Chapter 385: The Last Miracle
Except for the Pope and a few cardinals, no one knew that in the underground space of St. Peter's Cathedral, there were also the remains of St. Peter, St. Paul, and the previous pope.
But only the Pope knew that about 500 years ago, on the day of Christmas in the 16th century, all the well-preserved, flesh-like remains were turned into bones overnight!
The only thing that is known to the world is that at that time, a clergyman in charge of cleaning the temple was surprised to find that the cathedra's most valuable artwork, the Death of the Virgin, had an accident.
This engraving, the only signed work of Michelangelo's lifetime, was made to commemorate the martyrdom of St. Peter.
The sorrow of Our Lady in her arms for her dead son and her obedience to God's will are vividly portrayed in this work. Jesus was lying in Mary's arms, and Our Lady was saddened by the loss of her Son, but there was no sadness, but she was calm and peaceful, as if she was listening to God's advice and receiving God's forgiveness.
But on that very day, tears flowed from the eyes of Our Lady and Jesus.
The originally peaceful and solemn work suddenly became a sculpture of deep sorrow!
The pious priest screamed and immediately reported to the cardinal.
Strangely, however, this was the perfect opportunity to manifest the miracles, prove the existence of God, and expand the influence of the Holy See, but it was strictly kept secret by the contemporary popes, and it was not allowed to be disseminated, otherwise they would be burned at the stake by the Inquisition. St. Peter's Cathedral closed its doors in the name of renovation and closed no longer to visitors, until seven days later the tears of the Virgin and Son ceased to well.
However, due to the large number of witnesses, over time, this religious secret was leaked by a talkative nun. It's just that because this matter has long since passed over time, after the world learned about it, they all thought that it was just the Holy See playing tricks, putting gold on its own face, and wanting to create a greater influence on public opinion, so as to increase the Holy See's right to speak.
Even some later bishops and priests believed that the so-called "weeping of the icon" was really just a trumped-up religious legend.
The real events have been lost in the rolling yellow sands of history.
However, in the archives in the Pope's sole possession, the "weeping of the icon" is real, and any subtle changes in the icon from the first day to the seventh day are described in detail.
Especially the time when the icon weeps. According to the inferences of several subsequent popes, they all unanimously concluded that the "weeping of the icon" and the sudden weathering of the saint's relics definitely occurred at the same time!
In other words, before that Christmas in the sixteenth century, something very bad must have happened in Catholicism!
Perhaps for the laity or for the lower priests and bishops, it is impossible for the icon to shed tears or to sing in stone. Even if such a strange thing happens, it must be explained by science in every possible way, so as not to disturb the world with these strange phenomena. But for the popes and cardinals, facts are facts, and science is only one of the systems of knowledge, and it does not fully explain everything.
A miracle is a miracle, and for the high-ranking elites of the Holy See, the appearance of a miracle must be something that God or Jesus Christ is showing to the world.
But what exactly are the gods trying to say?
That's a problem.
It is also an unsolvable mystery that has plagued the Holy See for more than 500 years.
The bodies of saints and popes, dressed in grand manner, fixed in underground shrines, were overnight turned into white clothes racks; The graceful and calm Virgin and Son mourned for seven days and seven nights......
Contemporary popes are terrified, and there is always an instinct that a catastrophe is coming. But what kind of calamity it is, I can't feel it for a while. In desperation, I had no choice but to pray to God for some revelation.
What is even more frightening is that even though the Pope has a secret way to appeal directly to God, for some reason, he has never received any response from God!
From then on, the Holy See could only struggle to survive.
On the one hand, he spares no effort to spread the doctrine to the whole world, and on the other hand, the Pope prays every day, hoping that one day he will hear the gospel of God again.
This persistence is 500 years.
For 500 years, the Pope has not received any response from God, let alone an oracle. Moreover, the information obtained through the secret channel of Guò: the Temple of Mount Olympus also had a very similar experience.
The same miracle is a miracle, and then there is no trace of God. According to the temple sect, it was "the tears of the god Athena welled up and suddenly let go of the spear", and since then, the Greek gods have not been traced.
And the time when the idol of Athena was abnormal was precisely the same day that the Vatican Eucharist dried up and the icon wept!
What does this mean? And what does it mean?
For hundreds of years, both the Vatican pope and the temple cultists have been bent on finding out the whereabouts of the gods, but no matter how hard the religious leaders tried, they never received any positive news.
The gods, as if they had made an appointment to go out for an outing to fish and play mahjong at the same time, suddenly disappeared en masse......
“…… If I sue you now, God will no longer exist......" Although Arthur's voice was elegant, it fell on the Pope's ears, but it was like a thunderstorm in the nine heavens!
Although successive popes have also had a vague sense that God seems, maybe, maybe, probably...... Believers who no longer care for the world, but never show it to anyone.
As the closest person to God, you should not doubt your faith under any circumstances!
Imagine what would happen to Catholicism if even the Pope openly questioned the existence of God? What will become of the Vatican? What about the devout believers? Will it go crazy because of this?
What's more, once the news of God's disconnection reaches the world, the Vatican's status as the "spiritual center of the world" will collapse in an instant. The pope and the cardinals, who are high in power, revered by the faithful, and enjoy countless privileges, have suddenly become water without a source and a tree without roots, where can they still enjoy the special rights that are now superior to others?
Perhaps in the hearts of believers, God is the only being. In the eyes of vested interests, although God is no longer there, the cross that is deeply imprinted in the spiritual world of believers is still shining with holy light, ensuring the status of the Vatican and the Pope!
God can disappear, but the honor, status, money, and power that he has gained must not be lost lightly!
PS: This is yesterday's second update...... The hard overtime is going to make my regular update of two chapters a day into a vicious circle!
The knight war is about to begin, and those who are willing to show their faces can leave a message, but think about the Western-style name and faction beforehand!
Finally, Tian shamelessly begged for monthly passes, VIPs and stamps, and of course, subscriptions were the most indispensable...... Rattle!
Then stay up all night to code words.