Which made sense. 揧ou could not on the one hand say Mary was brought into heaven, body and soul, then, on the next, have a church standing at her grave.?
揘o,?the cardinal said. 揥e could not. In 1950, prior to Pius XII抯 decree on the Assumption, the church sent an archaeologist from the Vatican Museums to investigate that tomb. Relics supposedly found there turned out to be sheep抯 bones. Not a shred of evidence existed that the site was associated with Mary. You would think that conclusion would have been welcome. No bones. No body. Exactly what the church would have wanted. But the Vatican, in its usual infinite wisdom, promptly ordered that archaeologist, on threat of excommunication, to discontinue his work and never publish or speak of the tomb again. Being the good Catholic that he was, that man complied.?
揑 never knew that.?
揑t was not something we broadcast. And then there were the secret archives.?
Vilamur smiled at the label. The press loved the term Vatican Secret Archives, which were no secret at all. They抎 been open to the public since 1883. The real secret was their organization and condition. They were once a total mess, and it had taken the last forty years to bring a measure of order to the collection.
揑nformation was found there in 1934,?Fuentes said. 揙ld information that had been known, then lost, then refound. It was a copy of a text that detailed Mary抯 life after the crucifixion. The Testimony of John.?
He抎 never heard of it.
揂n ancient manuscript. Quite informative.?
揂uthentic??
Fuentes nodded. 揥ithout question. It was recovered during the Albigensian Crusade from an old church in the Roussillon. Experts all agree it is from the fifth or sixth century. It states that it抯 a copy of a much older manuscript from the first century. Is it true? Factual? Accurate? Impossible to say. But according to its text the Blessed Mary lived to the age of seventy-four and was interred, after dying, according to contemporary custom.?
揥hy has no one heard of this text??
揑t was sealed away. Only available to popes.?
揂nd apparently you.?
Fuentes nodded. 揟he pontifical commission head has been traditionally made aware of the manuscript. But there抯 a reason for that.?
Which he could hardly wait to hear.
揟he account is quite specific,?Fuentes said. 揗ary left Jerusalem and, for a time, lived in Ephesus. Then she left there and traveled east, on a pilgrimage, eventually ending in southern France, where she died near a town called Las Illas.?Fuentes paused. 揂nd was buried there.?
揑 know that village. I抳e been there.?
揑 was hoping that might be the case. I will need your knowledge of that area.?
He was curious. 揊or what??
揚opes are fools.?
The sudden shift in topic surprised him. Truth? Or this man抯 way to catch him off guard and ferret out a bad apple? Especially one about to be elevated as cardinal?
揑 don抰 agree,?he immediately said.
Fuentes stared at him. 揟his is not a test, Archbishop. I am being honest, as you have been with me. Popes are imperfect men who hide behind their own self-made image. They do what is necessary at the time, for the good of their church. And make no mistake, while they live the church is indeed theirs. It molds and conforms to their thoughts, their likes, their dislikes. Pius XII declared in 1950 that the Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. Quite a bold pronouncement. Body and soul. Pius simply ignored The Testimony of John, saying it was unproven. And since no one beyond a handful of people knew of the manuscript抯 existence, he could do that with impunity. Nearly fifty years later John Paul II ignored it too and clarified one point. Having completed the course of her earthly life meant she died. But he did not refute what Pius had said about her body and soul being assumed whole into heaven. All of that remains dogma, backed up by papal infallibility, to be believed by 1.2 billion Catholics, nearly 18 percent of the world抯 population, on threat of excommunication. But, unfortunately, they were both wrong.?
He was shocked.
揟he Virgin Mary lived and died and was buried here, on this earth,?Fuentes said. 揌er grave exists and it is being guarded, as it has for nearly two thousand years, by a group that calls themselves les Vautours. They are mentioned and described in detail within other accounts we have in the archives. Now do you see why this is so important??
He did. 揃eing wrong is one thing. But a pope being proven wrong? That抯 quite another. Not to mention the theological implications. If the church was wrong about that, what else falls into that category? Holy Communion? Confession? Its stance against homosexuality? Abortion? Priestly celibacy? Every concept and view will come into question.?