“Marco,” his father interrupted him, frowning. “The Nazi successes are not ours. We are not Germans.”
“I understand.” Marco forgot that his father hated the Germans, since the Great War. “I meant only that they support us. They went into Greece and Yugoslavia, and they’re always at Palazzo Venezia. I’ve become friends with one of the assistants. He’s my age, and his name is Rolf Stratten.”
His father looked down at his plate, clenching his jaw.
His mother chewed silently.
“You’re friends with Nazis now?” Emedio reached for the newspaper that had been on Aldo’s chair and pointed to the front page. “Did you see this?”
Marco tensed. He couldn’t read the headline, but he recognized a photograph of the town of Ljubljana, in Slovenia.
“Look at this! A ‘proud exchange of messages between Il Duce and the Führer.’ What do you think of this?”
“What’s your point?” Marco waved dismissively.
“Read it and you’ll see.”
“I don’t have to. Who do you think gives the newspapers the information they print? I work at Palazzo Venezia, brother. I know more than you do about this war. And like it or not, the Germans are our allies.”
“Enough of the Germans.” His father scowled, and Marco dreaded what he had to tell him next.
“Papa, my new boss has been after me, about you. I suspect his information comes from Carmine.”
Emedio interjected, “Who’s Carmine?”
“Carmine is an OVRA officer who knows that Papa gives food and money to Massimo. OVRA doesn’t like it. Neither does my new boss. He’s mentioned it several times.”
His father chewed another piece of lamb. “Ignore your boss, Marco. He’s saying that because he has to, officially. That’s how officers operate. They care only about the chain of command. It’s bosses on top of bosses at Palazzo Venezia.”
“Perhaps, but, Papa, you should stop.”
His father didn’t reply, hunched over his plate.
Emedio recoiled. “Marco, you want Papa to stop helping the Simones?”
“Yes.” Marco’s heart had hardened toward the Simones, too. He would never forgive Sandro for betraying him with Elisabetta. The pain had gotten worse over time, not better. Ironically, he missed them both. He hated them for that, too.
His father remained silent, still eating.
His mother looked down.
Marco couldn’t let it go. “Papa, if you keep helping the Simones, you could get me in trouble. You jeopardize my career.”
His father looked up, his dark gaze even. “Today is a joyful day. Your mother cooked this meal for us. In deference to her, and our Lord, I’m going to ignore what you just said.”
Marco met his father’s eye directly.
His mother bit her lip, but said nothing.
Emedio broke the silence. “Good for you, Papa. If you can help the Simones, keep it up. This persecution of the Jews is immoral.”
Marco looked over. “Oh, what’s the Church doing to help the Jews?”
“Our Holy Father is opposed to the Nazis precisely because of their anti-Semitism. If you remember not so long ago, when he was cardinal secretary of state, he helped to write the encyclical to the German churches, Mit Brennender Sorge. In retaliation, the Nazis opposed his selection as Pope. Germany was the only country not to send a representative to his inauguration.”
“You’re not answering my question. Now that Cardinal Pacelli has become Pius XII, what has he done for the Jews?”
Emedio frowned. “Didn’t you hear his homily, broadcasted today? He said the war was a ‘lamentable spectacle of human conflict.’ And that it was ‘a ruthless struggle’ that has been ‘atrocious.’ He asked for charity on the homefront.”
“But did his homily speak of Jews specifically? I doubt it.”
Emedio pursed his lips. “That’s because the Vatican must maintain neutrality, and it has a valid concern about the Communist threat. There are fears that retribution against the Jews will take place if our Holy Father speaks too specifically. Even so, there are those who urge a more active role, and I am one. I condemn Mussolini for the Race Laws. They cause untold suffering.”
Marco felt anger flare in his chest. “Don’t you think it’s hypocritical to ask Papa to keep helping the Jews when the Vatican doesn’t lift a finger? Why should my career be harmed for the Simones?”
Emedio’s dark eyes widened. “Since when are you worried about your career instead of your best friend?”