“When I was a child, I wanted to be a saint. Now I want to be a memory. I do not want people praying to me and forgetting God.” - Pope Stephen X
Pope Stephen X had a huge funeral. The death came as a shock, as he was not so old. Millions considered him as a good Christian that was fixing the Church, while others, including his own parents, were sure he was destroying the Church. This was forgotten on his funeral day. People could all agree that he was a pope that would be remembered.
The Vatican announced that the cause of death was a weak heart. There was an autopsy by Vatican doctors, but these were not released to the public.
Cardinal Lorenzo was elected at the new Pope. It was as if the old guard was now back in power. His election did not help unite the Church. Millions of Catholics believed that he would roll back the reforms that Pope Stephen did. As he stood out on the balcony, he was smiling. The new Pope said he would not be a Pope of turmoil. He will not upset the Church any more than it is. The Pope stressed that the Church must be a strong Church. Many people took this speech as a criticism of Pope Stephen. A secretary in the Vatican told Pope Lorenzo said that the Church was blessed by the death of Pope Stephen. This was a shock to many in the Vatican, that did not think it was appropriate talking bad about a former Pope,
It was like Pope Lorenzo was being haunted. Pope Stephens's doctor said that he had a check-up 4 months before and despite some high blood pressure, the former Pope's heart was in good condition and even the blood pressure was also under control. The Doctor called for the autopsy reports to be released. The Vatican refused.
Birth Control was one of Pope Stephens's major changes. People could now decide if they would use it or not. Pope Stephen called on these people to pray and meditate before they use it. One would have thought this new tolerance from the Church would make no difference, as after all the majority of Catholics already used artificial birth control. It did give many Catholics peace of mind. Charities in third world countries praised it, as it meant that people could limit the number of children they had and not be pushed in worse poverty because of big families.
Some Catholics were afraid that Pope Stephen was about to allow abortion. However, when Pope Stephen's diary was released, he wrote that he considered abortion against the wishes of God. Pope Stephen wrote that women who wish to have an abortion should get counseling and compassion.
The diary also showed Pope Stephens's views towards homosexuals. He considered it against the will of God, but at the same time, he acknowledged the love involved. He wrote, “The Church could support this love by a blessing, but marriage and adoption would be against God's will.”
The Diary of Pope Stephen was published and became a best seller. The interesting thing with the diary was that he did not sound like a great reformer. Homosexuality and abortion were examples of this. He wrote he could see both sides of the case and it was very difficult to decide what was acceptable and not. The Pope wrote what was needed was more understanding of each other and respect. Judging and decriminalization was the wrong path.
Another thing Pope Stephen stressed in his diary was the family. He believed the Family was the core of the Church and more important than any cathedral or Vatican. The diary shows that his faith was strong because of his parents and grandmother. Their religious example and teachings were the foundation of his faith.
The death of Pope Stephen and the release of the diary overshadowed the papacy of Pope Lorenzo. He told a friend that it was like Pope Stephen was still the Pope. Catholics were discussing him and trying to know more about his beliefs by reading the diary. Most also observed that the new Pope did not roll back any changes Pope Stephen made. An insider from the Vatican told me that Pope Lorenzo did not dare to change things the way they were, as Pope Stephen was more popular in death than when he was alive. This must have been hard for Pope Lorenzo, who was against these reforms. It is said he allowed these changes to stay to secure his position as the Pope.
Pope Lorenzo did refuse to release the autopsy report about Pope Stephen. He explained that Stephen was dead, let us give him rest. This may have worked a century ago, but people did not agree. They wanted answers. The web suddenly became the home for many conspiracy theories. Poll after poll showed that people thought there was a cover-up by the Vatican. Still, Pope Lorenzo thought that the theories and discontent would fade away.
The Vatican had a problem and this was their newly established office that helped prosecute priests that were accused of molesting a child. This meant that around 5.000 priests no longer had parish duties and were being tried by civil law. These cases opened old wounds and were extremely embarrassing for the Church. Pope Lorenzo did not like it, as an insider once told me, Pope Lorenzo exploded in his office one day saying the media thought that he was the Pope of pedophiles. He shouted that the Church needed these 5000 priests. In public, Pope Lorenzo smiled as he told the press that “sometimes it is important to clean one's own house and get rid of all the bad apples. It is hard work, but in the end, it will be better for everyone.”
Pope Lorenzo was not happy when he found out that a group of bishops founded a society called “the Stephenites”. This was not a religious order. It was a group of clergy and laypeople that thought that Pope Stephens's work was not done. They promoted a more down to earth church that was less political and more apostolic. They promoted a better society with tolerance and respect. More important they promoted that God become a central part of family life.
It was a “Stephenite” that cause Pope Lorenzo's biggest crises. A Stepenite leaked the autopsy report to the press. In this report, it was shown that the Pope was poisoned and his death was a murder. This caused a huge public response, that was outraged at the report. People had two questions. Why was this covered up by a Vatican lie? The bigger question was what the morality was of those that lived in the Vatican?
Pope Lorenzo thought that silence would be the best answer. He tried to silence people by telling them that many priests were now married and 20% of those that would shortly be ordained were women. The Pope said that the Church knows that priests are human and they make great husbands and fathers. This was, of course, his public face. Behind the scenes, he told people that married priests would cost the Church millions, as the Church no longer had a right to inherit a priests fortune when they died. He vowed that he would never ordain a woman as a bishop.
Pope Lorenzo could not silence the media about the death of Pope Stephen. Catholics no longer trusted the Vatican or the Pope. Pope Lorenzo lied to them and said it was heart failure. This led many Catholics to believe that it was Pope Lorenzo himself that poisoned Pope Stephen.
Pope Lorenzo was under pressure and tried to fix his image by proclaiming Pope Stephen as a saint. This was rejoiced by many in the Church. Pope Stephens's mom and Dad even told the press how proud they were.
It did not solve Pope Lorenzo's problems. He got what he wanted, but would be remembered as the Pope that poisoned another Pope. Even the people at the Vatican believed this. Pope Lorenzo was isolated and in many ways powerless, as his words meant nothing to the majority.
The Stephenites grew in size, and even many in the Vatican joined the group. It is uncertain if they will make the world a better place, but the Pope that followed Pope Lorenzo admitted freely that he was a Stephenite.
Pope Stephen X's spirit still lives on.
The end
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