John Tong got his wish, and soon met Pope Innocent X, and as soon as they met, he was taken aback by the Pope's appearance.

The Pope had the most ferocious and cunning appearance John had ever seen, with a face that was not symmetrical, with a bald forehead, which looked somewhat deformed, and even more fierce and irritable.

Dressed in a white robe, a red shawl and a red hat on his head, the Pope sat in the audience hall of the Vatican Palace. Beside him stood a cardinal with an elegant appearance and a gentle expression.

After calming down, John Tong walked to the papal seat, knelt down and kissed the Pope's boots, then the back of the Pope's outstretched palm, and then called him in Latin: "Holy Father." ”

"Brother John, welcome back to Rome," the Pope's voice was a little hoarse, "the Jesuit Patriarch has already told me...... The cause of evangelism has encountered some difficulties in the East? ”

"Holy Father, we are in great difficulty!" John Tang looked very painful, he still believed that Zhu Cihong had seen angels, and he also believed that what had happened to Daming in the past few years was a miracle.

But Catholicism in the Ming Dynasty, no, not only in the Ming Dynasty, but in the entire Eastern world, is in big trouble.

The Pope thought for a moment and asked: "But the number of churches and the faithful is growing!" ”

Zhu Cihong's open-door policy is of course beneficial to the spread of Catholicism in China, so the data sent to the Pope by the Jesuits and Dominicans is very good.

The number of churches and congregants has increased year after year, and the missionary situation seems to be very good.

But this growth is of no quality – most of the growth is "free customers", and it is difficult to convert to "paying customers". So Catholicism is indeed facing great difficulties in the Eastern world!

The Catholic Church is kept running by tithes and donations from believers, and if all the members are the poor at the bottom, then the church will not be able to live its life!

John Tang shook his head: "Holy Father, we will soon face a serious crisis of faith!" ”

The Pope was a little surprised and asked, "What?" Crisis of faith? Is it that serious? ”

"Yes!" John Tong replied, "The crisis will be fundamental for the missionary cause in China!" ”

"A fundamental crisis?" "What happened?" the Pope asked. ”

John Tong took out a copy of the Treatise on Gewu written in Latin and handed it to the Pope with both hands, "Holy Father, this is a book of ancient Chinese philosophy that has just been discovered, written by Confucius of China in the last years of his life...... The value was very high, but for unknown reasons, it was not handed down until the tomb of Confucius was recently excavated by the Tatar regent Dorgon, and the buried bamboo slips recording the contents of the "Zi Lun Gewu Chapter" were discovered. ”

Dorgon has gone one step further and has become a leading figure in the international inversion world!

"How can a philosophical work ......?"

Pope Francis took the Latin version of the Treatise on Objects and read a few pages, "It looks a bit like Aristotle...... "and there is something like this in Europe, which may pose a little threat to the faith, but not so much as a crisis." ”

If you compare the position of Catholicism and Orthodoxy in the social life of Europe before and after the Renaissance, he would not say this!

"Holy Father," John Tong shook his head, "as a servant of the Lord who has a deep understanding of Chinese Confucianism, I am well aware of the great significance of the Zi Treatise on Gewu to Confucianism, which will have the tools to explore God!" ”

"Seek God!" The Pope's already fierce face suddenly became very hideous, "This is blasphemy against the Lord!" ”

According to the Catholic Church, Christians cannot bypass God's servants to communicate with God themselves.

"Holy Father," John Tong nodded, "but Chinese Confucianism doesn't think so?" They believe that there is some mysterious connection between God and man that we do not know, and they call it: the unity of heaven and man.

And to inquire into God's deeds is what they call "Exhaustive Knowledge".

They believe that all things are justified, that is, all things are like people, and there is some connection to the house of the Lord. If you study all things, you will find God. They are called: Gewu Zhizhi. ”

Fan. Dimon and Dutch profiteers all know that Zhu Cihong has done that set of stabbing hands, not to mention John Tang? John Tong just didn't say it to Zhu Cihong's face, but he couldn't hide it from the Pope anyway.

In a solemn tone, he said: "Although Confucianism has always been an inquiry into the principles of heaven, in the past 1,000 years, the loss of the Zi Treatise on Gewu has left Chinese Confucian scholars without the tools to reach God by exploring all things. This brought Confucianism to a standstill, and some of them became suspicious of the line of 'learning from things to the end of reason', which allowed the Gospel of God to spread.

The knowledge of natural philosophy was also spread along with the Gospel of God, because the Chinese Confucians had not yet completely abandoned the arrogant idea of 'learning from things to exhaust reason'. And now, they have even better tools! This means that the universal Church will face a great crisis throughout East Asia! ”

The search for heavenly principles, or the search for the avenue, or the search for God, Allah, etc., has always been one of the driving forces for the development of science!

However, Confucianism's enthusiasm for seeking the truth is by no means worse than that of the Three Religions of the Apocalypse, and it is believed that Confucianism does not attach importance to natural philosophy, so the reason for China's backwardness in science and technology is basically that he has not read any Confucian classics......

In fact, Confucianism also has the "ultimate problem", and also wants to explore the truth of all things in the universe, and Confucianism also knows that everything is justified, and it is necessary to know all things.

But the problem is that Confucianism has needs but no tools, so needs cannot be transformed into motivation.

"Why the whole of East Asia?" The cardinal standing beside the Pope suddenly interjected.

"Brother John," the Pope said to John Tong, pointing to the cardinal, "he is Cardinal Fabio in charge of the foreign affairs of the Holy See. The Kigi brothers. ”

"Kigi of Siena?" John Tang asked.

The Gigi family in Siena is one of Rome's wealthiest families, financial families, and super rich. Later, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the Italian Republic was called Palazzo Gigi, which was the original old house of their family.

"Exactly." The cardinal nodded, "Brother John, can you answer my question?" ”

"Cardinal," replied John Tong, "for China is the Rome of the East, the Celestial Empire, and has extraordinary influence east of Malacca!" ”

"But isn't the country in decline?" The cardinal asked.

"It's only a temporary weakness," said John Tang, "once the Ming reinvigorates, its former vassals will soon return to its side."

And the Ming have begun to cheer up, and in order to find a way out and food for the surplus population, they have begun to return to the ocean. Now, Annam and Siam have returned and become vassals of the Celestial Empire! ”

"Too much of a population? How many? The cardinal asked.

"130 million...... In just eight provinces, including four rivers and two lakes, Fujian and Guangdong, about the same size as France and Spain combined, there are 120 million people! ”

"That's a lot of people!"

"O God! It's only such a small place, how can you eat enough? ”

Both the Pope and the Cardinal were taken aback and drew a cross on their chests.

France has a population of more than 16 million, and the two "red-clothed prime ministers" Richelieu and Mazarin are not less troubled by the problem of eating bread for the French people, this 120 million, almost six times the total population of France and Spain. And robbery, you can't just rely on swords, you have to cooperate with faith and culture!

The expansion of the Ming Dynasty will inevitably lead to the expansion of Confucianism!

"With an overpopulated population and the truth in hand, it is natural to look outward for a way out!" John Tong said, "So the cause of the universal church in the East will face a great crisis!" ”