Yang Peng was stunned, "Catholicism? ”

Tang Shidian took out a booklet from his arms, opened it, looked at the booklet and said, "Catholicism has been introduced to Middle-earth since the Tang Dynasty. However, it has been tepid and has little influence in society. However, the development of Catholicism has been very rapid recently, and when Chen came to his senses, he found that Catholic churches had spread all over Bianliang City and its surrounding areas. Shocked by this, he inquired about the situation in other places through educational channels and found that the development of Catholicism was in full swing everywhere. Catholicism preaches the fallacy of believing in God and attaining eternal life, and many people have been deceived into becoming devout believers and reverence for Catholicism as if it were a god. Chen was very worried about this. ”

When Yang Peng heard this, he didn't care very much, and asked, "Has the Catholic Church carried out any illegal activities?" ”

Tang Shidian said: "This minister is not clear, this should be a matter of the legal department." He looked at Zhang Xiang as he spoke. Zhang Xiang immediately stood up, hugged his fist at Yang Peng and said: "Back to Your Majesty, Catholicism has not carried out any illegal activities, on the contrary, the security in many places has become better because of the belief in Catholicism. ”

Tang Shidian said worriedly: "This is definitely not a good thing! Some people are so religious, then in the future, if their 'God' says that the Ming is evil, the people will inevitably rebel! Although Catholicism has not done evil, it has sown the seeds of evil for the country, which must be removed! ”

Zhang Xiang frowned and said: "Catholicism has not violated the law, if it is banned, it is not legal, and it is difficult to convince the public!" ”

Tang Shidian said angrily: "It is illegal to confuse the public with gossip!" ”

"Although there are some problems with the doctrine preached by the Catholic Church, there is no illegal act after all. Although it does give people this feeling, there is no clear definition of 'gossip to confuse the public', and there is no legal interpretation or treatment of this point. Since the law does not prohibit it, if we ban it, it will be a violation of the law, how can this be done! ”

Tang Shidian became anxious, and said to Yang Peng urgently: "Your Majesty, since ancient times, the scourge of cults has often been no less than rebellion, and even many rebellions are started by cults!" And the characteristic of cults is that they confuse the masses with fallacies, so what Catholicism says about those who believe in me will have eternal life, it is clearly to control the people, and what their hearts are are are clearly revealed! We must take advantage of the fact that Catholicism has not yet become a trend to quickly eradicate it with lightning speed, otherwise once they become a trend, the consequences will be unimaginable! ”

Yang Peng couldn't help but think of cults such as '** Gong' in later generations, even in a future society where science and technology will prosper, cults can still cause extremely huge influence and destructive power on society, which shows that this kind of thing must not be taken lightly. However, since there is no relevant law in the law to deal with such a thing as a cult, it is not advisable to take rash measures. Relying on his own prestige, even if there is no law, he can naturally do it, but in this way, it will set a very bad precedent, which will make people feel that the law is not the greatest, but still the emperor's greatest, so that it is a very huge damage to the soldiers who want to establish an ideal society.

The lesser of two evils, although Catholicism is developing rapidly, its influence should still be very limited for the time being, and there is no need to be too anxious to deal with this problem. We can wait until this year's annual meeting to discuss this issue, and then the law will be formed, and then we will deal with Catholic matters. According to the system established by Yang Peng, only the cabinet assembly has the right to legislate, so the legislation must not be carried out until the annual meeting is held at the end of the year.

As soon as he thought of this, he said to Tang Shidian: "Your concerns are very reasonable, but the cult cannot be tolerated!" However, we must not mess up and destroy the system because of our fear of cults. Again, the principle is that the law does not prohibit it, and since there is no provision in the law against things like 'misleading the people,' we cannot take any action. Only when there is a law to follow can we take action against Catholicism. Seeing that Tang Shidian looked anxious and wanted to say something, he smiled and said, "You don't have to worry." I know this kind of thing. At present, although the development of Catholicism is rapid, its influence must still be very limited, and it has not reached the point of burning eyebrows. It would not be too late to wait until the law was enacted at this year's annual meeting. Then he frowned and said, "If we ignore the law, the long-term impact and harm are far from being comparable to a cult!" ”

Hua Xie Yu clenched his fists and said: "What Your Majesty said is extremely true!" We must not pervert the law because of anxiety! Chai Yongqi, Huang Qiaoyun and others also agreed. Tang Shidian couldn't help but sigh when he saw that no one had the same opinion as himself.

Yang Peng asked: "Is there a leader like the leader of this Catholic Church?"

Tang Shidian shook his head and said, "That's not true. Yang Peng nodded thoughtfully.

After the meeting ended, Yang Peng asked Chai Yonghui to stay. Chai Yonghui's delicate face was crimson, her heart was pounding, and she was thinking nonsense.

Yang Peng stood up, walked in front of Chai Yonghui, took her hand and walked outside, and said, "Let's go." Chai Yonghui thought that Yang Peng was going to take him to the harem, and he was very nervous, and then he found out that he did not take himself to the harem, but led himself to the palace gate, and couldn't help but ask curiously: "Big brother, where are we going?" Yang Peng said: "Go and see the Catholic Church." Chai Yonghui suddenly realized.

When the guards saw that they were about to leave the palace, a large group of people immediately followed, and others rushed to the guard room next to the main hall to inform the commander on duty. When the commander got the report, he immediately rushed out of the squad room, stopped Yang Peng before Yang Peng left the palace, and bowed with his fists: "Your Majesty wants to leave the palace, please Rong Mo will gather all the guards." Yang Peng felt that there was no need for that, but it was not good to violate the law, so he nodded and said, "You can go and gather a group of guards." However, they must be dressed in civilian clothes. The commander answered the promise and immediately ordered a group of guards to assemble, and ordered them all to take off their robes. Immediately, the guards hugged Yang Peng and Chai Yonghui out of the palace.

When the group came to the street, seven or eight guards surrounded Yang Peng and Chai Yonghui, while other guards were scattered in all directions to control the entire area where Yang Peng was. The street where everyone is located is not one of the nine main streets of Bianliang, but it is also a bustling and lively scene. When people saw Yang Peng and Chai Yonghui, they only thought that a rich boy and a young lady came out to play, but they didn't know that one of them was the current Ming Emperor and the other was the Ming Princess.

Yang Peng had no concept of the Catholic Church at all, so he asked Chai Yonghui: "Yonghui, do you know where the Catholic Church is?" ”

Chai Yonghui shook his head and said: "I'm not interested in gods and ghosts at all, if it weren't for Lord Xu today, I wouldn't know what kind of Catholicism is!" ”

Yang Peng stopped and asked the guards around him, "Who of you knows where the Catholic Church is?" ”

The guards looked at each other, obviously unaware.

Yang Peng looked at the doors on both sides of the street and said to the guards around him, "You go to the surrounding shops and ask." Immediately, several guards clenched their fists and ran down. Yang Peng saw that there was a stone table and a few stone benches under the big camphor tree nearby, so he greeted Chai Yonghui, and the two walked over and sat down, while the guards stood around the two.

A moment later, the guards sent out returned one after another. One of the guards clenched his fists and said, "Your Majesty, there is a Catholic church in the corner in front of you. Yang Peng stood up, and Chai Yonghui followed suit. Yang Peng ordered the guards to lead the way, and the group walked towards the front. After walking only about 200 steps, he turned a corner and walked into a side street. I saw that the small street was much quieter than the street just now, but there were still many pedestrians, and many of the shops on both sides were full of customers.

From a distance, Yang Peng saw a large cross inlaid on the eaves of a building in the depths of the street, and immediately knew that it was a Catholic church.

The group walked over and came to the front of the building. I saw that the building was like a warehouse, the scale was not large, but the black pressure inside was full of heads, but there were many people. At this time, the sound of the Catholic chant that Yang Peng had heard came from the church in bursts. Yang Peng couldn't understand the meaning of the scriptures, but he could feel the pious hearts of the people who chanted the scriptures. Yang Peng walked towards the church, and everyone followed.

Come to the church and stand at the back. I saw a Han man standing on the podium above, but wearing strange clothes,

It seems to resemble the costume of the clergy of the Holy See, with his head held high, his hands spread out and slightly raised, and he recites the scriptures in his mouth, and every time he recites a sentence, the believers below him follow suit. It's not Chinese or English, it seems to be Italian, and although Yang Peng is quite proficient, he doesn't know Italian at all, so he doesn't know what the meaning of the scriptures is.

Yang Peng's gaze swept over the faces of the believers, and he only saw an extremely pious attitude. Some of them were young and old, some men and women, some well-dressed and some very poor, and the hundreds of people in this chapel seemed to include all aspects of society.

Soon after, the priest-like man on the stage stopped chanting, drew a cross on his chest with his right hand, and chanted 'Amen'. The believers then drew a cross on their chests and chanted 'Amen'.

The priest raised his voice, "You can go back." Remember the Father's teachings, and those who believe in the Father will have eternal life. The congregation's eyes were filled with fanaticism, and they withdrew from the church. After a while, only the priest and Yang Peng and others were left in the church.

Seeing that Yang Peng and Chai Yonghui were extraordinary, the priest couldn't help but feel moved, and hurriedly walked over, bowed down and said, "I haven't seen a few people before, are you trying to convert to Heavenly Father?" ”

Yang Peng smiled: "I heard that Catholicism is very good, so let's take a look." ”

The priest thought that he had been introduced by another believer, and was very happy, and said, "Childe has made the right choice!" Only those who profess Catholicism can receive eternal life after death! ”

Chai Yonghui said angrily: "How can people live forever when they die?" ”

The priest looked at Chai Yonghui and couldn't help but be stunned. It was far away just now, and the light in the room was relatively dim, so although he saw Chai Yonghui, he didn't see Chai Yonghui's appearance clearly. came back to his senses and said with a smile: "Miss doesn't know, in fact, all of us will be judged after death." No matter what happened in life, people will always have sins of one kind or another, so they are destined to suffer after death, and this is to pay off debts! Those who believe in the Father will be able to atone for their sins during their lifetime, and after they die, they will be able to escape judgment and go straight to heaven for eternal happiness! ”

Chai Yonghui asked angrily: "Isn't it possible to atone for sins by believing in other gods?" ”

The priest said, "There are true gentlemen and hypocrites among mortals, and similarly, there are true gods and false gods in the heavenly realm. Whether it is a Buddha or a Taoist immortal, they are all false gods, and believing in them will not only not be redeemed, but will create deeper sins! I have never heard of what Buddhism does to help people in the world, but for the sake of His people, Heavenly Father often calls on the mortal world to wage holy wars and redeem the believers in the mortal world with the power of God! That's a real thing! I think Miss Childe is very human, if she can believe in the Heavenly Father, after leaving the mortal world in the future, it will not be as simple as just ascending to heaven, and she will definitely be respected by the Heavenly Father, entrusted with the priesthood, and become an angel who sits down and manages the world. ”

Yang Peng asked: "So how can we believe in God?" Is it enough to have God in our hearts? ”

The priest laughed, "How is that enough?" As I said just now, all people are guilty, and believing in Tianzhu means atoning for their sins, and there are many situations for atonement, and the best of them is to donate money. He then explained: "Money is not for the Father, but for the Father to use it to do good deeds in order to atone for your sins." ”

Yang Peng smiled: "Since it is ultimately to do good deeds, I can do it myself!" ”

The priest laughed, "That's not going to work. If you do good deeds, how will Heavenly Father know? Isn't that what you did in vain? ”

Chai Yonghui said: "Since Heavenly Father is a true God, doesn't he know what mortals have done? The priest said, "Immortals also have a time to nap!" If Heavenly Father wants to take care of all beings in the Three Realms, how can he be all-encompassing to ordinary mortals? But it is different when you donate your money to the church and do good deeds, which are to be told to God, so that God can know the contribution of each of you, and then you will go to heaven for your sins! ”

Yang Peng saw that Chai Yonghui was still going to speak, so he gave a look. The latter meeting, so he stopped talking. Yang Peng said: "Catholicism is really good! The priest was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Then the boy and the young lady will officially join the church!" ”

Yang Peng smiled: "But you are too simple here, I don't want to join the religion here." ”

The priest was stunned for a moment, and smiled a little embarrassedly: "What Childe said is also true." My church is really not worthy of the identity of a son and a young lady. Then he said, "Childe and Miss might as well go to the main hall and join the sect directly." Miss Childe is an extraordinary person, and she will inevitably be personally received by our Pope. ”

Chen Xiao asked, "Who is the Pope?" The priest smiled, "This Pope is actually our Catholic name. It is equivalent to the head of the church, he is the person in charge of the whole Catholic affairs, and the only person who can communicate with God, and we call him the closest mortal to God in our church. ”

Yang Peng nodded, "Okay, I'll go to the main hall." Where is this main hall? ”

"The main hall is in Hangzhou, and the son and the young lady may have to suffer from the fatigue of the journey."

Yang Peng said: "It's nothing. As the saying goes, there is heaven and there is Suzhou and Hangzhou, and I have long heard that Hangzhou's feng shui is beautiful, so you can take this opportunity to visit. The priest hurriedly said, "What Childe said is very true. Yang Peng asked, "What is the name of the main hall in Hangzhou and where is it?" The priest said, "The main church is called the Catholic Church, and it is located on the west bank of the West Lake. When Childe arrives on the shore of West Lake, he asks the locals about the Catholic Church, and the locals will definitely be able to show him the way. ”

Yang Peng nodded, "Okay." He said to the priest, "I have taken my leave." The priest hurriedly bowed down and said, "Miss Childe is leaving." Yang Peng and the others left the church and came to the street. Chai Yonghui frowned and said: "Listening to what that person said, this Catholicism is clearly a cult!" Yang Peng nodded and said to a few guards around him: "You go to the people to inquire if this Catholic Church has done any good deeds." The guards said yes and left.

Yang Peng turned his head to look at the church, frowned, and said, "This Catholicism makes me feel uncomfortable. Chai Yonghui nodded sympathetically and said, "I feel this way too." ”

At the same time, far away in the Catholic Church in Hangzhou. The priests stood respectfully in the apse, as if waiting for someone to come. A moment later, a man covered in a black cloak walked into the apse, surrounded by the crowd. When everyone saw this, they were in awe, and bowed together; "Meet Your Excellency!" It turns out that this person is the mysterious Pope of Catholicism, but looking at his body and posture, it seems that he is just a young man, and a young man actually became the Pope?

The Pope walked up and sat down, and everyone turned to the Pope and bowed to him. "Over the past year or so, the development has been very gratifying, and I am very happy, and so is my Heavenly Father!" The priests rejoiced and said, "It is our sacred duty to spread the Gospel of the Father!" ”

The Pope nodded: "It is thanks to you devout believers that the Gospel of God can come to earth. Last night, when I had fellowship with God the Father, I was told that I had to go to Rome, the homeland of Catholicism, to meet His Holiness the Pope, and that only by getting in touch with the Archbishop could the Gospel of God truly blossom in the land of the East! Only then can we truly go to glory! This trip is also a test for us, and Heavenly Father has promised me that if we can accomplish this great work, we will have a place in heaven in the future! The crowd was excited.

"In my absence," the Pope said, "the vice-pope is in charge of the affairs of the Church. An old man with snow-white hair standing on his left hand bowed in agreement.

The Pope stood up and said: "I hope that you will work together so that you do not disappoint God's expectations. The crowd agreed in unison.

The Pope, accompanied by his personal entourage, left the Catholic Church and got into the carriage. The group walked slowly along the official road towards the pier. The Pope said to the middle-aged man sitting opposite: "I am afraid that I will not be able to come back for a year and a half." You must be patient and do not attract the attention of the government. The middle-aged man nodded; Childe rest assured. Then he frowned and said: "Childe, with all due respect to his subordinates, Childe has traveled thousands of miles to Rome, can he really get assistance?" ”

"I have studied the history of Catholicism for more than 100 years. They repeatedly launched crusades in the name of crusading heresies, and defeated many countries. I think I was able to convince them to help us. The middle-aged man frowned and said, "I don't think they really do it for any faith, but just for wealth and land!" The Pope smiled, "Yes! But faith is a good excuse, and I'm going to give them that! I don't believe it, they have no interest in the rich and mysterious East! ”

Yang Peng and Chai Yonghui came to Huaxu headquarters. At this time, Yan Jiren, the leader of the Huaxu Pavilion, was in Luoyang, and the headquarters of Huaxu was temporarily in charge of the pavilion leader Wang Lu. When Wang Lu heard that Yang Peng and Chai Yonghui were coming, she immediately greeted them and welcomed them into the hall. At this time, the hall was busy, and Hua Xu's intelligence interpreters and inductors were busy reading and summarizing the mountains of information.

Yang Peng looked at the scene in the hall and asked, "Is there any information about Catholicism?" Wang Lu immediately ordered his subordinates to find information about Catholicism. Several subordinates agreed, and immediately rushed to the back data room. Soon after, a copy of information was taken, which was taken by Wang Lu and presented to Yang Peng.

Yang Peng picked up the information and opened it to read it. The first half of the material is about the introduction of Catholicism to Middle-earth and the development process of these hundreds of years, which can be seen that in the course of these hundreds of years, Catholicism in Middle-earth can only be regarded as a small sect that does not enter the stream, and its influence is not only not comparable with the local Taoism and Buddhism, but also cannot be compared with the religions from Central Asia and West Asia. But that changed abruptly about a year ago. The Catholics in the Hangzhou area claimed to have seen God come and those who believed in God could have eternal life, and the number of believers began to increase dramatically. At present, although Catholicism cannot be compared with Buddhism and Taoism, it already has a tendency to compete with ** religion, and there is a faint tendency to transcend.

Catholicism has churches in almost all major cities, with its main church in Hangzhou, called the Catholic Church. The one who governs the church is called a priest, and all priests have a pope above them, similar to a patriarch. However, the identity of this sect leader is very mysterious, and even the priest has not seen his true face.

Yang Peng finished reading the information, Chai Yonghui stood aside and also read the information, frowned and said: "Such a mysterious and secret pretending to be a ghost is definitely not a good thing!" Then he said strangely: "Catholicism obviously has a leader, why does Master Tang say no?" Yang Peng said: "Master Tang is in charge of the education department, and investigating intelligence is not his department's specialty, so it is normal for his report to be omitted." Chai Yonghui nodded.

After all, what happens next, let's see how it will be broken down next time.