presented it to the world in 1998. I see no need to repeat the work of the Pole when there are so many other—and I dare say more important—issues confronting the Church at this time.”
“ We Remember ? It should have been called We Apologize —or We Beg Forgiveness . It did not go far enough, neither in its soul-searching nor in its search for the truth. It was yet another insult to the very people whose wounds we wished to heal. What did it say? The Church did nothing wrong. We tried to help. Some of us helped more than others. The Germans did the actual killing, not us, but we are sorry in any case. It is a shameful document.”
“Some might consider it shameful that you are speaking this way about the work of a predecessor.”
“I have no intention of condemning the efforts of the Pole. His heart was in the right place, but I suspect he did not have the full support of the Curia”— from men like you, thought Lucchesi—“which is why the document ended up saying little if anything at all. Out of respect for the Pole, I will portray the new study as a continuation of his good work.”
“Another study will be seen as an implicit criticism, no matter how you attempt to render it.”
“You were on the panel that drafted We Remember, were you not?”
“I was indeed, Holiness.”
“Ten years to write fourteen pages.”
“Consideration and accuracy take time.”
“So does whitewash.”
“I object to—”
The Pope cut him off. “Do you oppose revisiting the issue because you fear it will bring shame upon the Church, or because you calculate it will damage your chances of taking my place when I’m gone?”
Brindisi lowered his hands and lifted his eyes to the ceiling for a moment, as if preparing himself for a reading from the Gospel. “I oppose revisiting the issue because it will do nothing but give more ammunition to those who wish to destroy us.”
“Our continued deception and evasion is more risky. If we do not speak forcefully and honestly, the work of our enemies will be accomplished by our own hand. We will destroy ourselves.”
“If I may speak forcefully and honestly, Holiness, your naïveté in this matter is shocking. Nothing the Church can say will ever satisfy those who condemn us. In fact, it will only add fuel to the fire. I cannot allow you to tread on the reputation of popes and the Church with this folly. Pius the Twelfth deserves sainthood, not another crucifixion.”
Pietro Lucchesi had yet to be seduced by the trappings of papal power, but the blatant insubordination of Brindisi’s remark stirred his anger. He forced himself to speak calmly. Even so, there was an edge of rage and condescension in his voice that was plain to the man seated on the other side of the table. “I can assure you, Marco, that those who wish for Pius to be canonized will have to pin their hopes on the outcome of the next conclave.”
The cardinal ran a long, spidery finger around the rim of his coffee cup, steeling himself for one more assault on the ridge. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “The Pole apologized on numerous occasions for the sins of some of the Church’s sons and daughters. Other prelates have apologized as well. Some, such as our brethren in France, have gone much further than I would have preferred. But the Jews and their friends in the media will not be satisfied until we admit that we were wrong —that His Holiness Pope Pius the Twelfth, a great and saintly man, was wrong . What they do not understand—and what you seem to be forgetting, Holiness—is that the Church, as the embodiment of Christ on earth, cannot be wrong . The Church is truth itself. If we admit that the Church, or a pope, was wrong . . .” He left his sentence unfinished, then added: “It would be an error for you to go forward with this initiative of yours, Holiness. A grave error.”
“Behind these walls, Marco, error is a loaded word. Surely it is not your intention to level such an
“ We Remember ? It should have been called We Apologize —or We Beg Forgiveness . It did not go far enough, neither in its soul-searching nor in its search for the truth. It was yet another insult to the very people whose wounds we wished to heal. What did it say? The Church did nothing wrong. We tried to help. Some of us helped more than others. The Germans did the actual killing, not us, but we are sorry in any case. It is a shameful document.”
“Some might consider it shameful that you are speaking this way about the work of a predecessor.”
“I have no intention of condemning the efforts of the Pole. His heart was in the right place, but I suspect he did not have the full support of the Curia”— from men like you, thought Lucchesi—“which is why the document ended up saying little if anything at all. Out of respect for the Pole, I will portray the new study as a continuation of his good work.”
“Another study will be seen as an implicit criticism, no matter how you attempt to render it.”
“You were on the panel that drafted We Remember, were you not?”
“I was indeed, Holiness.”
“Ten years to write fourteen pages.”
“Consideration and accuracy take time.”
“So does whitewash.”
“I object to—”
The Pope cut him off. “Do you oppose revisiting the issue because you fear it will bring shame upon the Church, or because you calculate it will damage your chances of taking my place when I’m gone?”
Brindisi lowered his hands and lifted his eyes to the ceiling for a moment, as if preparing himself for a reading from the Gospel. “I oppose revisiting the issue because it will do nothing but give more ammunition to those who wish to destroy us.”
“Our continued deception and evasion is more risky. If we do not speak forcefully and honestly, the work of our enemies will be accomplished by our own hand. We will destroy ourselves.”
“If I may speak forcefully and honestly, Holiness, your naïveté in this matter is shocking. Nothing the Church can say will ever satisfy those who condemn us. In fact, it will only add fuel to the fire. I cannot allow you to tread on the reputation of popes and the Church with this folly. Pius the Twelfth deserves sainthood, not another crucifixion.”
Pietro Lucchesi had yet to be seduced by the trappings of papal power, but the blatant insubordination of Brindisi’s remark stirred his anger. He forced himself to speak calmly. Even so, there was an edge of rage and condescension in his voice that was plain to the man seated on the other side of the table. “I can assure you, Marco, that those who wish for Pius to be canonized will have to pin their hopes on the outcome of the next conclave.”
The cardinal ran a long, spidery finger around the rim of his coffee cup, steeling himself for one more assault on the ridge. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “The Pole apologized on numerous occasions for the sins of some of the Church’s sons and daughters. Other prelates have apologized as well. Some, such as our brethren in France, have gone much further than I would have preferred. But the Jews and their friends in the media will not be satisfied until we admit that we were wrong —that His Holiness Pope Pius the Twelfth, a great and saintly man, was wrong . What they do not understand—and what you seem to be forgetting, Holiness—is that the Church, as the embodiment of Christ on earth, cannot be wrong . The Church is truth itself. If we admit that the Church, or a pope, was wrong . . .” He left his sentence unfinished, then added: “It would be an error for you to go forward with this initiative of yours, Holiness. A grave error.”
“Behind these walls, Marco, error is a loaded word. Surely it is not your intention to level such an
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