The Last Day (41 page)

“Papa,
this woman the world hails as the Daughter of God is, without question, a diabolical imposter. The entire Jeza phenomenon is a well-calculated, profane ruse developed by agents of the Israeli Defense Force for some as-yet-undetermined purpose.”

The pope's mouth dropped open in astonishment. The two cardinals could not contain their pleasure.

“Wh-what are you saying to me?” Nicholas stammered.

“Pontiff, what I am pleased to report is that Jeza is
not
fulfilling some divine mission conveyed to her atop those temple ruins on Millennium Eve. But like a preprogrammed robot, she is nevertheless carrying out some sort of secret mission. All of the proof is right here,” di Concerci proclaimed, tapping his forefinger soundly against the hide of the upraised diary. “Irrefutable evidence that we will make amply clear to the world media with enlargements of key passages. All documented in Jozef Leveque's own hand.”

The pope was speechless. He collapsed back into his chair with a clenched expression of deep relief. After a moment's recuperation, he shook his head in wonder and addressed the two cardinals who awaited his reaction with expectant smiles. “You're telling me the nightmare is over?” he breathed, the magnificent awareness seeping into him. “This dreadful nightmare is finally
over?”
The conclusion was so sudden and anticlimactic, Nicholas could not immediately absorb its full significance. He tilted his head back into the soft velvet support of his throne and closed his eyes.

The two cardinals exchanged nods, beaming in silence.

The pope recovered, wiped his eyes under his spectacles with a handkerchief, and then asked, “You must tell me, my amazing, beloved Antonio, how did you possibly come by this godsend?”

“With a little intervention from the Almighty, Holy Father,” di Concerci answered.
“And,
a little persuasion from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. As it turns out, the wife of Jozef Leveque is a practicing Catholic in Tel Aviv. After the panic in our world dioceses from Jeza's announcement at the Salt Lake convocation, we received a call from Mrs. Leveque's parish priest. He had learned all about the diary from a confession Anne Leveque had made to him some months prior.”

Nicholas was aghast. “You mean to say, her priest betrayed the confidence of the confessional!”

“Under the circumstances, Holiness,” di Concerci pointed out, “the pastor, in good conscience, felt the defense of Holy Mother Church a more than worthy justification. As did we cardinals of the Congregation. After all, that is our sacred consecration—to defend the faith!”

Nicholas nodded gravely, not entirely comfortable with this explanation.

“From the pastor,” di Concerci continued, “we also learned that Mrs. Leveque had subsequently lost possession of the diary to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. We were then able to secure the diary from a supporter inside the ministry who learned of our interest and acquired it for us.”

“Who is this mysterious supporter?” Nicholas interrupted.

“We may never know,” di Concerci responded. “He will not identify himself.”

“I don't understand.” The pope considered the point. “Given all the negative publicity surrounding these experiments, why would the Israeli Defense Ministry allow such damaging details to emerge?”

Di Concerci cleared his throat. “Defense Minister Tamin is not yet aware that we've acquired the diary. The individual who secreted the material to us is neither a friend of Shaul Tamin's, nor an advocate of this false prophetess Jeza. Moreover, considering the misery the defense minister has unleashed on the world with his miscreant experiments, none of us should be too distressed if Mr. Tamin does not survive the pending scandal.”

“Still,” Nicholas complained uncomfortably, “I do not like to see Holy Mother Church involved in such political intrigue …” He paused, weighing the issues. “Nevertheless,” he said, finally relenting, the waves of relief rising from deep inside him to purge his conscience, “I must commend the both of you on a truly miraculous, God-delivered reversal of fortunes.” He could not suppress his delight.

The two cardinals accepted their pontiff's gratitude with broad smiles.

“Now,” the pope asked, “may I request one last consideration of you, Tony?”

“Anything, Holy Father,” the prefect agreed.

“Given Jeza refuses to willingly accommodate our plans and it becomes necessary to expose her, as I fear it will, I would not wish to see the papacy directly involved in the accusations. While I will remain by your side in support, I would ask that you personally conduct the indictments, given your close knowledge of the particulars and your past experience with the woman.”

“Gladly, Holiness,” di Concerci replied with a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.

Nicholas leaned back in his chair and exhaled in soulful relief. “It's over, Tony?” he asked again. “It's finally over?”

“Yes, Holiness.” Di Concerci smiled. “It is.”

79

WNN regional headquarters, Cairo, Egypt 10:14
A.M
., Wednesday, March 15, 2000

F
eldman gave the London
Times
article a thump with his forefinger and dropped the newspaper to his desk, gazing at it thoughtfully. The face of Mother Bernadette, the Sister of the Silent Sufferers, smiled back at him from a photograph.

According to the story, the elderly little nun had recently won the Virginia State Lottery's powerball jackpot, worth some nine million dollars. All of which she was devoting to save her precarious African children's charity. An “angel,” she claimed, had whispered the winning numbers in her ear.

Before he could give the matter any further thought, Feldman was interrupted by a knock at his door. It was Cissy, arriving for a meeting, bringing with her a new visitor and temporary house guest of WNN. Feldman was summarily introduced to the smiling Alphonse Cardinal Litti.

The reporter took an instant liking to the affable cardinal, finding him intelligent, warm and outgoing, with a good sense of humor and an engaging openness. In the course of their meeting, the cardinal was pleased to enlighten Feldman, Hunter and Cissy as to papal protocol and procedures, which Feldman would need to understand in his role as co-escort. Cissy, much to her chagrin, had not received an invitation from the Vatican. However, the good cardinal promised to see what he could do for her, as well as for Hunter, whose position was also still undecided.

“You understand, of course,” Litti waxed effervescently, “the Vatican is actually an independent, fully sovereign state, with the pope serving as supreme and absolute monarch. It's the only such state in the Western world in which the governing ruler possesses unchallenged executive, judicial and legislative powers, all at the same time.

“Since Sunday's audience will be conducted as a formal reception of state,” he explained, “there will be a full ceremony of the papal court, complete with pontifical procession, regalia and decorum. It's a beautiful and impressive presentation and I'm certain you'll enjoy it.”

“I guess I'd better have my tux cleaned,” Feldman quipped.

“Yes,” Litti responded, apparently unaware Feldman was joking. “Black would be appropriate.”

Out of the cardinal's sight, Cissy arched her eyebrows and assumed mock airs to Feldman. Feldman, who didn't own a tux, grimaced and made a mental note to get fitted for one the next morning.

Litti then proceeded to outline the general, three-hour timetable for the visit, including a ninety-minute meeting set aside for Jeza and the pope. The schedule was very precise, with a step-by-step itinerary the party would follow from arrival through departure.

Basically, it would appear that Feldman had no role to serve beyond that of observer. Which, while perhaps a bit deflating, was not unwelcome news to him. He was thrilled to be allowed such an intimate view of this auspicious event. As they concluded their meeting, Feldman took the liberty of asking a personal question of the gregarious cardinal.

“Your Eminence, I can't help but wonder what your objectives are in setting up this meeting between Jeza and the pope. What do you hope to accomplish?”

“I have known Nicholas for over forty-five years, my son,” the cardinal told him, “since my first days in Rome as a young seminarian. I assure you, the pontiff is a good and honest man. He seeks the truth. And I firmly believe that once he has met Her and heard this truth directly from the Messiah, he will recognize it and he will accept it.

“It's my fervent hope that there's still time for another reconciliation between God and man. That's what's needed here. A rapprochement between God and His Church. Over the centuries, Holy Mother Church has drifted away from the truth. She's lost the full meaning of Christ's teachings. God is displeased and justly angered. But, as in the parable of the Prodigal Son, I'm convinced of God's eternal mercy and capacity for forgiveness. I pray that God might welcome back His Church if only Nicholas can be truly repentant and willing to accept the New Word of Jeza. That is my hope.”

80

The outskirts of Cairo, Egypt 6:30
A.M
., Sunday, March 19, 2000

T
his time, Jeza was already sitting there, waiting for Feldman before he arrived. Again, she had no belongings or accessories to bring with her. Just her trusted white cotton robe, trimmed in red and purple.

On the short ride to where the helicopter awaited them for the shuttle flight to the airport, Feldman, wriggling uncomfortably in his tuxedo, mentioned to Jeza the formality of the Vatican reception that they would be attending. He had had no way of informing her prior to their rendezvous that morning, and once again, he tactfully suggested that she consider a change of attire on the plane.

Jeza thanked Feldman for his thoughtfulness, but declined.

As the helicopter lifted off and passed over the perimeter of the airport, Feldman could see in the early morning light that the multitudes converging for Jeza's send-off hadn't diminished any in size. However, there was a dramatic difference in the makeup of this crowd.

Prior to Jeza's performance at the convocation, these assemblies had been virtually unanimous in their support of the little Messiah. Now a substantial group of angry protesters were defiantly rejecting Jeza in the face of the dominant opposition. It took the Cairo police to keep the two factions from clashing with one another. This wasn't a situation unique to Cairo. It was happening all over the world. And some of the confrontations had been more than verbal. Violence was on the rise again.

Well out on the tarmac beyond the turmoil, the WNN charter jetliner sat waiting. An impatient, meticulously outfitted Cardinal Litti stood nearby with Hunter and Cissy, for whom Litti had finally been successful in securing special invitations.

The cardinal's reaction in meeting the prophetess close up was priceless. He was a freshman on a first date with the senior prom queen, talking incessantly, gushing, fawning, stammering and hovering around her like an energetic puppy. Boarding the plane, he furtively asked Feldman if he might have the seat next to the Messiah, and the news-man generously agreed.

Feldman was amused by the display, and pleased to see that the Messiah was completely tolerant of, and gracious toward, her admirer. It was not that Cardinal Litti's conversation was boring or banal. Quite the contrary. He continually impressed Feldman as a very learned, engaging, insightful man. His philosophical and religious questions were intriguing and provocative. It was his unbridled enthusiasm that was so overwhelming. As Feldman observed laughingly to Hunter, “Turn off the volume and you'd swear he's thirteen years old!”

During the flight, Cissy, Hunter and Feldman listened in rapt fascination as Litti plied the Messiah with a steady stream of theological curveballs. Feldman found one discussion, which focused on the complicated, long-troubled relationship between God and man, particularly interesting. It began with Litti asking Jeza how man was to be absolved of Original Sin if, with organized religion invalidated, there would no longer be any priests left to perform the ceremony.

Feldman recalled from his Catholic upbringing that original sin was an inherited, moral dishonor that all people shared at birth. It stemmed from Adam and Eve's failure to obey God's command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In being cast out from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve and all their descendants had been denied access to heaven unless freed from Original Sin by a duly administered sacrament of baptism.

Jeza smiled and shook her head at all this. “You are too steeped in your religion's catechism,” she chided Litti. “Baptism, like many of the rituals of the Old and New Testaments, is a
symbol,
meant to serve as a physical manifestation of the spiritual. It
represents
the holy cleansing that takes place when the individual makes the conscious decision to reject sin and accept the presence of God.

“That this symbolism has assumed such importance fully illustrates why man must dissolve his communality of faith. Through the ages, the world religions have greatly misinterpreted the true message. They have placed too much emphasis on the act and the ceremony, rather than the substance.”

“But,” Litti pursued his thought, “how is the helpless infant to be freed from Original Sin? What of those children who die before they have the maturity to understand and accept God's presence? Are they forever to be denied God's grace? Isn't baptism necessary for their salvation?”

Jeza shook her head again. “The fallacy is in the doctrine of Original Sin. Do you think the Father so callous and unfair as to deny innocents the rewards of heaven for the actions of their forebears? The redemption that is promised in the Old Testament is to redeem each man from the consequences of his
own
transgressions, not those of his ancestors. Man, in ascending from the clay, in his progression toward godliness, requires the Father's instruction and assistance along the way. Christ came less to redeem man of sin than to show man the way.”