James Is My Name: The Sequel

By John G Pisarcik

The Roman Catholic Church had gone through a complete upheaval under the Pontificate of James.

It was no longer the largest Christian body. Many dioceses had broken off all relations with Rome due to the historic changes Pope James brought about.

Many good men and women lost their lives during the sixteen years of his reign. His final moves as Supreme Pontiff would seal his fate.

The question facing the College of Cardinals was who should replace this man that almost destroyed the church. Would the next Pope continue or reverse the policies of James?

The world and the Roman Catholic Church were not prepared for the person elected to sit on the Chair of Peter. A new face for a new time. The world press/TV headlines read the next day:

“ UNBELIEVABLE”.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638148470

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James Is My Name

The Sequel

John G. Pisarcik

ISBN 978-1-63814-846-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63814-847-0 (Digital)

Library of Congress Control No.: TXu 2-249-245

Copyright © 2021 John G. Pisarcik

All rights reserved

First Edition

All characters are fictional.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Table of Contents

Intrigue at the Vatican

Papal Audiences

Russia

A Guard’s Revelation

Attacks

Systemic Change and Fallout

Twilight Hours

Consistory Ruckus

New Cardinals Installed

Prologue

My birth name is George Writerson, but everyone today calls me Pope James. I was born in the United States of America and the first American elected to fill Peter’s Chair.

As of today, I have been Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church for fifteen years. I was elected when I was fifty-six years of age and just celebrated my seventy-first birthday last week.

I also have secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. During the years of my pontificate, it has taken more and more mobility away from me. My speech and ability to recall are now being affected by the disease.

Several years ago, the staff presented me with a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel that I named Rex or King since he was given to me on the feast of Christ the King. He is my ever-faithful companion and can often be seen lying next to my chair at the general audiences.

During these past years, I named the first woman a Cardinal of the Church. I allowed women to be ordained deacons and expanded the role of Patriarch to include other Christian denominations, like the Church of England, which has its first Patriarch in history.

Numerous attempts have been made on my life, and many innocent people have died due to those attempts. The latest was when I was on a state visit to England.

What follows may shock some readers, scandalize others, but it is what goes on at the Vatican and behind the scene. Many being revealed for the first time.

Chapter 1

Intrigue at the Vatican

After the assassination attempt on my life in England, I came home to the Vatican to rest and recuperate. I was not prepared for or ready to handle new revelations brought to me by the Commandant of the Swiss Guard and the Inspector General of the Vatican police and security.

It was on my second day back that my priest secretary Msgr. Inzo Palmero received a call from them that they needed a private meeting with me as soon as it could be arranged. Whenever a closed session is requested, two things become apparent. First, it is of utmost importance. Second, 99 percent of the time, the matter is not good news.

I asked Msgr. Inzo to schedule the meeting to be held in the papal apartment, rather than me going down to my official office. My legs are still weak, and I tend to lose my balance and fall even when using the cane.

When Commandant Karlsson and Inspector Lamont arrived, their faces were bleak. I invited them to sit in the parlor and explain to me what was so urgent. Inspector Lamont spoke for both of them when he informed me that they believed sinister activities were taking place behind the scenes. I interrupted him to say this was starting to sound like an evil movie plot and what in heaven’s name were they talking about.

The Inspector reminded me how, over the centuries, foreign governments had planted spies within the Vatican. Sometimes they were lay people working for us. Still, in most situations, they were priests, bishops, or cardinals holding positions of authority within the Vatican bureaucracy’s workings. It could be for knowing what was being planned regarding our relations with different governments. Or gaining access to the Vatican’s finances, plots against the reigning Pontiff to stealing critical documents that are sealed in the Vatican Apostolic Archive. Pope Francis, in 2019, had the name changed from the Vatican Secret Archive to better clarify what is contained in the vaults. The Vatican has preserved documents from the eighth century to the present day. It allows scholars the opportunity of studying the original copies.

During the war years, this was very much the case. Governments wanted to know the extent that Popes were supporting one side over another. As in the Second World War, for example, to what degree did we shelter members of the Jewish community in our houses of religious congregations or institutes?

What they told me next even took my breath away for the moment. There was a plot in the works that would do immeasurable harm to the church. The first part was the removal of documents from the Apostolic Archives. They wanted to expose to the world the cover-up of clergy sex abuse cases and the mismanagement of finances, which has been an ongoing problem.

The second part was even more devastating. It revolved around the destruction of St. Peter’s Basilica itself. Long seen as the symbol of the Vatican and of the papacy, the mere thought of Michelangelo’s masterpiece being brought to rubble was more than my mind could comprehend. The one thing I knew was that it was not going to happen while I occupied the Chair of Peter.

I wanted to know how far along these plans were and how many people were involved, neither of which did they have an answer for me at this time! The Vatican security works with Interpol, the Intelligence agencies of many European governments, South American, African, and the United States. Multiple agencies had notified us that there was great chatter taking place. It all revolved around plots to destroy this papacy and the Roman Catholic Church. None had a clear picture, but each lets us know what they were picking up to give a heads-up and warning of what could be coming.

Naturally, I wanted to know if any of our heads of the Curia or central government of the Vatican were involved. I was told that both of them believed it reached that level. Who would betray the church and me in such a fashion? Many of these people I appointed to their positions. Could it be one of them, someone I thought I had their loyalty and knew?

Second, I could not imagine, without a bomb being dropped on top of St. Peter’s, how it could be reduced to rubble. Apparently, if dynamite is placed at precisely the right places, you can bring any building down within seconds. Saint Peter’s is one of the best-guarded buildings in the world. It also has security cameras that are always keeping watch over it. I could not imagine how all these explosives could be placed without anyone seeing it take place. I was assured that somebody could do it. There was scaffolding all over the inside of St. Peter’s for the restoration work that is being done right now. Like the Sistine Chapel that just finished a multimillion-dollar restoration of Michelangelo’s painting, now work was being done to the Basilica interior. Years of accumulated soot from candles and incense were being removed from the statues, walls, and frescos that adorn the basilica’s interior. After hearing this, I could see that it was capable of possibly being done right before our eyes. Sometimes the most effective means of doing something evil is to do it right in front of everyone. You see workers climbing up and down scaffolds all day long, carrying up supplies or whatever. After a while, no one pays any attention to them, and everyone just goes on about their business.

Now getting documents from the Vatican Apostolic Archives is another story. They are in a vaulted area of the Vatican Library. There are very few people who have direct access to it. Not even the Pope has that. When I want to see something contained in them, I send word down to the library. The vault is opened in others’ presence, the documents removed, signed out for, and brought to me. I could not fathom how someone would get into them and find the section where the papers they wanted were kept and get out before being noticed and arrested unless they had inside assistance.

Both Karlsson and Lamont affirmed everything that could be done was being done, but that I should be aware that one or both of these horrific plots could occur before we found out who was involved.

I ordered them to elicit the services of the specialized branches within the Roman police department to join forces in trying to determine who and when. Since we are a sovereign nation, Rome’s police cannot work within the Vatican unless invited. That invitation has to come from my office, and I have just given permission for it to begin as soon as possible. I also told them that I would personally call the Prime Ministers of England, Germany, Japan, Israel, Canada, and the President of the United States of America and ask them to assist us. They both thanked me for offering, and we’re sure information would