A Touch of God - Gold & Betrayal

By Michael A Kelly

History, Religion, facts, faith, truth consequences - They all weave a mosaic of intrigue in this international thriller, that starts from America to Europe and even Tasmania Australia. Jack is an ex-military man and a highly ranked scholar in the fields of theology and ancient languages. Though he is frequently at odds with many of the Catholic Church's teachings, he accepts an invitation by the Vatican to examine ancient texts that may or may not provide important information about the New Devotion. A secret society that has long fascinated him. Soon with his brilliant assistant Zoe they become involved in brain deep dusty research, murder attempts, torture and more. Hidden agendas proliferate as do potentially lethal interlopers, such as the CIA, an American Senator's henchmen, includingt terrorists and even the mafia. If you want to follow our Hero in one of the greatests treasure hunts ever....KEEP READING.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Feb 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669889595

Book preview

The Final and Edited Copy of

Manuscript Comm…11th Nov 2022

I ndiana, USA, 9 p.m.: A bleak, rainy night thrust its needles of freezing rain down on the prestigious campus of the Notre Dame University, the very home of everything Catholic. This esteemed institution, considered to be the traditional Ivy League pillar of learning for everything religious outside the Vatican, sometimes harboured dark secrets. The university, internationally recognised as a stalwart pillar of academia, was said to hold within its archives many challenging facts pertaining to all religions by way of contradictions and contradictory statements to current scripture.

Recorded history was said to be held back to keep Christianity stable, making mankind oblivious to the true meaning of walking in the shoes of the Fisherman. Hence, Notre Dame was seen as a leading collective authority on theology, highly respected across all Christian denominations. Pride in its alma mater was a landmark quality set into its scholars, who sought to never compromise their seeking of academic correctness against pressured influences. However, a small pocket of its academics, dedicated as one to maintain their lust for truth, sometimes stirred the pot by questioning some of what they conceived as political interference in the presentation of doctrine.

Overtly on this night within its hallowed walls, it hosted a meeting of strange bedfellows seated in an area off the main library. Two male figures sat facing each other in a semi-darkened office; the subject of their discussion clearly displayed a high level of tension. Expressions charged with visual annoyance were setting on the landscape of their faces like ridges of granite with lips narrowed, eyebrows dancing like angry worms above glaring eyes. It was an atmosphere poised for a scene of combat, it would seem, with each man clearly displaying mutual annoyance with the other. One could consider a common factor as a Palaeolithic reaction to each block of words communicated between them, fluctuating both with volume and intensity.

The younger of the two was a tall man of athletic stature, set just to glare reactively as if desperate to intercept the words flowing towards him, ready, it seemed, to throw back a rebuff not at all necessarily in a polite manner. The other combatant was well into middle age, dressed in a neat tailored black suit sporting a crimson dickey front topped with the familiar white reverse collar – a prebendary sent with a message.

This man of the cloth seemed incensed that the advice he was set to deliver was so easily argued against by the person it was meant to influence. It was obvious that the intensity and stress of what he was delivering lifted his blood pressure as the veins on his nose filled to their capacity, capillaries expanding with the fluid of life, almost making his nose shine luminously in the semi-darkness.

The monsignor’s (as was this person) lips retreated to a thin, clenched line at the end of each sentence as if set in anticipation of another contradictive reply to the proposals he was putting forwards. It was an abnormal situation, one might say, that a senior leader with the potential of an appointment to the ranks of bishop, a true doyen of the church, was agitated, debating vigorously to gain positive reaction. His adversary, a theology professor, was obviously following a different line of thought.

Truly, a strained situation spun its web, lifting annoyance between the two protagonists, each locked in a mental wrestle, trying to gain some capitulating hold on their personal argument on whether the tradition of knowledge of any religious consequence currently discovered should see the Vatican to be first evaluated. The Mother Church had always had a policy to filter its contents in a manner suitable to ensure the faithful were given direction, not confusion.

The monsignor’s combatant in this debate was indeed a theological scholar of high standing, one Jack MacInnes; although a Catholic, he was not prepared to capitulate to the hypotheses being put forward. His opinion was directly opposite to his opponent, firmly defending his position that any knowledge researched and found to be of intellectual importance should be presented for all Christianity to assess its worth. His firm belief was that the archaeological history of Christendom hidden away over the millennia, regardless of its opinions or versions of true history, should be introduced upon its discovery into an open forum. His belief was that, once accuracy and confirmation of its authenticity was confirmed, all should be made available to allow full openness of debate in assessing its true value and meaning for mankind.

There was a strange quirk that sometimes flashed through MacInnes’ mind, precipitated by the mix-up of views across Christianity in general or, in fact, religion by any name. For each continued to present conflicting views on interpretation to suit their brand of elected denomination. ‘We have always been taught about the absolute infallibility of God,’ he would often mention before adding a conclusion that annoyed the monsignor. ‘God probably thought it a good idea at the time to create what he no doubt saw as a simple path leading man to eternity but one which, I see, has fallen slapdab on the seat of its pants when handed over to mankind!’

It was a sarcastic comment, one may assume, for MacInnes, by nature, was never one to hold back to avoid conflict. He had spent just over a decade in the Australian Army with a SAS unit assigned to attend mopping-up operations within the conflicts in Iraq and Iran and the Israeli border with Lebanon.

Obviously not sharing any part of this view was one Monsignor Murray, acting in his role of representing the Vatican. His point of argument, unanimously agreed on by of the College of Bishops, was to drop a code of silence on further research that was contradictory to the current teachings of the Mother Church.

The opinions expressed to MacInnes by Murray were developed as critique on a series of what the college considered to be disruptive papers and articles written by MacInnes, summarising his research into the early centuries of the Catholic Church, not holding back its internal conflict of presenting Jesus as the simple and effective pathway of faith. Thus, intellectuals frustrated and in disagreement formed a fellowship known as devotio moderna (DM, ‘new devotion’). This very point was the reason for Murray’s intervention.

The monsignor’s opening foray of words was anything but convivial, spat forth at MacInnes with apparent frustration. ‘For shit’s sake, Jack!’ declared Murray. ‘You are missing the point to all intents and purposes, so shut up and listen to me, for I need to put it to you bluntly. For starters, the College of Cardinals feels that you have not done the church nor yourself any favour by putting out into the open discussion on the DM, dragging them back into public exposure, giving fresh oxygen to an extinguished fire. Why the hell didn’t you just let it go? Mainly, may I add that it’s on record that devotio moderna became extinct as far back as the thirteenth century. And believe me, that’s the safest place to let them be in.’

Murray paused, using the moment to try to gain from any facial expression being offered by MacInnes if he was digesting any part at all of what he was trying desperately to convey. The look displayed to Murray was definitely not in confirmation of his argument. MacInnes saw the whole topic of attempted discipline as boring humdrum; he considered it as no more than the usual dribble so often proposed by most leaders of Christian denominations of ‘best let sleeping dogs lie’ and leave the current view developed from archival records stand. Their opinion was that a new reformation for the Christian churches was not needed, and interpretation of history was always open to multiple conflicting views and an extension of confusion.

Thus, Murray’s intention was clear, delivering the synod’s conclusions, indicating to Jack to drop the devotio moderna thing. However, despite this summation, a major point sitting squarely in Jack’s mind was the mystical stories about this fellowship and their custodianship of extraordinary religious relics said to have been linked directly to Jesus. Legend offered the point that they vanished along with a fabled fortune of Knights Templar possibly stored for safety in the Rhine district of Germany when the knights fled to England, said to be during a point when the Templars were pursued by the forces of Louis of France and the Vatican armies. This area of shady history Jack found extremely interesting, and he longed to research the legends surrounding it. Currently, a tense situation had developed, spawned in part by a set of innocuous lectures and papers presented for those of like mind by MacInnes.

‘Unproven information, all rubbish’, Murray pontificated. ‘Stuff like this thrown around with gay abandonment with no absolute proof could only spawn real trouble for all dominations of Christianity.’

For all the reasons being suggested by Murray, it was clear the church felt the need to intervene and vet any open debate on matters it considered sacrosanct, something MacInnes detested; but for the sake of his job, he finally succumbed and reluctantly agreed to toe the line. Clearly, the bishop’s aim was not to allow any disruptive forms of contradiction in open debate on unproven and uncompleted research to be introduced without vetting.

Very obviously, within the conclave of bishops, there was an undertow of dislike for MacInnes’ radical views that sometimes clashed with current philosophy. They needed MacInnes’ skills as one of the world’s most respected translators of ancient languages. Still, grumbling echoed within the council, posing questions that offered them no pleasantries in planning to hold MacInnes to toe the line. So by appointing Murray to stick close to him, they reflected the old saying of ‘Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies even closer.’ This line of thinking was reasoning for MacInnes to not be stood aside at the university, a philosophy used well by the church, not wanting to let a maverick go to where they had no control. Thus, by doing this, it was easier to keep an eye on his work. Judging by Murray’s attempts at intervention, it was clear that this was the rule of thumb that had been decided on.

At this point of their meeting, MacInnes could hold back no longer, cutting Murray off mid-breath, setting him back on his heels by asking in a forceful tone, ‘Look, Mons, how about you cut to the chase? If you have been sent here to nail me onto a cross, get on with it! Or if you really do have something new sitting in your agenda, spit it out, for I’m sick of prattling over old ground.’

These words delivered by MacInnes really set in place a pregnant pause. He stared straight at Murray’s face, knowing full well that the bucket he had just tipped hit its mark. Very obviously, Murray now had nowhere to go other than risk MacInnes walking out and the discussion he was meant to have not being delivered.

Clearly, MacInnes very obviously was not the synod of American bishops’ most favourite son as, from the time of his appointment, he had always rattled their nerves. He was a man zealous in his approach to progress with new-found knowledge, never fearful of presenting new-found facts into open debate. He loved specialising in exposure of so-called secretive societies, especially those that had so stealthily worked to influence mankind skilfully and clandestinely against strong opposition throughout the ages.

The current annoyance of MacInnes stirring the pot at this time was some unwanted exposé in papers on his latest subject in which he referred to the current existence of some previously unknown facts about devotio moderna. His offering was that it was founded by disgruntled intellectual clerics within the church during the Dark Ages and was joined in force by many of the Illuminati discussed in the politics of Rome in those troubled times.

With a very audible sigh, Murray started up again. ‘All right’, he started, his face set with the sternest look Jack had ever seen. ‘I’m here to request your help in some matters that are causing great concern for the Mother Church, matters, may I add, vital to the stability of Christianity. Information from the Vatican secret service has partly found indicators that within the highest components of our banking and administration, there could be sleepers or even active agents of a certain secret society affecting or influencing the private operations or decisions within the church’s management. We believe they intend to plant complex, mixed agendas into areas where they are not warranted.’

This challenge was right up Jack’s alley, something he liked to get his teeth into; although itching to say something, he bit his lip and remained silent, hanging on to what the mons would come out with next.

‘What I need to tell you, Jack, is that some of our theologians were given access to the most secret files held within the Vatican’s most secure vaults, the reason being to find out how the DM had set themselves up in these present times. Notably, it’s said to conceal agents within our Catholic framework. I make the point that how come not even one of the slimy bastards has ever come forwards and spilt the beans on their fellowship’s activities nor betrayed or left even the slightest clue of how they have continued to operate over so many centuries? This is what we need to know and why you have been asked to help.’

Continuing further, he added, ‘Would you not assume that someone sometime would have become disgruntled enough to fall out with their philosophies, come forward, and spill their guts? That, my friend, is the million-dollar question we hope you may uncover.’

‘Let me cut in here,’ interrupted Jack. ‘I get the message that your jolly little scribes hit brick walls when trying to break the intricate codes used by the DM. Is that close to the facts? Hence, the boys in crimson have become a bit desperate and sent you to proposition me, as a last-ditch chance with my expertise in coding and ancient languages, to now come on board, cap in hand. How’s that sound for starters?’

‘Thanks,’ came the reply from Murray. ‘Was I really that transparent? For a fact, Jack, the church really needs your expertise as there are internal pressures of maintaining image, and protection of its values to help maintain Christ’s message of redemption to the world exactly as Jesus intended is the most important charter assigned to all Christian denominations. Please think it over. You will be given unrestricted access to our most secret archives, something no layperson has ever been granted to view ever before. I emphasise for these points alone that we really do need your skills. If you answer in the affirmative, I will give you a full brief of what we are looking for and the reasons why I have made this approach.

‘As to why the Mother Church is now prioritising information on devotio moderna, it seems the fellowship has gathered steam and grew to a point where it is now a competitor for souls. No doubt, for that very reason, Rome set about disembowelling the whole organisation, failing dismally, one could assume. As you know, a secret group started up as the Brethren of the Common Life, later to be renamed as devotio moderna. Sadly, the church’s response was to institute immediate violent retribution in the form of inquisitions of contemptible, masochistic terror, using unspeakable torture as the main tool to hold control with cruelty and fear.’

Thus, it was implied by Murray that MacInnes had resurrected the whole Thomas à Kempis conundrum and leaked some of his research without approval. He really had let a fox loose in the hen house.

MacInnes (Jack to his friends) specialised in ancient Hebrew, Latin, and Saxon languages along with several dialects of Aramaic (the language used by Jesus). He was also fluent in Haftarah and most languages spoken and written in those times. He experienced great success with his outstanding ability of decoding their complicated, enigmatic codes using his acquired skills developed and honed as a cryptologist in the Australian Army. Since leaving the army, his studies centred on the Catholic Church and its dramatic history, intrigued by its powerful political influence in the period of the Dark Ages. His reviewing unlocked veiled information suggesting that a Christian group formed in those tremulous times, the Brethren of the Common Life, later to become known as devotio moderna, developed as a thorn in the side of Rome.

After being exposed to the development and philosophies of this fellowship by reading through some of Kempis’ works, MacInnes stumbled on some clues that made him believe that the DM was still, indeed, in existence and, in fact, flourishing.

Further clues alleged that within their keeping were artefacts and relics claimed to have been linked directly to Jesus Christ himself. Such suggestions lifted the level of his curiosity, exciting his investigative gases beyond belief. To any theologian, this was an offer too good to refuse. Another bonus he discovered was they were said to hold ancient scrolls along with volumes of letters many said to have been written by contemporaries of Christ accompanying him within his day-to-day activities.

What a coup it would be to get hold of original documents compiled by true witnesses to Christ’s time and mission on the earth. He believed that, somewhere, there existed records unedited and unaltered of Christ’s sermons and miracles by those accompanying him within his daily life, those living in the footsteps of the Son of God himself, recorded from personal on-site viewing and not hand-me-down, distorted Chinese whispers. If correct, one must admit that such items may provide contradiction to current scripture and prove to be dangerous by highlighting the common bounds of religious interpretation as being over-exaggerated or perhaps slightly twisted.

It was not all that hard to believe as some of the tripe being handed out by conservative denominations of the Bible-bashing type could be best described as over-the-top fearmongering for religious pickpocketing. The summary of such information brought forth by MacInnes within the publishing of his research had now produced a ripple effect right through the university, drawing attention from the College of Cardinals. MacInnes received unsigned messages suggesting that the world did not need to have fuel added to the fire of confusion within Christian denominations. Also, it warned that it may be wise to let judgement of such myths remain undebated, especially in current troubled religious times.

But now it seemed from this visit by Monsignor Murray that there had been a complete about-face. MacInnes, being no fool, felt the pull of a strong undertow trying to pull him into deeper water as he was well aware that the previously assigned theologians sent in by the college were unable to unravel the complexities of their ancient secrets which included any information that might expose the workings of devotio moderna. Obviously, all their efforts had floundered. Hence, here they came, cap in hand, to seek his help and throw open to their not-all-that-favourite son access to long-held secret material.

No doubt, there existed some back-burner thoughts within the cardinals’ conclusions that they might like to get hold of that which they conceived was once rightly the church’s exclusive property. Also, no doubt, within their thoughts was a secretive liking to get their hands on any fabled treasure if its existence could be proved and found. However, Murray still held an ace, for he knew full well MacInnes’ ego couldn’t resist taking up this sort of challenge.

A starting point of this whole project started when MacInnes had stated within his papers that the fellowship’s objectives centred on the point of seeing the directives coming from Rome in those times as those of an authoritative dictatorship simply building an empire of earthly greed linked with depravity to aid submission and control of the populace. Some pontificated messages to the faithful circulating then were not exactly what Jesus absolutely intended for mankind but instead manipulated for personal gain. They chose with deliberate intention not to follow a path based on Jesus’ direct, simplistic teachings; the gentle, God-loving path that Jesus originally offered was not all that digestible to Rome at that time.

Sadly, those dark years had drifted away from those wanting to travel the path of a life after death in the manner Jesus intended. Thus, the interpretation by devotio moderna was much closer to that which Christ offered in his teachings than those portrayed in the Gospels written so many years after his death. As a result, many intellectuals felt an alternative path was needed by those either fearing or resenting how Rome operated in that period.

Devotio moderna, as a Christian alternative, saw its major development grow when directed secretly by a German monk named Thomas à Kempis, who developed a line of teaching for his devotees offering a more direct way to travel the path to eternal life. But this simplistic approach he preached to their followers soon drew papal attention and anger. Thus, it would seem the finality and consequence of their literal presentation of Christ’s Word saw both Kempis and his followers fall foul of the church. This was mainly because he included within his views encouragement for devotees to defy the tyrannical authority practised with so much fervour in those fearful times along with its applied ‘heavenly taxes’.

He preached strongly against the debauched monarchies that so strongly controlled Rome. Thus, like so many other reformists, Kempis suddenly found himself and his group of followers set up for annihilation. Hence, a move for self-preservation saw them setting up to become a secret underground fellowship with real secrets. Despite centuries of being hunted, they had somehow survived, although opinion grew that they were believed to have been exterminated.

Somehow in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Kempis’ legacy of heartfelt religious literature forced its way back into seminary life. Especially, it would seem that his teachings in Ireland were carried forward, led by faithful members bound to its code. MacInnes had found conclusive proof that Ireland’s main seminary, Carlow College (1930s up to and beyond the time of the twentieth century), when chaired by its president Daniel Mannix (who insolently just happened to end his priesthood as archbishop of Melbourne, Australia, just over a short stretch of water from the island of Tasmania), considered his views on Ireland becoming a total republic and separate from Britain. It caused concern within Westminster. Obviously, there was a move made by the British; Mannix was, as they’d say, exported to Australia on board a British battleship for good measure. It was rumoured that he still oversaw the seminary, guiding its itinerary from a distance. He introduced a required common practice for the seminarians to read Kempis’ works The Imitation of Christ, Prayers and Mediations on the Life of Christ, and On the Passion of Christ as an every-morning prerequisite before Mass and lessons. This practice was obviously noted in Rome.

Understanding the current twenty-first-century fact that religion just does not only harvest souls but, as most know, also loves to bring in a good crop of the almighty dollar led one to assume it most essential to expand recruitment. For with numbers, there was the collection of tax-free wealth and political influence. All offshoots of organised religions sought a numerical force to advance their agendas subtly and quietly, geared always to advance persuasion over the political and social layers of society.

The original platform of all religions, to this day, continued to set their traditional goals aimed at recruiting supporting souls in as large numbers as possible, some with the pacifist philosophies of Christ, others using brainwashing tactics with loose translations from the Old Testament in the form of ‘fire and brimstone’ preaching. It was a passionate and brainwashing extravaganza with a heap of alleluia and ‘praise the Lord’ bellowed out at the end of each verse reading of the Bible, a method used to hold them as spiritual captives. Fire-breathing preachers hammered home the fear of hell to a point of mania, aiming to amalgamate them under an invisible bond by offering rituals along with high-voltage presentation.

It was always followed by a silent collection. We see them using with repetition their version of the scriptures. Hell was the punishment for failure to comply, pushing a view of fire, brimstone, and damnation. Their rhetoric was delivered with force, a consistent agenda presented in full favour of their church and its interpretation of scripture. Brainwashing at its best! Preachers with charisma hammered at their faithful followers to bind them in fear of trespass that would lead to eternal damnation should they question or try to leave. All was occurring in full face on TVs throughout the world to this very day. It was done, it may well be said, without a skerrick of conscience.

Some adding building blocks of drama and intrigue, they tell of false miracles and nominate unfit persons as saints, claiming them to be able to cure the sick, with God’s intervention passing through them. There was no stone left unturned to bind their masses in blind faith.

Within the early centuries of Christianity, Rome’s policy continued to overstep moral boundaries in its push for complete supremacy of the religious world. Their ruthless egos underestimated the populace, for as education advanced and the faithful enjoyed better levels of education, many laities disputed slanted handouts of interpretation. The following centuries saw masses beginning to split into different denominations of Christianity based on different interpretations. Disgruntled Christians made their moves throughout the Middle Ages, which saw the rise of the Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Methodist Protestant lines of churches along with a host of Christian Orthodox interpretations as nations grabbed their own brand of Christianity and religion.

In viewing the papers published by MacInnes, a few senior Christian officials right across the board speculated a ‘what if?’ scenario if they let him off the leash or what detrimental ramifications could beset their denominations if his hypothesis gained too much publicity. MacInnes was no fool, well aware of pressure being exerted by his university for him to tone down some of his hypotheses about simply imitating the life of Christ as a best form of redemption; he knew that to move forward, he had to compromise. History showed that man sought to organise his fellow beings into groups to gain control and power, with each cluster claiming to be the anointed one through whatever deity, universal object, or unseen god they could conjure up.

However, the conclusion reached by the combined denominations’ synod discussing the resurrection and appearances of Christ after his death confirmed the long-time scenario of saying that Christ ascended directly into paradise in heavenly perfection, leaving only his Word to guide the faithful as would be expected of the Son of God. They dismissed as a whole that any personal part or single possession of the Saviour would have remained on this earth, let alone survived without previous discovery to this day.

Their conclusions were based on the creditable fact that so many offerings of miraculous happenings such as bleeding statues and paintings oozing Christ’s blood had all been proved fake as religious charlatans twisted versions of the pathway to heaven. Modern DNA science can match blood samples to the exact person and race; even such revered items as the Shroud of Turin cannot prove their claims after scientific examination. So why were these claims of items held in care by devotio moderna authentic, which begged the saying ‘Put up or shut up’?

Finally, here they were, the major Christian dominations, requiring MacInnes and his outstanding intellectual skills in ancient languages and code breaking to come onside. You might say desperation had them hedge their bets each way and hope to control a part-time rebel. However, one factor they had rigidly decided on was the requirement that MacInnes pass on all credible findings for testing independently under their control before publishing or even making any public statements. This clause inserted into his brief was made abundantly clear. Their obvious intention was to put the onus on MacInnes to establish beyond all doubt their lineage and direct providence, backed with undeniable proof confirming that all claims about the fellowship and its current existence were just not made-up myths and that the authenticity of the legendary eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ everyday life was accurately recorded, not distorted to suit any agenda.

All up, he felt that the gaps in his research could be closed once given access to such hidden information that he believed had been stashed away within the Vatican’s secret vaults. He could not believe his luck; now out of left field, he had been given the chance to put up or shut up.

Information could lead to a trail of how the Knights Templar travelled through Germany when being pursued by Louis and his army. Jack was sure that the knights were aware that Kempis held sympathy and no love for Rome or France. The numerous rumours of the DM’s influence within many monasteries throughout Germany gave them a chance of support and offered them sanctuary, forming a secret caveat with Kempis to store at great personal risk their recovered treasures, no doubt bound under a sacred oath of trust until they could once again come back and reclaim them. The point, now centring on this unexpected offer to MacInnes by the Vatican, took him totally unaware.

It was true that the Vatican over the centuries had not found any academics with the skills of breaking the enigma-type codes set into place within many manuscripts, books, or parchments that were held within their vaults. Jack felt that therein lay the opportunity for him to challenge himself and help unravel such complex coded mysteries. For he thought it might prove to be a Pandora’s box of unexplored theology.

His studies over the years had exposed secrets of even the best skilled calligraphers and mathematicians had implanted in general text within manuscripts during those ancient times to prevent their own demise. So many secrets were hidden from unwanted eyes in the form of illustrations with dual meanings while others were encapsulated in literary or numerical codes within their works. Remaining suspicious, he maintained a gut feeling that the church was secretly desperate to find out all it could about such opposing organisations, past and present.

Those who not only survived persecution had set up clandestine, secret societies through the ages, planting agents in administrative areas of hierarchy within many dominations of Christianity, nations, and corporate businesses. But as a realist, he was painfully aware that this path of knowledge up until now had been closed to him. He had only dreamt of what was about to fulfil his lifelong ambitions.

Now apart from the value of untranslated religious history, there was the dangling carrot of the huge treasure of Templar gold said to be waiting for discovery! Paint a picture such as this, and a race would begin to see who can breast the tape first. The Vatican picked the right man; by soliciting MacInnes’ skills, they had the best chance of unlocking the past for better or worse, holding control over its outcome and a shiny bonus if legend was true.

Unwanted diversion could accelerate current dissention within the Christian bodies if this action leaked out. So as much as possible, all must be kept in house within the two major interests sponsoring it, Rome and the CIA, who between them currently seemed to constantly squabble over anything including current doctrine, let alone something with a jackpot attached.

From Rome’s point of view, any long-lost scrolls or manuscripts that came to light must be translated and kept in house until vetted by the College of Cardinals; in no way did they want to expose information that would add confusion and disbelief. Reasoning that any unproven controversial propaganda may pull even more people away from Christianity was not part of the agenda. Competition to convert those seeking eternal life outside the world of Christianity such as Scientology, Krista, or other strange cults was a priority.

Aware that his research was controversial, MacInnes knew he needed to tread carefully, for it was like swimming against a trillion-dollar tide of worldwide investments which, if not handled with care, may prove disastrous to the Western world if the Christian philosophy was fragmented by wild conspiracies set to confuse mankind in general. This scenario was something Jack’s moral beliefs would never allow; he never wanted his religion to be placed in such jeopardy, realizing full well he had to deal with the hue and cry of exposure with no more than a tight rope to walk on, a consequence of any whistle-blowing buffoon seeking self-gain to twist part or all of his hypothesis, especially on traditions and scriptures accurately relating directly to Jesus. It was something he would guard against with his life. Secrecy was absolute.

It is well known that registered religions offer a nice tax-free haven for many get-rich frauds, offering a tempting opportunity for crooks to set up tax-free high-volume enterprises operating under the guise of genuine religions. Therefore, he was aware of who could be deemed loose cannons associated with any ‘hellfire’ religion; he would need to take care not to give them any further oxygen to help them breathe more easily and snare more innocents into their webs.

His caveat was made clear by Murray that if he should find any undiscovered theology with the potential of challenging some current teaching or doctrine contrary to those now in practice, he would hold back until fully evaluated by a synod of combined denominations. Although that stuck in his craw a bit, Jack’s personal belief was that modern religions function well in their purpose of serving God for the overall good of mankind, but many religious high-flyers skilfully use false interpretation along with smoke and mirrors in their presentations to brainwash their flocks, hold them under a charismatic spell, and thus maintain their numbers whilst expanding their personal wealth, not exactly the way he believed Christ’s message to be.

MacInnes once mentioned in a lecture to senior students that if you stand back and take an unbiased look, you can see that most religions remain confident in their opinions and that most believe that the sensible way to hold the status quo together and on track is to maintain the unbroken wheel of current philosophy of not wanting to change what has been expounded as religious facts, distorted or not, over the ages. Even seeming under scrutiny to be a little shaky, they still work in holding the bulk of the faithful together. Reasoning adheres to logic that it has been proved that age-old rhetoric has offered security to the faithful when handed out in a long-proven manner, skilfully designed to hold their minds on course along the established road to redemption.

One famous quotation alleged to have been expressed by Kempis was, ‘Faith for everyone is free, but religion must be paid for.’ However, one must consider human nature being what it is and that being teased with the benefits of a mystical legend leading to a perpetual afterlife sometimes mixes up ethics and morals.

To those drawn into its labyrinth, such rumours are a true earthly temptation raising dollar signs imprinted on their retinas, helping set forth some devious ideas, ready to appear like a tiger stalking its prey. You don’t have to be Einstein to realise that despite trying to keep a lid on MacInnes’ activities to prevent any leakage of confirmation of his finding, the repository of the Templar gold, if it indeed does exist, will no doubt throw down a gauntlet, sparking unrest, whilst all sides set about fighting over who the rightful owners may be!

Everything aside, MacInnes set about with enthusiasm, preparing to grab with determination his chance to tilt at windmills and conquer the dragon. But as nature ordains to any inquisitive mind (and his was of no exception), there is nothing like the dream of finding a hidden treasure to stimulate one’s ego. Take it as it is; what may set out to be the honourable intentions of the white knights of the world often unintentionally spawn interest from deep within the underworld of the dark side. Time has proved that every good man, sometime in his life, does have a wild thought of dipping his toe into the bucket, but some have the strength to push that temptation aside. However, in this new-found age of cyberspace, sharing everything from accurate to unfounded conspiracy theories and wild stories abound, which beggar belief. Such shit floods the minds of web surfers with totally untested and uncensored gibberish mixed with unethical rhetoric and deliberate misinformation, which is their collective mantra. The reality is in their distorted beliefs and misguided interpretations abounding their ideological views such as the philosophy of ISIS. Either way, in these fragile times, religious zealots spawning their brainwashed followers into terrorism I’m sure is not the true will of Allah. Radicalisation and brainwashing have become tools of recruitment for terrorists and so-called religious prophets alike, leaving a bad taste of suspicion hanging over all religions, not just Islam.

One might liken its effect overall to a labyrinth drawing its victim toward its vortex, a black hole with no bottom. The ramblings surrounding MacInnes’ works saw intrigue and curiosity start to weave deadly patterns, worrying to say the least about what reaction and side effects it may produce. At this point, he was unaware that a background of curiosity was forming within some sects and external religions outside the recognised churches. Impudent attention was being given to negate the development of ultra-extreme fundamentalist Islam with fanatical interpretations of the Koran being pushed forward by such as groups like ISIS and the Taliban.

Rhetoric and radicalisation set about to distort the peace Islam carries within its beliefs to somehow replace it with hate and ruthless cruelty, something the Catholic Church tried in the years of the Reformation and Inquisition. It failed then and will again.

Financial radicalisation preached as accurate interpretation of the Koran demands no mercy, including torture and death to either fellow Muslims or infidels. Their total aim is attempting to tip the whole of Islam back to the seventh century.

Unknown to Jack, standing on the periphery of this bunfight, was a group of multiple players, each independent of the other but all set with one purpose, hell-bent on scheming how to use him as bait to lure the prophesised treasure out of hiding. To the detriment of his planned trip, the innocent intention of our pragmatist saw him still believing that any new findings would prove to be of benefit to mankind. It was an honourable thought, one might assume, since he was unaware that a shadowy group was forming behind him with full-on intentions of hijacking any worthwhile results.

However, MacInnes remained totally unaware that this distant group of players were prepared to use any pernicious action needed in their effort to gain control of anything discovered aimed to give them a first-hand advantage. So for now, the race was on to see who would breast the tape first. Totally fired up, Jack had set his whole intention onto succeeding where so many others had failed. His rejection of extremist views on either side of any religion was without question, and another thing he had to deal with was his larger-than-normal ego, something he found, at times, hard to control.

‘What’s wrong with attempting to truly present Christ’s Word as he intended it to be? What’s the financial world afraid of?’ were the questions he often asked of students and fellow theologians alike. ‘Has the time come that unracialised people who don’t see exploitation as normal and honourable will actually pull together in the hope of gaining some control to run the world on a slightly more even playing field?’ Not many complementary or constructive answers had come forward so far.

It was clear at this point of his life that MacInnes was prepared to deal with any personal controversies, choosing to hold firm to his intention to deal with further comment on the subject of devotio moderna at a later date. Thinking through the situation at hand, he recalled that when his replies demanded some awkward answers, especially the type the monsignor didn’t want to hear, his reverend adversary would immediately switch to a softer line by attempting to change the subject. Jack often capitulated sometimes for the sake of diplomacy; he would ease up on pushing a critical or sarcastic reviewing of Murray’s explanations. You might say it was a nice gesture offered so as not to lift the level of annoyance where friendship could be affected.

Sometimes the monsignor structured the format of his argument to that of a request hidden within his words, appearing at times as a small tenure of a plea for Jack to sometimes slow down his research and focus on accuracy. The mons was very much aware of the complexities pressuring the church at this current time. Its imagery was snapped at by its shameful handling of the depth of paedophilia now exposed and the pathetic cover-ups and humiliation inflicted on its victims. Jack often thought that if Christ still lay in an earthly grave, he would be turning over in it, often suggesting that all would be better off if they addressed them with greater compassion and set those up who were responsible to feel the full force of the law. Clear the rubbish out of the clergy with a clean sweep of all known tripe accused and found guilty. Precise action with total support would no doubt help the pontiff in remodelling some aspects of the church to better finish the twentieth century off. The body of the church should aim to follow in the footsteps of Christ and not a bunch of sexual predators lurking in amongst the majority of good men. ‘Find them out – clear them out’ was Jack’s opinion on this covert disease. Murray would sometimes temper his reply to Jack’s overviews as if desperate to gain greater cooperation from him.

‘What with the unresolved and continuing volume of sexual exploitations inflicted on innocents by the clergy being swept under the carpet. Then add to that the controversies over contraception, abortion, gay marriage, and women as priests along with dealing with homosexuality. You can see the overall complexities that no doubt we have on our hands. I guess you might say that you don’t have to be a Rhodes scholar to surmise what a bunfight this has turned out to be. They have penetrated into all religions. So take it from me. We don’t need you to stir up the pot all that much further.’

Often, Murray became exasperated with the fact that Jack seemed was never prepared to completely capitulate. The monolith of over 300 million souls was not all that easy to control. During one debate, the lines on his brow presented like furrows on a ploughed field.

‘You know, Jack,’ Murray moved to say, ‘it’s piling in on us without precedent. These continuing problems’ combined mass is weighing very heavily on the general clergy, and that’s including the congregational body of the church. All those in the majority are true to our holy orders. We want all bastards who offend in the name of God out of our blessed church. Sadly, we must tread carefully, suppress rhetoric with action. For sure, we don’t need to rock the boat further.’

That little homily was delivered to Jack with an attempt at humility (which was not an easy quality for him to project), hoping no doubt that he had made some ground with his changed approach. It was clear that Murray was feeling the need to get a little more off his chest.

‘You see, Jack,’ – he paused momentarily – ‘I see it as unsubstantiated rot plastered out there to promote doubts in the wider community. It puts forward the thought of the old saying "If you throw enough shit at a blanket, some’s bound to stick.’ Would you not agree?’

Ceasing his chance, Jack replied, ‘You will just have to ride it out as has always been the practice of the church and let time as it always does conveniently absorb memories and contradictions, hopefully loose them in an intellectual fog and fade them into history.’

‘You may well be right, Jack,’ answered Murray. ‘In all, it could prove to be most insalubrious, unfortunately, with all these happenings coming together like a perfect storm. May I just add onto that little point that’s not particularly hard to do at the best of times? You know this begs one prime question, Jack, and that is, where do you stand about the protection and sanctification of our Holy Mother, the Church?’ Murray put it straight to him.

Jack replied, ‘You might not like my answer, but it’s where I really stand on beliefs and principles.’

He took a moment to accumulate his thoughts and then added, ‘Yes, I profess myself to be a Catholic as the chosen medium of basing my faith, I totally believe there is a God, and furthermore, I would like to confirm to you that I do believe Jesus was sent to earth to offer a forgiving and more passive path for mankind to follow towards eternity and the hope of an everlasting life after death. Does fill in a few blanks for you?’

Pausing to look Murray squarely in the face, he added, ‘Don’t worry, you can add to that I also believe Jesus to be the Son of God and part of the Holy Trinity, however that mystery works. I trust that clarifies my position.’

At this point, he held his peace for a few seconds to gauge Murray’s facial expression. Seeing what he wanted, he added, ‘However, may I put forward a point of conflict? I have become disenchanted in some ways with my church because its princes have fallen for the pursuit and acceptance of an extravert life, not always heading Christ’s message of striving for equality for all men, rich and poor. I see it at times as allowing prostitution of some of the teachings of Jesus. Men distorted them for personal gain of position and power, something the church should never hold as acceptable. If there is such a thing as sin, then this definitely should be one. This accusation of mine not only applies to Catholics but also right across the spectrum of so many Christian and non-Christian churches.’

A moment’s silence greeted Jack’s comments before he continued, ‘You see that, more often than not, the faithful, in some instances, are fed a line not always believed in by the Deliverer.’

That comment was met with one raised eyebrow from Murray, who at this point cut Jack short as if gathering a reply before answering. ‘To put it bluntly, I don’t want to go any further on this subject!’

Both men embraced silence as a tool, each hesitating as if digesting the pertinent points raised during the conversation by the other. Finally, Murray plucked up the courage in a voice raised by an octave or two. ‘Enough is enough. Understand me well, Jack. The church is currently faced with a multitude of crises, some with threatening consequences. In fact, currently, we might see these mutable dilemmas lead to a pathway set to spawn the first resignation of a pope in 400 years. Think that one out. A bit frightening, is it not?’

Without waiting an answer, he continued, ‘The Kempis mob needs never to be introduced into a public forum at this most difficult of times. If you come up claiming that they have been able to survive and successfully penetrate many religions and governments at the highest of levels, we don’t need to forewarn them until all investigations are concluded to find out if they still have any influence or effect over any major happenings within church or government. Unsupported witch hunts are never popular at the best of times. To blurt out that they have achieved penetration into world financial markets and major religions in general must be unequivocable and unchallengeable. It’s like inferring that some very high-ranking clergy are linked in with the Mafia.’

The mons continued, ‘Jack, stop and think of the possibility that, somehow, you may well turn out to be the modern version of their bloody marketing manager. Anyway, despite worrying about your view on this, we still hold our offer for you to go to Rome. Don’t destroy our faith in you.’

At this point, the two men just sat looking at each other. After a few moments of silence, finally, Murray spoke. ‘My advice, be careful, Jack. Blast too much reform stuff in a direction where it is defiantly not wanted, and you may well be setting yourself up with a death wish! Also, J. you seem to display aggression referring that in no way any holy institution adhering to true Christian values should have been hunted down in such a sadistic and deceptive way, especially by a faith that claimed to honestly believe in and preach what it claimed to be the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Where in the hell is your proof of this ever happening? Give me a break! You’d better make sure your facts are bulletproof.’

The mons saw that Jack was eager to respond but quickly cut off his chance. Murray moved quickly to say, ‘All these early actions practised in those dark days definitely do not apply to the Mother Church now. So why keep bringing the bloody past up continually? It makes no sense.’

He threw his head back.