like Einstein, like Edison and all the others who have come before and after Him.

  “What is important of Christ’s life is not His life on earth, not the miracles He is said to have performed, not His death on the cross, not even His ascension. Like any God, or for that matter, any man, all that counts is what He left behind, ‘Love thy Neighbor as thyself.’ The fundamental truth Mark, Matthew, Luke and John left behind.

  “These things we have talked of may seem devastating to religion as we know it today. Yet, from these few truths will one day emerge a new kind of religion, one no longer based on the hatred and greed of ancient men, but one based on the fundamental truth all children are created equal and are entitled to their fair share of the pie.”

  He stopped. He asked me. “Where do you go from here?”

  “To Rome, St. Peter’s. Then, back to the grind in the states.”

  He offered, “I could make arrangements for you to stay in one of the Vatican apartments but I don’t think you would feel comfortable there. Not far from St. Peter’s is a little pension. You will feel less ecclesiastical there.” He took out a card and scribbled on its back.

  He retrieved a second card and scrawled on its back, “When you visit the Vatican, find the office of Paul Marcinkus. It is in the Palace of the Holy Office opposite the Papal Palace on St. Peter’s Square. He was here just this past week. We were discussing the pros and cons of merging the parish banks with Banco Ambrosiano.

  “I am sure he will be happy to arrange to have someone give you a tour of the gardens—maybe even the Papal Palace, itself.

  “Thank you,” this man with the perpetual smile added, “You have enlightened me and given me good substance for my infallible sermon on the mount.” Getting up, he stopped at the sideboard and picked up a few pieces of stationary headed Vittorio Veneto.

  He answered my unasked question. “Notes of what we have talked of today. Shot for the cannon. See you on the battlefield.” He headed for the stairs. I followed him with a puzzled look.

  He looked back at me, “The enemy, preachers who prey on the weakness of the minds of men.”

  Smiling after him, “You can count on me, I will be there.”

  As the bishop’s footsteps faded up the stairs, Jack explained, “Forgive him. He retires at precisely nine o’clock and is up at four. Even if the Pope was here, he would do the same thing.”

  “Wow, up at four. He must sleep all afternoon.”

  “He ha
s no idea what a nap is. I will walk you to your hotel.”

  1 Messaggero Mestre 12 Sep 61

  2 Darwin published his thesis The Origin of Species in 1859. The first Neanderthal fossil was discovered in Germany in 1856 but it was thought to have been a modern man until thirty years later its origin and age was determined.

  3 In 1919, observation of a total solar eclipse of the sun proved Einstein’s theory everything has a center of gravity to the scientific community. For simplification, the text speaks of the atom as the fundamental unit of creation, yet, the atom, itself, is made up of sub-atomic particles

  4 Matthew 6

  5 Messaggero Mestre 25 Dec 57 Basilica di San Marco Angelo Roncalli—John XXIII

  6 ‘The Quest of the Historical Jesus’ Schweitzer Internet and libraries

  7 Following Schweitzer’s ‘The Quest of the Historical Jesus’ there began a second search in which believers search for some scant evidence such a man ever lived. Included is the Shroud of Turin, the first century box alleged to contain the bones of James, the alleged tomb of Jesus, etc.

  8 Arthur Conan Doyle based his character Sherlock Holmes on Eugene Francois Vidocq—a French thief turned detective who first developed the analysis and deduction techniques exploited by Doyle. See the story Quest for the Historical Holmes in the author’s book: Let’s All Get Behind the Pope…

  9 Herod died in 4BC. Allowing two years for the killing of the firstborns Christ was born in 6 BC or earlier with conception year earlier. He could not have died later than 27AD.

  10 Most history books cite later dates. Some cite the earliest possible dates 70AD – 85AD – 95AD

  11 Clay tablet dated 2253BC Story of Zagreus Dionysus in the British Museum

  12 Isaiah 7

  13 that Christ’s conception so closely mirrors that of Zagreus is powerful evidence Isaiah was added in the Greek translation Septuagint in 253BC. The God of Isaiah, aside from offering redemption, like Christ who would follow Him, contradicts the God of Moses in most everything He has to say.

  Chapter 23

  To the End of Time

  “In revealing the dark secret that must have haunted him all of his life, Gregoire forces the transformation of Christianity.”

  Toby Johnson, White Crane Journal

  It was sheer silence as we walked along the stone walls of the seminary and wiggled our way down through the village streets.

  Jack broke the quiet of the night. “For the Church to survive into the twenty-first century it is imperative it change from the church it has been—one based on the make-believe world of yesterday—to a church built on the real world of today. If it fails to make this transition, it will cease to exist.” I shot him a questionable glance.

  “When a child is taught in history class the Eskimos migrated across the Bering Peninsular in 10000BC and taught in Bible class God created Adam and Eve in 4000BC he or she begins to see the light. Today only the dimmest of children accept the story of Adam and Eve. Even fewer of them believe a Burning Bush ever talked to Moses in the desert. To children these are fairytales.

  “How long do you think it will take for the average six-year old to figure out that had Moses written, at his alleged time, he had led two million people out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea and drowned the Egyptian army together with its pharaoh, the people of his day would have known he was writing fiction? How long will it take the average six-year old to realize this thing we think of as God the Father in the western world is nothing more than a figment of the imagination of men who lived long after Moses’ alleged time?

  “How long do you think it will take the average six-year old to realize had Christ actually performed the miracles attributed to Him, the Jews would have known He was God? How long do you think it will take them to wonder why the gospels were written so long after Christ’s time? How long do you think it will take them to wonder why Matthew waited a hundred years to create the story of Christ’s conception and birth? How long do you think it will take them to find the indisputable results of the Search for the Historical Jesus in libraries?1 How long do you think it will take them? How long?

  “Angelo Roncalli once said, ‘A church that rises from specters will soon dissipate into the specters which gave birth to it. If we are to have a true church it must be built on truth, not on myth.”2

  “John XXIII,” my mind connected the name.

  “‘Myths,’ John once said, ‘are devastating to true religion. We can fool half of the people half of the time, yet, the half we do not fool will eventually wake up the half we do fool.’3

  “As science continues to advance it will eventually destroy the myths the Church is built on. Until recently most people believed in ghosts. After all, if ghosts do not exist, when one is dead, one is dead. Man’s immortality rests entirely on his belief in ghosts.

  “But, today only half the people believe in ghosts. This is quite visible here in Europe where, more and more each day, Catholics are waking up and realizing the Church is based on myth. Europeans, like other first world countries, are leaving the Church in droves.

  “Yes, third world countries, which remain deeply immersed in disease, poverty and starvation imposed upon them by the Church, remain vulnerable to the magician’s wand.”

  The awakening

  “Yet, in a few years, today’s third world countries will become first world countries and their populations will no longer respond to tales. Children will realize—like Snow White who came after him—Moses is a fictional character created long after he is alleged to have lived. They will begin to realize when they line up to eat the body of their God they are lining up to eat a piece of bread. As John said, the Church will dissipate into the specters which gave birth to it…’

  “We must change the basic ideology of the Church from what it has become: Some children are born better than others and are entitled to more to the fundamental truth all children are created equal and are entitled to basic human rights and opportunity.”

  He stopped. I stopped with him. Reaching over, he grasped me by the shoulders and riveted my eyes with an unfathomable stare, “If Piccolo does not live to complete his mission, you will write your book. You will destroy the mythical Christ the Church is built on and in its place establish the fundamental truth of Christ, ‘Love thy Neighbor as Thyself.’ Such a church will last to the end of time.”

  The making of a pope

  Silence prevailed for awhile broken only by the rhythm of our steps. This time, I broke the quiet of the night.

  “‘Infallible.’ Piccolo used the word ‘infallible’ in referring to his ‘sermon on the mount.’ Does he really think he will succeed Paul?”

  Jack countered, “He knows he is going to be the next pope.

  “Paul visited here the week before he issued his decree banning contraception. When he made the ruling, Piccolo followed almost immediately with his public letter calling for modification of it.

  “Paul’s ruling was inconsistent with his papal platform—to rid the world of poverty. After all, the ban on contraception is the driving force behind poverty. Yet, Paul left the door open…”

  I asked with my eyes. “He refused to invoke papal infallibility. Paul made the most important decree of his papacy as a man and not as a pope. He intended the ruling be changed by his successor. In the meantime he left the door open for one to make up one’s own mind.

  “If he intended it be changed by his successor, why did he make the ruling to begin with? Why did he instruct Piccolo to challenge it?

  “He made it for an entirely different reason.

  “In a single swoop he made contraception the number one issue of the election which will choose his successor. A third of the voting cardinals are from third world countries where the contraception ban is the driving force behind poverty, starvation and disease—though conservatives they will vote for the man most likely to repeal it. In instructing Piccolo to challenge his ruling, Paul made him that man.”

  The Vatican Trea
sures

  I looked at him, “Do you really think if Piccolo becomes pope he will liquidate the treasures and give the proceeds to the poor?”

  “If he gives it to the poor, it would not curb poverty for a single generation—it will go on forever. Piccolo intends to get at the source of the problem—convert society into a more Christ-like society.”

  He froze the hairs on the back of my neck to this day.

  “He will make his mark in Central America. Whereas the Vatican treasures cannot support a world war, they are enough to overthrow the juntas in this tiny land of immense poverty. Marxism, as the will of the people, will spread rapidly through Latin America annihilating capitalism in its wake. Just as the Marxist movement Piccolo leads today in the Veneto country will eventually reach all of Europe.”

  We stood in front of the hotel—a southern hotel there in the most northern part of Italy. He spread his arms and clasped them around me. He held me there for the longest moment of my life. He stepped back. The last time I saw him—the last time I saw him, alive.

  And, Piccolo? Well, that was the last time I saw him, too. Yet, I have never forgotten him. No, I have never forgotten him—partially, because of his perpetual smile, but, mostly, because of his toes.

  1 Search Internet: Search for the Historical Jesus

  2 Messaggero Mestre 17 Oct 55

  3 Messaggero Mestre 12 Jan 57

  Chapter 24

  The Scene of the Crime

  He found himself sitting in a tailor shop, one of those reserved for kings.

  There was a large sewing machine of the latest vintage. A ruffle of white satin flowed from its center as if a bell had rung and the seamstress had gone out to lunch. On a table, just off to one side, were a half dozen or so rolls of satin, all of the very same shade of white.

  Then there was the gold. It was wound up on spindles lined up at one end of the sewing machine. A dozen or so golden sentinels watchfully guarded a grand catafalque of white.