I changed the world.

Page 416

He began reforming the religious laws of the Church of Divine Revelation, introducing internet-based marketing and propaganda methods, reforming the internal structure of the Church of Divine Revelation to keep it up-to-date, and even creating some job opportunities for women.

Overall, he was widely praised and hailed as a "tolerant and energetic" religious reformer.

However, things changed at some point.

Strange events have begun to occur around the world. These events are clearly supernatural and, to some extent, have shattered humanity's understanding of the world that it had gradually built up over the past few decades since the Industrial Revolution.

Furthermore, some of these events clearly corroborate events from historical religious legends…

This inevitably led many countries, especially major Western powers, to begin turning their attention back to the myths and legends that were once familiar in history.

As rumors of "witch hunters" began to emerge in some places, and even eyewitness accounts of "masters of the mystical arts" and "immortals" appeared, some of the things that were previously considered nonsense in legends began to be proven to be real. This has led many countries and forces that have been paying attention to such events to turn their attention back to the historically significant Bergoglipelli.

After all, compared to the distant Eastern Xuanmen, the existence of the Holy See and even the Holy Revelation Church, as an inescapable behemoth in Western history, undoubtedly has had a pivotal influence on the history and culture of the entire Western Continent. Countless myths, legends, and even later literary works, scripts, and film and television programs revolve around it. Therefore, no one would believe that the Holy Revelation Church doesn't know something...

As the core of the Church of God, the Pope's every move naturally becomes the focus of attention for many people.

After all, even in this era where "human integration" is constantly being promoted and advocated, the underlying competition between nations, ethnic groups, and even civilizations remains fierce. Compared to those previously unheard-of or even unknown foreign civilizations and religions, politicians from major Western powers undoubtedly still hope to unearth what they desire from the soil of their own civilization…

Originally, as a small city-state, the direct territory of the Holy See consisted of Bergopelli, a tiny landmass of less than 1 square kilometer, making it one of the smallest countries in the world, hence its name "Bergoperi City-State." Consequently, although various countries established embassies in Bergopelli due to religious influence, these were largely ceremonial and lacked substantial business operations. Embassy staff were mostly marginal figures in the diplomatic circles of various countries.

In the current context, the embassies of various countries stationed in Bergopelli are clearly unable to cope with the situation. After reassessing the Vatican's potential influence, they have come to realize that their previous assessment of Bergopelli's importance was undoubtedly misjudged.

In this context, countries have begun to adjust the configuration of their missions, with both the ambassadorial level and the size of the missions rising by more than one level.

This directly led to a geometric increase in the number of audience invitations received by His Majesty Clement III...

Several ambassadors even used diplomatic channels to forward some "horrifying" videos to the Vatican, hoping that the Vatican could provide relevant interpretations.

It must be said that such videos opened the eyes of Clement III and some of the cardinals involved in the matter. They even suspected that it was an April Fool's joke, but firstly, they could not find any trace of artificial editing in the videos, and secondly, given that it was a diplomatic channel and more than one party provided similar videos, it was unlikely that countries would collude to make fun of the Papacy.

It must be said that Clement III himself was completely baffled by such questions for a considerable period of time. He even privately summoned several close advisors and cardinals to discuss what exactly was going on.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 855 Is it that I am not devout enough?

However, after several discussions, no results were achieved. None of these high-ranking religious officials could explain the reasons clearly. Instead, a sense of suspicion began to permeate the upper echelons of the church.

After all, strictly speaking, there are over one hundred cardinals in all the dioceses around the world, including the one residing in Bergople. These bishops wear red robes and are therefore also known as "cardinals in red robes." The College of Cardinals, which comprises these cardinals, is the highest religious institution of the Church of Christ and serves as the Pope's assistant and advisory body in governing the Church. Even the Popes themselves are elected from the College of Cardinals after the previous Pope has been called by the Lord.

In addition, the church has a long history of 2000 years, with countless intricate relationships and internal cliques. This loose structure has led to all the higher-ups wondering to themselves when they look at their colleagues whether the other party really doesn't know or is just pretending not to know.

Is there some real secret that has been silently concealed by certain people?

Even some cardinals themselves hold reservations about His Holiness the Pope's attitude... Whether His Holiness is just pretending to be ignorant... no one knows.

Some close advisors even subtly reminded His Majesty that while papal traditions are important, given that things have come to this point, shouldn't some secrets be made public, breaking with tradition?

Of course, if the secrets involved are too great to be disclosed, then at least a hint should be given to the "Department for Relations with Nations" (Bergoperi's Foreign Ministry) on how to respond to the probing questions and inquiries of ambassadors from various countries.

On this point, Clement III wanted to say, "Your Majesty, I'd also like to know what's going on? But I really don't know!"

But he couldn't actually say that. After all, he was the Pope, the person closest to God in the eyes of millions of believers. If he really said that, where would he put his face? Wouldn't that be blatantly telling everyone that he, the Pope, was actually a fraud? That he had absolutely no relation to His Holiness the Holy Lord… He still had some dignity…

So, as he gradually came to his senses, his attitude became ambiguous, and he began to remain silent, neither admitting nor denying anything.

In public, he has minimized his public appearances, and whenever he goes out, he tries to meet with foreign dignitaries instead of foreign dignitaries. He claims that His Holiness the Pope wishes to listen more closely to the Lord's teachings and serve the Holy Lord devoutly, so he has been in meditation recently.

Although no one understands exactly how he listened to the Lord's teachings, does he not understand? That's perfectly normal...

Meanwhile, he secretly intensified his efforts, sending envoys and close advisors to meticulously examine the mountain of secret documents piled up in the Papacy, and visiting monasteries and churches scattered around the world, hoping to uncover something useful.

He himself began searching through the writings left by successive popes, as well as some of their private letters. As the pope, he naturally had access to many texts that others were not allowed to see. However, to this day, he has still not been able to find the knowledge he most desires…

He even began to wonder if the previous popes had been in such a hurry to be called by God, rushing to heaven in such a rush, that they had forgotten to leave behind certain information that should have been clearly explained...

Of course, he occasionally wondered if it was possible that the Vatican truly had no secrets and that he was just overthinking things...

He was quite worried about this, as he could see that the current situation was both an opportunity and a risk for the Vatican.

The so-called opportunity refers to the technological explosion that lasted for two hundred years, and even humanity's exploration and understanding of the material world, which undoubtedly put the influence of major religions on a downward trend. After all, as humanity's understanding of the world becomes clearer, the ambiguity of religions has decreased significantly, and in the Western Continent, the power of the Papacy has also been severely squeezed in this process.

The once-powerful Papacy has gradually declined in importance and been marginalized in politics over the centuries, until it has become the harmless place it is today.

So, if it turns out that those supernatural forces, or even the gods themselves, are not fictions but real beings... then the Holy See, as the core of the faith in the Western Continent, will surely benefit greatly from them.

However, if the Vatican, having been subjected to scrutiny and even prying eyes, has no other way to prove that it truly possesses or controls this power to some extent, then the Vatican, under the scrutiny and even prying eyes of many, may not even be able to maintain its current position...

Fortunately, Cardinal Wells's trip to the East not long ago unexpectedly opened up a new chapter. Although Cardinal Wells himself did not gain any useful insights from the leader of the "Eastern Papacy," the Grand Master of Xuanmen, his assistant, the assistant bishop named Pierre Simon, unexpectedly encountered a series of extraordinary adventures.

This must be attributed to divine revelation... After carefully reading the reports submitted by the relevant parties and Father Pierre Simon himself, Clement III personally received Father Simon, and shortly thereafter approved the edict of his promotion.

The information brought by Father Simon was exhilarating, not only because of what he had seen and heard, but also because it represented a fact: that the Vatican possessed certain supernatural powers, even if the nature of these powers was not yet understood by him.

“Almighty, merciful Father… Am I not obedient enough? Please grant your foolish servant some revelation on how to proceed with the future.” In the meditation hall, Clement III held the jewel at his breastplate, his eyes lowered, and murmured a prayer.

These days, his daily prayers last for more than three hours. In fact, Clement III also felt a little uneasy. He asked himself, since he had succeeded to the papacy, despite often presiding over public Masses and prayers, or blessing people by touching their heads.

However, when you really think about it, the time he spends in private prayer each day seems to be very little, and he often doesn't pray for several days at a time. After all, for the Pope, there are always endless social engagements and guests to meet, if he wants to.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 856 Return from Heaven!

To some extent, even as the Pope, he once wavered deep down about whether the Holy Lord truly existed. As a result, his intentional or unintentional promotion of reforms was actually driven by a sense of insecurity and fear, and a desire to cater to public opinion. This was something he himself was not even fully aware of.

In fact, after becoming pope, he enjoyed for a considerable period of time the entourage surrounding him, the boundless glory in front of others, the flattery and admiration of his close advisors and believers, and the grand atmosphere of being admired by thousands in the square...

However, when he truly discovered that the world was not as he had imagined, he finally began to wake up. He then realized that if the legends were true and supernatural powers really existed, then... were the concepts of heaven and hell also true?

If all of this is real, then what about myself? Where will I go after I die?

Will I really go to heaven?

For an elderly man well past seventy, these kinds of questions are unavoidable. Then, he began to realize that perhaps… maybe… there was a small problem with his service to the Holy Lord…

Even privately, Clement III had this concern: whether the Church's current somewhat awkward situation was partly due to its own lack of diligence in serving the Lord.

After all, theoretically speaking, the Pope himself is "the servant of the servants of the Lord." Although he is the head of all the servants, he is still a servant. Given the current situation, the Vatican has not received any revelation. Could this be a factor?

His Holiness the Pope, somewhat paranoid, then changed his usual routine and began to behave like a devout and respectful ascetic in a monastery, spending his days in long periods of solitary prayer and immersing himself in various notebooks and books...

Clement III had been praying in the meditation hall for over an hour, his eyes slightly lowered, muttering to himself…

“Lord, I praise you, you are the glorious God, the Creator of heaven and earth. You are great, a God worthy of praise and accolades. Father God, I thank you, you have promised me that you will make my praise your throne; when I praise you, you are with me…”

"Lord, I thank you that you promised me that when I praise you, you will remove all the bonds of sin from me, and give me full peace and joy in your presence. Dear Lord, I am willing to give thanks, thanks, and praise you in all things. I ask your Holy Spirit to help me to praise you, to help me to praise you in spirit and in truth. I ask that your Spirit, Father God, be within me and help me to meditate on your love, grace, and glorious deeds, and to help me to give sincere thanks and praise from the depths of my heart..."

“Lord, the heavens declare your glory, the skies proclaim your work; day after day your words are spoken, night after night your knowledge is revealed…” Just as he was chanting praises and prayers, suddenly, a white light appeared beside him!

Clement III was already quite old, and after more than an hour of prayer, he was somewhat drowsy, so he didn't notice it at first. However, soon, the holy and warm light attracted his attention, and Clement III turned his gaze in a daze, and his eyes widened immediately!

He noticed that at this very moment, less than ten meters away from him, one of the portraits of past popes hanging on one side of the meditation hall was emitting a holy white light, gentle yet not dazzling.

"This is..." King Clement III was momentarily dazed, but then he realized that this seemed, this was clearly... unusual!

He stood up impatiently, and because he got up so quickly, he even felt a little dizzy, but he didn't care at the moment and walked eagerly toward the portrait.

Upon arriving at the portrait, Clement III could now see clearly that it was the newest of all the portraits hanging on the wall. He clearly remembered that he had personally watched it being hung up!

The person in this portrait is none other than the portrait of the previous Pope Pius IV!

At this moment, Björn IV in the portrait is smiling at him with a kind expression that is quite different from his usual demeanor.

“This…this…” Clement III took two steps back, looking at the portrait in disbelief.

“Borlon, come here, come to me…” Suddenly, Björn IV in the portrait spoke, his tone calm, just as Clement III remembered him.

The "Paulon" he mentioned was Clement III's name before he ascended the throne; Pius IV had once called him that.

For a moment, Clement III even had a hallucination, as if Pijo IV were still alive, just like the countless audiences he remembered, sitting right in front of him.

As a former close advisor to Pius IV, Clement III instinctively lowered his head and said subconsciously, "Yes, Your Majesty..."

“There’s no need for that address. Now that you are the Apostolic, you have taken on the responsibilities of the Church, and I am serving by the Lord’s side. Just call me Brother Pius,” Pius IV said gently.

“This…this…then as you wish…” King Clement III hesitated for a moment before saying, “Brother Björn…”

"You...you...have you returned from heaven?" Clement III asked in shock as he looked at Pius IV's face.

“As you can see…” Pius IV smiled and said, “Paulon, at this moment, let me ask you one more question: do you think that what the Vatican needs to address most is really pluralism and reform?”

Upon hearing Pius IV's words, Clement III was stunned. The question seemed to open a box of memories for him, reminding him of a conversation he had with Pius IV nearly twenty years ago.

At that time, he was already a cardinal and served as the congregation for liturgy and sacraments, while also holding positions on several religious councils. He held a high position of power in the Vatican and, due to his consistent political stance, enjoyed great prestige within the Church, making him a strong contender for the next pope.

At that time, Pius IV's health was already poor; he had even been hospitalized once and suffered from multiple illnesses. The prevailing view was that the Pope's health was nearing its end...

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History: Chapter 857 The Decline of the Church Is Not Just a Today!

Against this backdrop, Pius IV had a conversation with him.

Pius IV then asked him what he considered to be the most important matter for the church.

Clement III still remembers his response at the time: the Church needs to further adapt to a diverse society, especially in its treatment of women, people of different faiths, sexual minorities, the legalization of abortion, and so on. The Church's long-standing traditions need to be broken in today's society, and more diverse people need to be brought into the upper echelons of the Church.

At the same time, the church needs to further reform many outdated rules, laws, and departments to cater to the younger generation of believers.

Furthermore, the church should be prepared to make certain compromises on doctrinal levels to adapt as much as possible to the rapid development of technology.

In particular, the church needs to reflect appropriately on some of the more controversial and major historical events, such as the Inquisition, burning at the stake, witch hunts, and so on. At a certain time, the church leadership should make a statement to give believers a more sincere impression.

In Clement III's theory at the time, all of the above was considered "removing the historical burden from the Church." It can be said that Clement III was definitely a cardinal with the demeanor of a reformer.

However, after listening to his argument, Pius IV remained silent for a long time before telling him that his reforms were too radical and that some of his reform proposals, while seemingly catering to believers, were actually shaking the very foundations of the church.