The Confessor

"We must also face the truth that after the war, the Church sought leniency for the murderers and helped hundreds escape justice altogether."
    Shamron stirred restlessly in his seat but said nothing.
    "Tomorrow, at the Great Synagogue of Rome, the Catholic Church will begin to confront those questions honestly for the first time."
    "Your words are compelling, Your Holiness," said Shamron, "but it might not be safe for you to venture across the river and say them aloud in a synagogue for the world to hear."
    "A synagogue is the only place for these words to be spoken-- especially the synagogue in the Roman ghetto, where the Jews were rounded up beneath the very windows of the Pope without so much as a murmur of protest. My predecessor went there once to begin this journey. His heart was in the right place, but I'm afraid many segments of the Curia were not with him, and so his journey stopped short of its destination. I will finish it for him, tomorrow, in the place where he started it."
    "It appears you have something else in common with your predecessor, Holiness," Shamron said. "There are elements within the Church--quite probably here in Rome--who do not support a
    candid examination of the Vatican's role in the Holocaust. They have proven themselves willing to commit murder to keep the past a secret, and you should act on the assumption that your life is now in danger as well."
    "You're referring to Crux Vera?"
    "Does such an organization exist within the Church? "
    The Pope and Father Donati exchanged a long look. Then the Pope's gaze settled once more on Shamron. "I'm afraid Crux Vera does indeed exist, Mr. Shamron. The society was allowed to flourish during the thirties and throughout the Cold War because it proved to be an effective weapon in the fight against Bolshevism. Unfortunately, many of the excesses committed in the name of that fight can be laid directly at the feet of Crux Vera and its allies."
    "And now that the Cold War is over?" asked Gabriel.
    "Crux Vera has adapted with the times. It has proved itself a useful tool for maintaining doctrinal discipline. In Latin America, Crux Vera has battled the adherents of liberation theology, sometimes resorting to ghastly violence to keep rebellious priests in line. It has waged a ceaseless fight against liberalism, relativism, and the tenets of the Second Vatican Council. As a result, many of those inside the Church who support the goals of Crux Vera have turned a blind eye to some of its more unseemly methods."
    "Is Crux Vera also engaged in an effort to keep unpleasant Church secrets from coming to light?"
    "Without a doubt," answered Father Donati.
    "Is Carlo Casagrande a member of Crux Vera?"
    "I suppose that in your line of work he would be known as the director of operations."
    "Are there other members inside the Vatican itself?"
    This time it was the Pope who answered Gabriel's question. "My
    secretary of state, Cardinal Marco Brindisi, is the leader of Crux Vera," the Pope said gloomily.
    "If you know Brindisi and Casagrande are members of Crux Vera, why do you allow them to keep their jobs?"
    "Was it not Stalin who said keep your allies close but your enemies closer?" A smile flashed over the Pope's face, then quickly evaporated. "Besides, Cardinal Brindisi is untouchable. If I tried to move against him, his allies in the Curia and the College of Cardinals would revolt and the Church would be hopelessly divided. I'm afraid that, for now, I'm stuck with him and his henchmen."
    "Which brings us back to my original point, Holiness. Your security is being handled by men who oppose you and your mission. Under the circumstances, I think it would be wise for you to postpone your visit to the synagogue until a safer moment presents itself."
    Then Shamron laid a file on the table and opened it--the dossier on the assassin codenamed the Leopard that he had taken from King Saul Boulevard. "We believe this man is working for Crux Vera. He is without a doubt one of the world's most dangerous assassins. We're virtually certain he was the man who killed Peter Malone in London. We suspect he also killed Benjamin Stern. We must assume that he will now try to kill you."
    The Pope looked at the photographs, then at Shamron. "What you must remember, Mr. Shamron, is that I am under the protection of these men wherever I am, inside the Vatican walls or beyond them. The threat to me is the same whether I am standing in the papal apartments or in the Great Synagogue of