When it was all over, the Archdiocese had paid out more than $40 million in what many termed ‘hush money’ to the ‘victims’ on the law firms’ class action complainants lists. The Redemptorist was not dismayed, however.
It was all merely a stepping-stone to the One True World Church, he explained in confidence to a skeptical Pilar. His years in Germany had shown him this – it was all part of God’s plan to bring all Christians together, regardless of sect. The most important thing was that the Gospel was preached.
And the Catholic Church’s obsession with sexual sin had to be made a thing of the past. What right had the Church to limit the God-given right to sexual pleasure to a small minority of married, heterosexual Christians? Perhaps these lawsuits would finally bring the Church around, he sighed.
To his credit, Pilar refrained from succumbing to outright laughter in the face of the American prelate. Why were these norteamericanos so obsessed with ideology, he wondered for the umpteenth time. For some reason, they had to throw themselves into torments of justification for what seemed to Pilar were very simple, elementary facts of life. Sex was sex. Business was business. Beyond this, Pilar was not prepared to venture.
Nevertheless, he smiled agreeably at the Cardinal and arranged for the agreed-upon reward for his cooperation. Once the Cardinal retired to his unprepossessing house with excellent security in Belize paid for by the Community, life went on quietly for Father Pilar.
Unfortunately, the Cardinal’s replacement was one of the tiresome new crop of prelates with ‘orthodox’ views, made even more toxic by his status as a convert from Protestantism. The man had read the early Church Fathers, it seemed, and following in the footsteps of John Cardinal Newman, the 19th century Anglican who had created such a fuss in England, had ‘crossed the Tiber.’
Father Pilar sighed. If there was anything worse than a liberal churchman twisting himself into knots to justify his tastes, it was an intelligent bishop who actually believed.
Across from him, Alexander Cardinal Portland smiled. He had deliberately chosen to meet the Community on its own grounds, waving aside their offer to pay a ceremonial call at his Residence shortly after his appointment to the Boston See.
He had been curious to see what they were doing with the 1970’s facility sprawling along the side of Interstate; in the event it seemed the answer was just about nothing. Groundskeepers kept the place neat, of course, but there were few cars in the parking lot. The interior of the old corporate complex was sparsely furnished in what he recognized as rented business furniture, though the private offices of the priests were sleek and modern. Clearly, only the best would do for these men’s personal use.
REGINA | 99