As Pope Gregory XV took his seat, the minuturing hall, which had been a little noisy just a moment ago, gradually fell silent.

Lu Chen sat on the rostrum, scanned the audience with his eyes, and soon found many familiar faces, but now sitting here are all the church personnel, and it still takes a lot of effort to find a few people accurately.

For example, Lu Daguan squinted for a long time, and then saw Yunston in the middle of a group of classrooms.

The envoy's eyes widened to find someone to play with, while the Pope glanced at Cardinal Benedict next to him, and then slowly stood up.

Seeing the Pope get up, everyone stared at the rostrum.

Everyone knows that it is time for His Holiness the Pope to speak.

Lu Chen also squinted at the Pope: after the other party stood up, he was much taller than the seated Divine Envoy, which made it a little difficult for him to observe the Pope's expression.

"My dear brethren......" said the Pope, clearing his throat and opening his arms, "thank you, for being here and now, for celebrating with me the beginning of the 567th year of the new calendar!"

Scarce applause came from below.

There was obviously not much interest in the Pope's opening remarks: besides, the Church was in turmoil right now, and there was really nothing to celebrate in the new five, six, or seven years.

The Pope seems to have noticed the low mood of the people. He smiled awkwardly and continued to say aloud:

"As you know, the past year has not been easy. I do not want to dwell on the specific setbacks that our Church has encountered on this occasion that should be celebrated with pleasure, but I must say that you have faced the hardships with amazing courage and devout faith, and it is with your support that the Holy Church has been able to overcome one difficulty after another!"

There was another round of applause.

The audience was clearly deeply touched by the dissatisfaction of the past year, and many of them could not help but feel sad when they listened to the Pope's speech.

For many years, the Church has been a powerful force in the Empire, but now it is kept like a pet in the Central Cathedral by the Wehrmacht - how can the clergy, whose hearts are higher than the sky, swallow this breath!

"I have witnessed the sacrifices and sacrifices that you have made to protect the glory of the Holy Spirit, but at this time I must also apologize to all of you. "The Holy Church, which has lasted for thousands of years, has fallen into decline under my rule, and it is my unshirkable responsibility as the Pope. ”

There was silence in the minaret.

In fact, who can bear to blame the Pope? Everyone knows in their hearts that it is not so much the individual actions of anyone that have led to the predicament of the Church today, but the urging of the tide of the times.

The vigorous industrial revolution, the smoky factories erected on the outskirts of the imperial capital, and the physics and chemistry classes in the imperial schools were the culprits that pulled the church down from the altar.

If Pope Gregory XV had made any mistake, it is perhaps that he had been chosen for this position at the wrong time.

Including Lu Chen, all the high-level leaders on the rostrum seemed to hear a soft sigh from the Pope's crown.

"In the past year, we have witnessed the splendor of the Holy Spirit, and all the brothers of the Church have guarded the supreme glory of the Holy Spirit in the face of strong enemies!" the Pope bowed his head, then continued, "but I am sure everyone is aware that our Holy Church is gradually entering a difficult situation: whether it is the advance of the Wehrmacht or the increasing shortage of supplies, it is becoming more and more difficult for the Holy Church to operate on a daily basis – a fact that I do not want to and cannot hide. ”

"I know that for the past few months there have been rumors in the Church that we are about to agree to the demands of the Council and dissolve the Holy ......Church once and for all," the Pope paused and raised his voice, "It is time to put an end to these suspicions and misgivings, and I, Gregory XV, officially declare to you that these rumors are true!

The audience was in an uproar.

Although most people had anticipated the inevitable outcome of the dissolution of the Church, it was still a little difficult to accept to hear His Majesty the Pope say it himself.

Fear, sadness, anger...... Mixed emotions twitched through the eyes of the audience.

This negative emotion that pervades the minus seems to have affected the Pope as well. He clutched his bony palm, bowed his head silently, and looked at the divine envoy beside him as if asking for help.

Lu Chen handed him a sincere and warm look.

Then the Pope pulled himself together again, raised his head and said aloud:

"I know you're reluctant, but this has been unanimously approved by the church's higher-ups. I would like to ask you to trust us that the decision to dissolve the church was not easy for us. I believe that we made this decision under tremendous pressure, far greater than the vast majority of people in this room. The decision to dissolve the Church was not made out of anyone's selfish interests, but because we were convinced that the Merciful Holy Spirit would not want to see his most devout followers die under siege by the Wehrmacht, and that it was the last mission of the Holy Spirit to protect the lives of all believers.

"Soon, we will formally submit the instrument of surrender to the Wehrmacht and the Imperial Diet. Today's celebration and luncheon will probably be our last time together. "But I believe in the worship of the Holy Spirit by every brother in this room, and I believe in the supreme love of the Holy Spirit." It is only the Holy Church that will be dissolved, but our faith in the Holy Spirit will live on forever!

"The time of separation is almost there, but until then, I hope everyone can enjoy a pleasant luncheon. I hope that everyone here will have a new life after the dissolution of the church. In the Imperial Capital, in the North-West Plains, in the South-East Forests, in the Mountains and Coasts of the Empire, I want you to be married, and if I, the Unholy Pope, have anything to expect from you, then I ask you to enshrine a shrine in your home and prove to the world that the Holy Spirit is far from being forgotten by mankind.

"The time of separation is near, but it is not the end of all things, but the beginning of a new journey. I wish you a happy life in the future and a bright future – this is my New Year's greeting from Gregory XV, the last Pope of the Holy Church. ”

After saying this, the Pope could no longer contain his excitement and bowed deeply to the audience.

Lu Chen clearly saw that a few teardrops fell from the corners of his eyes under the crown, smashing a few water stains on the red tablecloth.

Even if there are differences of opinion, Lu Chen is also a little distressed by His Majesty the Pope at this time: as the leader of the organization, it is not easy for anyone to watch the organization fall apart; regardless of whether the Pope's principles of conduct in the world are the same as Lu Chen's, this old man is indeed burdened with too heavy a burden.

I will save you. Lu Chen said silently in his heart.

This time, "you" are not only talking about the Church, but also about His Majesty.

As if taking advantage of the time to bow his head to gather his emotions, the Pope straightened up again, smiled at everyone, and slowly sat back in his seat.

There was a dead silence in the minareta. No applause, no discussion.

Everyone present felt as if they were attending a funeral rather than a celebration.

"It's your turn, Your Majesty. The Pope wiped the corners of his eyes lightly and smiled at Lu Chen.