St. Peter's Grave

By Raúl Sánchez Quintana

In 1953, during the times of exile destinated to construct the church of Dominus Flevit in the Olive Mount the Franciscans in Holy Land found an old cementary. Between the remains, they found a sarcophagus that was very important for the Christians, it grabbed their attention (real facts).

The founding and content was communicated to Pio XII who quickly ordered to destruct part of the remains, however three frairs decided not to obey him and keep the discovery.

Sixty years have passed and the three frairs die in different circumstances, the secret that jealousy they had kept. Since this instant, several interested people would try no know what was in that discovery found in the Olives Mount, with the objective of controling a weak Vatican, that had compromised relashionships from the high Curia and the Cosa Nostra.

The novel that tried to reveal the motives that took Ratzinger to make the decision of abandoning the post of Saint Peter, this book develops in the times of Benedict XVI and the election of Pope Francis. But the novel starts to develop in the city of Granada, little by little it moves to the Vatican and the Island of Sicily.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BadPress
• Release date: Apr 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781071597460

Book preview

Monday, January 7th, 2013.

Church of Bartholomew

Zarza Capilla. Badajoz. Spain

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The homily had just finished and the few members of the congregation in that quiet afternoon had decided to come to church, the quick return to their homes started and they were trying to cover themselves from the first drops of rain that would crash to the ground, the bothering air started to rage strongly.

Like if it was a kind of ritual, before closing the gate of the centennial wood situated in the church street, he stuck his head out and he saw how the twilight had seized completely the gray sky that he had watched before starting the religious work. The drizzle started to come down in a soft way, but it was constant and a haze defense gobble, little by little, by the streets of that small town situated in the hillside of the last foothills of the Sierra Morena. Such cumulus of meteorological clemencies, that had caused crossing of the streets in front of his eyes totally desertic with loneliness, just a yellowish hue, that emitted the spotlights was illuminating the exterior of the temple, it seemed to grant a glimpse of life all around.

The rough sound of the bolt was listened in the overwhelming silence of the night, the access to the northeast part of the church of Bartholomew was closed.

The old Parish Priest descended from the stairs that would save the unevenness that existed in that entrance of the central ship of the temple. As soon as they passed the last of the stairs, a pang coming from the left knee made him stop during some seconds. That dam osteoarthritis that would finish me in a wheelchair —he thought, while he was waiting for the annoyance to refer and supported over the door, flexing in certain occasions the sore joint.

After some seconds of recovery, he headed towards the epistle side with the intention of abandoning the temple.

The general illumination of the church had been disconnected and just the clarity of the exterior was filtering from the four existing windows, in the centennial construction, given by one or two candles that were still on, they would avoid that the place would remain in absolute darkness.

Suddenly, the glare from lightning illuminated the interior of the temple, like if a powerful flash had done it to a photo camera. The old eyes of the Parish Priest weren’t alien to the moment of radiance, as well as the strange figure that had been seen next to the altar.

He stayed still at the same time that his mind was wondering if the silhouette that he just had appreciated during tenths of a second was a real image or all the opposite, his imagination was playing him a trick. Without hardly any truce, a metallic sound also coming from the presbytery came to his ears.

It didn’t seem to be his imagination —he thought meanwhile walking to that part of the church—. Someone else also remained in the interior of the temple.

The thunder that came after the lightening, didn’t took long to arrive, its echo resonated in the town, like if the rocks that made up the sierra rose above it, starting to crumble. The storm was above, and the rain was increasing its intensity; he continued hitting the drops of water, that had been transformed in a rough sound, he continued in the church roof.

Trying to appease the state of restlessness that would dominate him, the old Parish accessed the benches near the presbytery and stopped his walk. On his right there was an access door to the sacristy, and in front of him stairs that would take him to the altar that, in the same way would take him to the exit  situated on the street church, it was at the highest level of the temple.

Is there someone there? —he asked with certain hesitation noticed in his tone of voice.

The answer was an absolute silence, broken just by the incessant repetition of water drops over the roof temple.

The situation started to exceed the limit of the unusual —he tried to reason while his sight would scrutinize that zone of the Parish. Supposably if one of the members of the congregation would stay in the interior of the church, he would had answered the question. All the opposite, it would mean that no one wanted to be discovered.

That last supposition, that he hadn’t thought about at that moment, started to gnaw his will; however, he chose to ascend the stairs that would separate the altar.

The glow of a new lightning penetrated the windows situated beside the presbytery. Tenths of a second were enough so that the Parish Priest, would contemplate, the figure of an iron fish situated over the white tablecloth that was covering the table where they would daily officiate mass.

Anonymous_icthus

Who took the object out from the hiding place? He asked himself alarmed, at the same time that his mind, in a vertiginous way, would go back on time fifty-seven years, to his stage as a Franciscan friar in Holy Land.

His old memories shifted and came up, all what had happened in Mount of Olives, and what happened next. The images of the Roman Brother and the Pizzaballa Father, who he hadn’t seen since many years, appeared again in his head. Just does three knew the significance of that iron figure and its exact location in the church.

A new thunder toured the peaks of the village in the town of Zarza Capilla.

Who are you? Show yourself!. The elderly man exclaimed to the Priest with a tone of voice that rumbled like if it was about a full blast in the homily.

The density of the fog would make it difficult for the light of the exterior to come out; however, the Parish was capable of appreciating the figure of a person under the entrance of the sacristy doorjamb, even if it was impossible to distinguish the features of his face.

"He thought he was abandoning chiesa. I am sorry that I bothered you."

That voice, a young tonality with a marked Italian accent, baffle him even more.

What do you look for in a humble church?

"I think that you already know it Father. Even against darkness, I have noticed that you have looked to the l’altare and you have seen the figure storia conoce bene you know well. La mia intenzione, my intention was to pick it up and leave, without creating any problems, problemi.

What do you know about her? Who has revealed to you the place where she was hidden?. The Parish Priest asked with a certain tone of desperation in his voice.

"Father, you are losing time perde tempo asking questions that I already know ya conosci. Keep out from the altar dall’altare and let me take what I have been looking for. Maybe the Lord still doesn’t claim your soul la sua alma.

Before the imminent threat that he just received, the old Priest started to comprehend that he wouldn’t avoid the strange visitor, younger and stronger than him, he couldn’t get away with it, without placing the same resistance, he chose to get away from that place. However, going down the staircase would take him to the central ship of the temple, a new lightning illuminated the dark firmament. The radiance sneaked in again through the windows situated in the laterals of the presbytery and during some instants, the eyes of the old Priest Parish could observe the face of the man: it was then when he comprehended that God would have him soon by his side.

He could had tried to escape, but he decided to stay and stand up near the first benches, while he would observe the shadow that would come rapidly towards him. Immediately, he felt a cold metal leaf that was penetrating his belly, prey of a sharp pain that would come from his entrails, he fell over the icy ground of the church.

He died instantly, the only witnesses of his agony were the multiple lightnings and thunders throughout that winter night, they downloaded their fury on the town of Zarza Capilla.

Year 1953

Mount of Olives.

Jerusalem.

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Looking for some minutes of rest, he decided to sit over the stone wall that would delimitate the portion of the land of the congregation in the Olive Mount.

He looked like it would happen in each occasion where I had the privilege to find himself, he went to the Valley of Cedar to stop and perch over the enigmatic city that he had in front, and he shuddered when he remembered certain events that throughout history and that had happened in the narrow alleys that would shape his horizon.

And she would say it was one of the most ancient cities on earth; even if it was for him, with no doubt, the most important of all; not in vain, it was the most important of all; one of the three monotheist religions -Judaism, Christianism, Islam, were considered sacred.

He stopped his regard over the golden sparkle that was emitted by the Rock Dome, and he looked at it slowly, the emblematic sanctuary to where the first Muslims directed their prayers and where the beliefs, of the Prophet Mahoma ascended to the heavens, accompanied by Angel Gabriel. Precisely, he reflected, that symbol of the Muslims religion, which had been constructed in the same place, even the I cycle came to the great temple of King Salomon; destiny and at the same time, Jewish prayers.

Continuing with the same ritual that he always did, and giving access to an excellent watchtower, he looked away towards the ancient Jewish tombs that would mark the occidental part of the hill, at the same time that he would observe how the header of all of them was coming towards where he was. That strange coincidence was not casual, well as the prophecy of Zachary would say, that place would start by the resurrection of the dead, when the Messiah would return to Israel.

How many points of union would the religions possess- he thought-, how much the differences would separate them and generate suffering.

However, there was something that in that city captivated him to the unsuspected limits, caused by the most important prophet and his suffering, who died and resurrected —the Messiah—; the one he had entrusted his life since the moment that he had decided to be part of the Order of the Minor Friars, better known as Franciscans.

He remembered how his vocation had started when he was very young, when he got to the conclusion that Jesus was his savior, and that of his brothers, believers or not believers, having confused or not their religion. Knowing that some meters where he was, Jesus had cried bitterly while he would anticipate the uncertain future that would wait in that holy city, it would make him flinch in a certain way that would turn out impossible to avoid, he would feel the creeps just to think about those thoughts. That is why, in that precise place where the Master cried, the Franciscan Order had projected to construct a church that would reminisce the tears of Christ.

He had in his mind the blueprints that he had been working on with Father Barluzzi, and he congratulated himself for the beauty and the simpleness of the finish in form of a tear that the brother wanted to construct. A great success, he affirmed. I wouldn’t had imagined a better offer for the son of God; and precisely him, like the one in charge of previous works for the foundation of the church, he was so happy to participate in that gift. He couldn’t feel better.

Dominus Flevit, he said it in a whisper that went away pushed by a light breeze that would caress his body, at the same time that it would heal the temperatures of dawn, that the incipient summer would bring. - The Lord cried. He translated for himself.

Brother Roman!, Brother Roman! does screams that would come from the place where the excavations where taking place, they stole him from his immersed thoughts.

Brother Roman, come and see this!

With more pain than satisfaction, he lifted his buttocks from the wall where he was sitting, and after sending a last look to the wonderful views that had accompanied him for the last minutes, he ascended the scarce twenty-five meters that would separate him from that place, where a group of workers would swirled around a bulldozer that, for some motive, had stopped drilling the ground.

‘’Look, brother Roman" A young friar named Munoz interpellated, and who he had taken over his protection in the Holy Land. Look what I had found in the ground.

Not giving credit to what his eyes were seeing, the Friar saw how around the open hole in the land, multiple reduced sized cavities were left uncovered; and how the interior remains where now is the exterior, from the holes we could appreciate various sarcophagi stones.

Don’t touch anything! He exclaimed aloud to assure that all the workers had heard. It looks like a real old funeral chamber, each hole that you are seeing is a «kokin»."

Kokin? Asked one of the workers.

Kokin is a Hebrew word that is used to define the holes where the ancient would introduce the ossuaries. Brother Munoz answered, showing off his own language. Anciently, when a person would die, their relatives would let the body decompose, during several years in caves or similar places, to then deposit later the ossuaries bones, like those you can appreciate.  

It’s a cemetery another of the workers affirmed.

It looks like it We have bumped into an ancient cemetery; they will have to use the excavator for several days. We will have to continue by hand very carefully. Even, before anything, I need to photograph the finding" Brother Roman interfere, congratulated by the progress, that his young apprentice had accomplished, while he was directed to the vehicle that he would use daily from the Flagellation Monastery to the piece of land situated on the hillside of the Olive Mount that the Franciscan Order had acquired the previous century.

After coming back with his Ferrania Ibis 44, acquired with a lot of effort some years before in Milan, the returned to follow those steps and immortalize the found remains from the possible different angles.  

Next, and once the camera had been placed in a safe place, he jumped to the interior of the open cavity, and he started to inspect the land with a relative wall detention, that made up the main chamber of that tomb. Suddenly, his eyes stopped with a symbol that was known for him. With great care he eliminated the rest of the dust which came out from the movement of the earth that was deposited over the stone, and after some brief seconds a drawing of a fish appeared carved in a rock.

It’s an ancient Christians tomb He managed to pronounce it; despite of the knot he was having in his throat.

Christians? One of the workers asked. In the Christian Cemeteries we find crosses, not fish.

Father Roman was not bothered, he kindly answered, immersed in the Discovery that they had just made, he left some seconds needed so that Father Muñoz would answer, he was behaving like the student that doesn’t stop lifting his hand to question.

This fish is denominated «Ichtus». The first Christians adopted the fish symbol like a mark of a secret sign to distinguish themselves from other believers, and to point some meeting places, so that way they could be secure during the hard persecutions by the Romans. When they were near strangers, and they didn’t know who to trust, they would draw an arch in the sand; next, the stranger would draw the other half of the arch making the form of a fish, to communicate that he also was a Christian.

The use of the cross was much later Father Roman added without taking out his sight from the remains located around. It’s estimated that it was exceeding the II cycle.

Since that instant, he was conscient of the Discovery of the ancient Christian cemetery, that was supposed to be a sudden change in the initial already predicted. The machinery was not used anymore and all the work, just as it had been announced minutes before, was going to take form in a manual way. That would suppose the construction of the Dominus Flevit church that was going to be delayed; however, the importance of the finding required it.

***

Following the new work plan, the workers were extracting with special care the land and the stones that had occupied the grave, while Father Roman, helping Brother Muñoz, supervised the works from the exterior and at the same time he would observe the funeral chamber that it would show the primal structure.

He was conscient that the job would take some weeks more, it would all depend of the quantity of remains that would be found and the total measures of the grave; it was because of that, and coming to a point, he chose to stop the excavation to start and extract, one by one, the ossuaries of stone that were being seen. The rest would wait to successive days.

If I get just a little rest, he was taking notes of the peculiarities that characterized each of them, while they were gathering them in a near zone from the excavation.

He observed how all of them possessed dimensions that were very similar; between fifty centimeters long by twenty-five of wide and thirty of height. Some were showing stars and others carved drawings in stone, the majority possessed cravings in Hebrew names of people who lived there.

They extracted from a kokin three ossuaries. Their heart was alerted at the same time that a chill passed through his spine, when he finished the translation of the names from the cravings —Martha, Maria and Lazarus—. He knew that the findings couldn’t be a coincidence —he taught about it, overwhelmed by emotion. With all security, he had in front of him the remains of Lazarus, the friend of Jesus resurrected from the death, as well as his sisters. The brother of Muñoz couldn’t stop his tears.

It was late in the afternoon; it was then when he comprehended that the extracted ossuaries till that moment couldn’t be left with no protection to the coming of another day. The quantity payed to the black market for those type of discoveries was very high payed. Also, he thought about several workers as witnesses, in some hours half of Jerusalem would know what was found in the Olive Mount.

Mr. Matter required the attention of the foreman that would direct the crew of workers, come to the Monastery of Flagellation and deliver this note to Father Pizzabala.

The sun of that day started to disappear when the workers extracted the last of the ossarious that was found visible. In the same way it was done by the above, he started to level it. He captured its measures over the notebook that he had used during that workday and he started to translate the name in Hebrew that had been sculped in stone.

"Simon Bar Iona" read in low tone. (In 1953, in a place where actually we find the church of Dominus Flevit in Jerusalem, we found an ancient Christian cemetery. In one of the ossuaries found we could read in Hebrew the description «Simon Bar Iona»). A shivering covered the environment, at the same time that his gaze was looking for Brother Muñoz—. Simon, son of Jonas — He said this time. Quickly and to his memory he remembered the Gospel of Saint Matthew and referring to Peter, he would say: « And Jesus answered: Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonas, flesh and blood I won’t reveal it to you, but to my Father that is in the heavens». I don’t know if I could believe it. Could it be found in the tomb of Saint Peter?

Its experience as a specialized archeologist in that zone of the planet, it would tell him that it was little unlikely that those three words that had been used to design a determined person would be repeated in several occasions to appoint other people. We could add to that, he continued arguing, the fact that he was buried in that emblematic place, and under the symbol of Ichtus.

His hands were shaking while he tried to portray the notepad sheet, the features and details that he had seen from the last ossuaries brought up from the ground. At the same time, its mind couldn’t avoid directing itself to the Vatican caves located under the high altar in the Basilic of Saint Peter Rome. In that place, several years ago, some remains of ancient Christians had been found, and the researches that were taking place would try to confirm what part of does remains could be those of Saint Peter. Does researches were being promoted with special interest by the own Vatican curia, who would see with good eyes the confirmation of the bones from the First Holy Father, they rested under the basilic that had been raised in his honor. However, that rosary to which he was on his knees would mean two things: that really the apostle Peter didn’t die in the capital of the Roman Empire, crucified with the Christian belief of facing down and so it was reflected; and after his crucifixion in Rome, his remains were moved again to Jerusalem to receive sepulture.

He was feeling confused, he had the regret of haven’t chosen to find that finding. He wanted to banish the contradictory thoughts that would visit his mind, but it was impossible to get rid of the reality of the facts. The rests of the man nearer Jesus, the stone over where the Messiah had decided to erect his church, they were found at least fifty centimeters away from his hands.  

Without being able to avoid it, he lifted the slab of stone that would cover the stone coffin, then his eyes saw the human bones, that were placed in a perfect alignment one to the other. In one of the ossuaries extremes, he contemplated the skull of the dead man. His fingers, trembling, breed that skull at the same time that his body would shudder.

Suddenly, something called his attention. Under that cumulus of bones there seemed to be an unusual object, it was like an elongated cylinder. Very carefully he removed the bones remains, that were preventing from making a strange finding, until it became accessible. She examined it with detail, but without touching it. Brother Munoz would watch the scene just a meter away from the ossuaries. Its eyes, open wide, he also had seen that strange objects.

After watching him from all the possible angles, Father Roman came to the conclusion that it was about an ancient papyrus rolled over itself. With extreme precaution he touched the extremes, and he could prove the extreme dryness of it. If they tried to unroll it —he thought—, it could break in a thousand pieces, and its reconstruction would result very complicated. I should take it to the monastery to work over it with the adequate means and techniques. Next to the papyrus he appreciated also the existence of Ichtus of iron, both similar in dimensions and the rough fabrication. That ossuaries stayed in whole custody.

When the sunset had begun appearing behind the buildings of the Holy City, several members of the Franciscan Order came to that place to be in charge of the custody and the findings.

Once the place was assured, brothers Roman and Munoz, came near the ossuaries and saw the remains of Simon Bar Iona, they returned to the monastery of the Franciscans, near the station of Painful Way. Father Pizzabala was waiting anxiously for the coming.

***

As some weeks passed, and after some timely tests made by the Franciscans archeologists, one of the personal advisers of Pio XII would give the Holy Father a letter handwritten by Father Pizzabala, custodian of the Holy Land. Before the other tests made by the Franciscans archeologists, one of the personal advisors of Pio XII gave the Holy Father the written letter by Father Pizzabala, guardian of the Holy Land.

Our Hollines Pio XII:

Through this, and qualified by being responsible of the Holy Land, I have to make you aware of the findings, in this located place, in the sacred Mount of Olives, in the Holy City of Jerusalem, and as you know, it has been the place chosen by our order to build a church in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It was just a question of weeks, the works of cleansing were done so they could start the foundation of the referred church, our brothers have located an ancient Christian Cemetery that has been dated in the I cycle from the era of our Lord. In the tomb they found different ossuaries, between them some were buried near names that were so symbolic for us like, Martha, Maria and Lazarus. However, the most relevant finding, it motivates me to inform you personally, it’s an ossuaries with the same inscription in Hebrew «Simon, Bar Iona», and what is the same, «Simon, son of Jonas», and which remains have been dated over the year 60 to 80 in Jesus Christ’s era.

Our brothers that are archeologists think it exists a higher possibility that the pronounced remains are of Saint Peter the Apostle.

The pontiff looked up the writing that he would sustain between his hands, and without ending the reading, he directed himself to the personal assistant.

"The continuous constructions that are happening in Jerusalem, are leaving some multiple lighted tombs from the ancient Christians. If we would let ourselves by the names of each tomb and the possible conjectures that they could extract, there would come a moment when the crazy would affirm having found the rests of our Lord Jesus Christ. The tomb of Saint Peter must remain under the foundations, is the stone that sustains the walls, the excavations that are taking place in the subway, they soon will bring fruits, I am sure, the clues indicate this. The church can’t give fuel to that accumulation of theories and suspicions. It surprises me that the Franciscan brothers, always so faithful to their sacred obligations, pretend to give rise to such an indole and conjectures.  I understand that each order would like to possess the relics of any Saint in its power, apart from prestige and holiness, but Saint Peter, my first predecessor, is under the ground that we step on.  

"Our holiness, I would think the same thing as you, but it seems that, near the found rests, in the interior of the ossuaries, a papyrus appeared written in Hebrew and as translation is detailed in the second document remitted by Father Pizzabala.

Like a small movement, the Holy Father got rid of the first of the documents that would make up the letter, and he started to read the first words of the second page. 

Little by little, its gesture twisted, and his complexion got pale until it acquired a white tonality that related to the whiteness of its habits. A light tremor took his hands, at the same time that, in a slow and paused form, it would deposit the writing over the desk. It’s his left hand that covered his forehead and lightly reclined backward.

Do you feel good, your holiness?

"Yes..., don’t worry. This holy job never will give me surprises. Robert, those are sixty seven years, the ones that our Lord has giving me, and I believe that very little are the ones that I have left to serve him, but it will not be my papacy the one that will stand in history because it evicted Saint Peter from Rome.  Will you answer to father Pizzabala pointing the last clues found in the underground Vatican, they show that our apostle Peter rests under the basilica that has his name, and it’s the rock over the one the church is founded, just as our Lord announced it. Indicating the wishes of the Holy Father, and that we can’t feed theories, that can weaken our doctrines and dogmas, to many enemies already attacking us, it won’t be ourselves, who shot our own feet. Warn him to be abstained of giving publicity of the remains and facts that come with it, and that they pass unnoticed to the story. And referring to the papyrus found in the ossuaries, let it be immediately distrusted, he better make sure that there isn’t another copy.

It will be done like that your holiness.

And now leave me alone, I need to find peace and loneliness.

As soon as the assessor had abandoned the place, our Holiness made another two documents that would form the missive received from Jerusalem, and without preambles, he started to rip them in pieces that were very small.

Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

Archbishopric of Granada

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The Archbishopric of Granada was in a permanent state of nervousness because of one of the Priests from the archbishopric that he governed, when he would confess having the desire to make public the sexual abuses that he had been object in his seminarian stage. That type of evil that doesn’t come out to public light, it was threatening with stain stool the neat image that he possessed of the Catholic Church.

Everything had started two and a half years before, restless brooding, with the Holy Father Benedict XVI deciding to ask for forgiveness from to the victims of pedophilia that were in the bosom of the church. That decision —for him an error— had chained the major sequency of scandals that the sacred Institution was confronting. He was sure of the strategy and the denial that was taking place to that point by the members of the Curia who with respect to all cases of sexual abuse, it had been a correct election; not in vain, the Church was accustomed to be attacked in a continuous form, remaining calmed and faithful to those aggressions; it was enough for the Supreme Pontiff, to deny those facts for the accuser was ostracized, so the coming of the days could be forgotten. However, the fact that the Holy Father would recognize the impudent acts took place in the deepest breast of Christianity and made precisely an example of chastity and purity for the Church. If the pontiff would ask for forgiveness and the commission would recognize all does facts, he would recognize having made a very serious fault; and the existence would be admissible, the Church would lose power to be an example.

The incertitude that overlooked him would prevent him to stay seated, that is why he got out from the sofa of his office and he directed himself to the next window. In it he could see reflected a face with thick features and scarce hair. His brown small eyes were observed like pretending to scrutinize its own reflect.  The Priests —continuing ruminating—, they were men, and like them not to be tented by. The fact, the sexual practices that were taking place by members of the Church weren’t any secret; So much commotion? That Institution, after some immemorable times, had been like that, composed by sinner preachers; there had been