“I’ll be sure to let him know.”
“Please do.”
Just then one of the Swiss Guards posted outside Donati’s trailer came on the radio to say that His Holiness was on the move. He processed onto the altar only thirty minutes behind schedule, accompanied by dozens of cardinals, bishops, monsignori, and priests. After sanctifying the table and the crucifix with incense, he took his place before a simple wooden celebrant’s chair and made the sign of the cross.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Three hundred thousand voices replied, “Amen.”
“Watch this,” said Alois Metzler.
“I’m watching,” replied Gabriel.
***
It occurred to Gabriel during the recitation of the Kyrie that he had never seen his old friend celebrate a mass. Donati’s own sense wasthat he was not terribly good at it, that he was an intellectual and a missionary at heart, better suited to the jungles and the favelas than to a parish church. He was wrong about that, though; with his towering physical presence and warm baritone voice, he commanded the enormous altar as an actor commands the stage. Even Gabriel, who had known Donati more than twenty years, could scarcely take his eyes off him. In the Foro Italico, no one stirred. The three hundred thousand Catholic faithful were in his thrall.
When it came time for him to deliver his homily, the sun was dipping below the buildings along the western side of the esplanade. He was slow in taking to the pulpit, deliberate. Father Keegan attempted to place a leather portfolio before him, but he returned it with a kindly smile. The message was unmistakable. On this perfect Saturday afternoon in Palermo, the Vicar of Christ planned to address his flock without aid of a prepared script.
“There is a hill not far from the Sea of Galilee,” he began at last. “One day early in his ministry, Jesus gathered his disciples atop this hill and delivered a sermon. The words he spoke that day were considered so vital to our faith that early Christians were compelled to memorize them. And yet many of us seem to have forgotten them. And so, my brothers and sisters, if you will indulge me, I will recite a few of them now, for I can say with certainty that they were the reason I became a priest.” He paused for what seemed like an eternity, then said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek—”
Three hundred thousand voices supplied the final six words of the verse.
“For they shall inherit the earth.”
Donati cast a glance in Gabriel’s direction, then asked, “Where in the fifth chapter of Matthew does Jesus say that those of unimaginablewealth will be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven? Or those who use political power to serve their own interests rather than the interests of their people? Blessed is the oligarch? Blessed is the tyrant? Blessed is the torturer? The oppressor? The cruel of heart? Forgive me, my brothers and sisters, but my copy of Matthew omitted those lines.”
He waited for a ripple of laughter to die away before continuing. “Nor did Jesus ever instruct his apostles to build a Church that acquired great wealth of its own. Or a Church that refused to adapt and change. My goodness, it wasn’t until three centuries after Our Lord died on a Roman cross that we settled the most basic tenets of our faith, tenets which we will affirm in a few moments when we recite the words of the Creed. And time and time again down through the centuries, we convened councils to make additional changes to our doctrine and practice. Not all of the changes were wise, and some did profound damage to the Church. But that does not mean change is something to fear. Sometimes it is necessary. I submit to you, my brothers and sisters, that now is just such a time.”
For the next twenty minutes, as the sky darkened and the air turned cold, he explained why that was the case. Because the world, he proclaimed, needed the Church now more than ever. It needed a healthy Church, a vital Church, a merciful Church, and, yes, a younger Church. A Church that did not have to go begging for priests. A Church unafraid to take sides. A Church on the barricades. A Church that looked after those in harm’s way.
“A Church that follows the simple lessons that Jesus gave to his disciples on that hilltop near the Sea of Galilee.” Donati spread his arms wide as though he were standing on the same hilltop. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
“For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,” replied the multitude.
“Blessed are they who mourn.”
“For they will be comforted.”
“Blessed are the meek.”
“For they shall inherit the earth.”
He made the sign of the cross. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Three hundred thousand voices thundered, “Amen.”
54
Casa Santa Marta
It was a few minutes after 6:00 p.m. when His Holiness placed newly consecrated hosts on the tongues of forty young first communicants. A battalion of ciborium-wielding priests and deacons then presented the sacrament to the rest of the multitude in a remarkable display of precision and planning. Even so, it would be another hour before Donati finally delivered the Concluding Rite, commanding the faithful to go forth and serve the Lord. It sounded to Gabriel like a call to arms. The final “Amen” of the mass made the temporary altar tremble beneath his feet.
A large portion of the crowd joined Donati’s procession to Palermo Cathedral, and tens of thousands of ecstatic Sicilians lined the route. His visit to the tomb of Father Pino Puglisi was private, with only Archbishop Cordero and the Curial delegation present. Then he slipped out a side door and into the back of his Fiat 500 for the high-speed ride to the airport. ITA Airways Flight AZ4000 departed Palermo at nine fifteen, and two hours later His Holiness was striding through the glass doorway of the Casa Santa Marta. Despite the lateness of the hour, he insisted that Gabriel join him for dinner.
“Forgive me, Holiness. But I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
“I know a little place that stays open late. I think you’ll find it interesting.”
