Two very different men shared the same room in the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
Giovanni Battista Montini was modest and reserved; he thought more than he spoke. The other wore his heart on his sleeve and expressed himself enthusiastically. He dressed well, fashionably, and if he had any fault, although he wouldn’t have said so, it was vanity. He liked what was extraordinary, and always got what he wanted. He loved to be eulogized, flattered, deferred to. Not every man succeeded in reaching what he had acquired. He was the ruler of an empire in the name of God, Opus Dei. He had thousands of followers and millions of financial donations daily. He’d become the greatest and most influential prelate ever; if not, he wouldn’t be here in this house talking informally with Paul VI, his friend.
‘Jose Maria, things are not that straightforward.’
‘Of course they are. You yourself told me that the finances were full of spiderwebs. You don’t know what you have.’
‘They’re not mine. I need an inventory of the goods of the Church,’ Giovanni Montini answered civilly.
‘The goods of the Church belong to the pope. You know that very well. They’re yours. You can give and take.’ While he spoke, Jose Maria gestured effusively. With his loud voice the gestures made him someone who had to be listened to. ‘Money generates money, Giovanni. You can be the master of an unlimited patrimony, so powerful you can bend anyone to the will of your Church.’
‘The Church is not mine. I’m her highest representative, and it doesn’t seem right to go investing her assets in financial operations that could go bad. That’s not the role of the Church.’
‘For the love of God, Giovanni. It’s the duty of the Church to invest the money that the faithful deposit in the offertories. They don’t expect anything else. I only ask you to give this man an opportunity. Let him inventory and organize the house. Then we’ll see.’
They were drinking Burmester Port, vintage 1963, the year Giovanni Battista Montini was elected pope, adopting the name of Paul for the sixth time in the history of the Church. The conclave differed from others, since the moribund Angelo Roncalli, better known as John XXIII, had pronounced his name as successor. It’s known that the will of the pope should always be obeyed… or almost always.
Jose Maria Escriva had brought the bottle that morning, a gift to his lord, his pastor, and everyone else’s.
‘Who’s the man?’
‘A bishop who has served in other capacities. Extremely competent.’
‘What’s his name?’
‘Paul Marcinkus.’
‘Paul Marcinkus? He’s a personal friend. Principal translator and bodyguard.’
Escriva smiled affirmatively.
‘I don’t know. I don’t know if he has the qualifications for a responsibility like this,’ the pope said in a distrustful tone.
‘He does, you can be confident. He’s a suitable person.’
‘And what is the press going to say? The pope employs a member of Opus Dei to direct the Vatican bank? I don’t think so.’
‘There’s the advantage, Giovanni,’ Escriva emphasized. ‘No one knows he’s Opus Dei. Only you and I. No one else needs to know.’ A boyish smile spread over his lips. So easy.
‘If I were to agree, everything must be very clear. He cannot invest according to his own whims.’
‘Of course not,’ Escriva agreed.
‘He’ll have to spell out a concrete, clear plan for the potential of all business deals.’ He raised an admonishing finger. ‘Only after cleaning out the cobwebs in the house.’
‘Of course. You’re the boss. Don’t forget it.’
‘Don’t say that,’ Paul said uncomfortably.
‘But it’s the truth. You may not want to understand it or see it, but it’s all yours. This palace and everything in it, the Vatican State… Damn, one word from you, and Saint Peter’s Square is closed until you say so.’
Paul preferred not to think of these things. Other affairs were much more important than the administration of the State and its assets. Nevertheless, he viewed favorably the idea of someone with understanding taking on these more mundane matters and putting the house in order.
‘Tell him to come and see me,’ Paul finally said.
Escriva smiled. ‘Agreed.’
‘Make an appointment with my secretary. I’m going to ask Villot to come also. It’ll be good to have a friend taking this on.’
‘Perfect, Giovanni. You’ll see how I am going to show my appreciation,’ he declared confidently.
‘And what are you going to want as a sign of gratitude?’ Paul asked ingenuously.
‘A statue in the Vatican after my canonization.’
Paul laughed, while Escriva remained thoughtful.
‘I’m serious.’
54
After a night of good sleep, bodies awaken invigorated, ready to accept new challenges, alert and active. This was how Raul and Elizabeth felt after a flight of thousands of miles over the Mediterranean, in a plane so luxurious it even had two bedrooms with king-sized beds. They felt a little guilty, as if they’d sinned by the simple act of having rested.
‘How do you think our little girl is?’ Elizabeth asked, truly worried. Her heart contracted again with the paralyzing anguish of motherly anxiety.
‘Surely she’s well,’ Raul answered, putting a timid hand on her shoulder.
‘Where are we?’
Raul looked out one of the small windows. It had dawned, the sun shone, but they still flew at the altitude of their cruising speed.
‘I have no idea.’
The door of the bedroom opened slightly, enough for a voice to be heard, the cripple’s, who didn’t want to interfere with the privacy of his guests.
‘Breakfast is served,’ he informed them.
‘We’re coming, thanks,’ Raul answered.
The door closed without a sound.
‘If someone had told me that today I’d be having breakfast aboard a private jet that has bedrooms, flying I don’t know where, I’d have called him crazy,’ Elizabeth said. ‘I feel bad about all the kind attention with no news of Sarah.’
Raul hugged her.
‘Relax. These people know what they’re doing. And she’s protected. Rafael can be trusted.’
‘Yes, but people make mistakes. Whoever is pursuing them must also have resources. Perhaps more.’
‘Think positively, my dear.’
‘I’m trying, but I have a bad feeling.’
‘Let’s eat something,’ Raul suggested, directing her to the door.
‘I’m not hungry.’
Raul turned toward his wife and hugged her with one hand around her shoulder — they were like a pair of newlyweds on their honeymoon.
‘You have to eat, dear. We can’t let ourselves get weak. Our daughter needs us in good shape to take care of her,’ he argued.
‘What can we do against those people?’ Elizabeth observed hopelessly.
Raul led his wife over to the bed and they sat on the edge. A slight turbulence began to shake the plane, causing some unease.
‘I used to think that, too, Liz. But last year your daughter taught us all a lesson,’ Raul recounted hesitantly. ‘Things come to an end and not before that. We can sit here completely deceived, crushed, without hope, with death whistling in our ears, but God, or whatever you want to call it, has given us something precious, our intelligence. And everything can change in a second.’ His words were deeply felt, almost moving. ‘This is what happened last year, thanks to our daughter. We can never give up. She’s going to be all right.’
Tears ran down Elizabeth’s face. She could only think of her daughter as a little girl, since for parents their children are always adolescents. Perhaps it was destiny, some divine order, that exposed her path to the most lethal and shameless side of the pious Church.
‘Shall we go?’ Raul insisted one more time.
‘Yes, I’ll go,’ Elizabeth agreed, getting up. ‘We need to keep going, for Sarah.’