The cardinal took the chair, hiking up the tail of his priestly adornments as he did so, and looked upon the pope with those constantly flitting eyes. “You wanted to see me?’ he asked.
The pope nodded, and then hesitated for a long moment as if seeking the proper wordage. And then: “As life goes,” he began, his words taking on earnest measure, “so eventually comes an end to that life. And as you know, Giuseppe, I am in the twilight of mine.”
The cardinal repositioned himself in his chair, obviously uncomfortable, his eyes darting, flitting — the obvious signs of anxiety.
“You know why I’ve asked you to my chamber?”
The cardinal’s voice warbled with nervous tension as he spoke. “I believe to see where I stand prior to the College’s selection as to who will sit upon the papal throne.”
The pope smiled warmly. “Very good.”
“Your Eminence, considering the state of your condition, I must honestly say that I’m not comfortable discussing this matter with you.”
“Giuseppe, politicking is a way of life. Without it, institutes would crumble. And it is our duty to see that the institute of the Church lives on. We must choose wisely so the Church will not be seeded with the misgivings of corruption, or the Church will inevitably fail. Now I know you covet the throne I sit upon — that’s understandable — but the names of two others have surfaced more so than yours: That of the good cardinals Bonasero Vessucci and Constantine Marcello.”
“With all due respect, Your Eminence, I, too, covet the throne. So I think you’re selling me short simply because you see me in the shadows of giants.”
“No, Giuseppe, not at all. I’m merely posing theoretical points for the best possible rule of the Church. As you know, Cardinal Marcello maintains rigid, ultra-conservative viewpoints which may prove detrimental to the ever evolving mindset of the Church’s citizenry. If we don’t bend with the changing of times, then history has shown that, by nature, man will ultimately seek a religion to conform to his needs rather than the needs of scripture. Although we must adhere to the conservatism that God seeks among His children, we must never lose sight that the free will of man must not be exorcised, either. We must find that happy medium.”
“Are you asking me, if I should become the swing vote, to pressure my constituency to move to Cardinal Vessucci’s camp?”
The pope leaned forward. “The Church holds many secrets, Giuseppe, things I cannot tell you at this moment — things not within the scope of Cardinal Marcello’s acceptability, but an absolute necessity if the Church is to survive.” The Vatican Knights was the first to come to the pontiff’s mind.
“I hope, Your Holiness, that you’re not talking about corrupt matters in order to justify the means.”
“Of course not,” he said. “All I’m saying, Giuseppe, is that there are matters that are not simply black and white. And sometimes situations in the gray area can be a difficult matter with tough decisions that do not always pan out. What I’m saying, my friend, is that we need a pontiff who is willing to bend in his thinking, someone willing to conform to times that are growing more difficult by the day.”
“And you don’t think Cardinal Marcello, or myself, can maintain such a capability?”
“The good Cardinal Marcello does not and you know that.”
“And you don’t believe my camp is strong enough to get to the coveted seat?”
The pope leaned forward. “Your camp is strong, Giuseppe. But it’s not as powerful as the camps that follow Marcello or Vessucci. I’m afraid, by the will of God, that you may become the swing vote, as to who will succeed me.”
“And, of course, you want me to endorse the man you favor: Cardinal Vessucci.”
Pope Pius fell back into his seat. “He has been groomed for this position for a long time. He knows the secrets of the Church, since he is the secretary of state.”
“With all due respect, Your Holiness, being secretary of state of the Vatican is not an automatic succession to the papal throne.”
“I know that, Giuseppe. But Cardinal Vessucci has had a huge hand in the matters of the Church over the years. The transition would be an easy one.”
“Cardinal Marcello is a traditionalist, such as me. Why would I jump to a camp that is not of my viewpoint?”
“What you do, Giuseppe, you don’t do for yourself. You do it for the sake of the Church. Politicking can be a very good measure, if the welfare of its citizenry benefits from it greatly. And in my heart, I believe that the good Cardinal Vessucci is the man to hold the papal scepter.”
The cardinal smiled. “You’re also asking me to surrender my passion of obtaining the coveted seat by stepping aside so that another can take the throne?”
“I’m asking you to make a great sacrifice and to do what is right,” he said imploringly. “I’m asking you to sacrifice your personal need over the needs of the Catholic citizenry.”
The weasel-faced man sat back, his eyes darting about in deliberation. “As you know, Your Holiness, I covet the throne as well as Vessucci and Marcello. Therefore, I will campaign as such since it is my right. But if I recognize that my camp is too weak, then I will consider your offer to endorse the good Cardinal Vessucci.”
The pope smiled, nodded. “That’s all I can ask for, my friend.”
Cardinal Angullo got to his feet easily. The pontiff labored to his, and then held out his ring for the cardinal to kiss. The cardinal grasped the pontiff’s birdlike hand and kissed the ring.
“But keep in mind, Your Holiness, that what we have spoken of here today has not been set in stone. In final, when it comes down to what I believe is right for the Church or the welfare of its people, will ultimately be my choosing in the end. Whether it’s Vessucci or Marcello, only God can direct me to that decision.”
Pope Pius feigned a smile. “Then I’m sure He will shine His light upon you and such a decision will be obvious.”
“Perhaps, Your Holiness.”
In closing, the pontiff clapped a hand on the cardinal’s shoulder and ushered him to the door. “And thank you for holding counsel with me in my chambers,” he told him. “I expect the matters we spoke about today is between you and I and nobody else?”
“Such as the way of politicking,” said the cardinal.
“Good. And it was good to see you again, Giuseppe.”
“Same here, Your Holiness. And take care of yourself as much as you can, all right?”
The pope nodded. “I will, my friend. Thank you.”
When he closed the chamber doors the room became a vacuum, the noise simply sucked out leaving nothing behind but dead silence. From his stooped position he looked upon the door with a single thought: Politicking was an essential tool to secure a beneficial future. But he also realized that one man’s ambitions often outweighed his sense of morality to do the right thing. And in the case of Cardinal Angullo, the pope considered that personal gain was foremost in the cardinal’s passions rather than the welfare of the constituency.
Perhaps he was reading too much into it, he thought. And he prayed that he was wrong in his assessment.
But somehow he could not completely grasp the concept that bringing Cardinal Angullo into close counsel was the right thing to do.
Turning away from the door and with a great deal of effort he made his way to his desk where, once seated, gazed out the windows that overlooked St. Peter’s Square.
Beautiful, he thought, glimpsing the Colonnade. Simply… beautiful.