The Cardinal and the Crook

JOHN RECEIVED A call from the V atican a few weeks after Cardinal Clark’s dismissal. He was instructed to be in Rome on the following Friday morning. Would he be asked to resign due to the firestorm he’d ignited? He arrived at the Vatican promptly at eight o’clock. He had expected to be meeting with a bishop from the C uria, the church’s central bureaucracy. Consequently, it came as a surprise when he was led to the pope’s private apartment in the A postolic Palace.

They walked past a ceremonial hall where six S wiss Guards stood at attention. He followed his escort down a long marble corridor with richly decorated arches. John had never seen anything as ornate in his entire life. Then they entered the apartment. The priest who escorted John to the apartment introduced him to the pope.

“Your Holiness Pope Daniel and Your Eminence C ardinal Peter Longo, may I introduce Reverend John Donnelly.”

Pope Daniel was in his l ate fifties. He was over six feet tall and ruggedly built. He had a full head of c urly red hair with just a touch of gray. He wore a white cassock, a cape across his broad shoulders, and a white sash around his waist. The zucchetto, or skullcap, seemed lost in his mound of hair. A pectoral cross hung around his neck. Standing next to the pontiff was a cardinal John did not recognize. The cardinal wore a red cassock, and his appearance was a distinct contrast to the pope’s. He was thin and nearly a foot shorter than the pope. He was bald and wore horn-rimmed glasses.

John could feel his heart beating at a rapid pace. He attempted to overcome his surprise and awe as he knelt down, kissed the fisherman’s ring on the pope’s finger, and addressed him as “Your Holiness.” John then turned to the cardinal and greeted him as “Your Eminence.”

The pope smiled at John and thanked him for traveling to Rome. He then pointed to a beautifully upholstered chair with lustrous white satin fabric and golden arms and legs. There was also a large matching couch and an elaborately carved mahogany coffee table. John waited until the pope and cardinal sat before he took his seat. Beverages had been set on the coffee table, and the pontiff offered John Italian coffee. The pope explained that being Irish, he had grown up drinking tea all of his life, but that changed when he came to Rome to study for his doctorate. He said he got hooked on espresso and never drank tea again.

The pope poured coffee for all three of them and then asked, “Donnelly is an Irish name. From which part of Ireland did your ancestors emigrate?” John smiled and said, “The Italian and German sections.” When he saw the puzzled look on the pontiff’s face, John explained, “My brother and I were adopted by an Irish priest—Patrick Donnelly—but our biological parents were of Italian and German heritage.”

The pope placed his hands under his chin and leaned forward in his chair. “Adopted by a priest? Please . . . please tell me what it was like being raised by him.”

John became more comfortable as he described life with Father Pat. It was as if the calming spirit of his father was there with him now. After listening to John’s story, the pontiff smiled and said, “Father Pat was a remarkable individual. You were truly blessed to have him in your life. Actually, he reminds me a lot of the priest who influenced my life—Father D aniel Kelly. I had a wild spirit when I was younger and made some bad choices, but Father Daniel saw something in this pub owner’s son and guided me in a far better direction. I’ve never forgotten that wonderful man. In fact, that is why I chose the name Daniel when I became pope.”

The pope’s story brought back memories for John. Wild spirit . . . bad choices . . . sounds familiar.