A Man of God

[Pontifex Maximus]

Men loitered around the church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. They had expected some sort of salvation, a mighty lord of the west to enter and install the true Latin church of Christ to its rightful place in this nest of heretics and schimites. No word, not in days. The old churches had been occupied, somewhat destroyed, and mostly converted to the use of the Latin Rite. Malet and Opus took a meager breakfast of hard bread and water from the stores. Little outside contact had meant meagre supplies, but the men did not grumble. They wore the tonsure, and would behave in a way the local faithful demanded they behave. The opulence from the old church would still yet take time to recreate here, but both men were under no delusions that it could not be done, and would be done. Their meal finished, Gregory first broke the silence.

"We lack a bishop, or even suitable accommodation for one." He once more fell silent as Malet considered the comments. The trip over had been more disorganized than either of them had expected. A hodgepodge of lords, priests, bishops, peasants, it was impossible to tell where they had all been scattered to. Battles raged to the east and south, and yet Adrianople had fallen silent, as if a veil of grief and fear had consumed the city. There had been no resistance here, the population being spared of that, yet they were hostile to the presence of the western clergy and scant number of Franks that had remained inside the walls. What was worse, the city seemed leaderless.

Finally Thomas spoke up "No, there is no bishop, or even a lord for that matter. The only thing keeping order is the threat of conquest." THomas considered the situation with great unease. Surely their situation was precarious. If the town got wind that a battle of importance had been won for their side, they may react violently and expel them. His hand trembled at the prospect. Gregory fixed his dark gaze on his brother. "I'll not let my mission die here, Thomas. Something must be done." Malet looked scornful "I know what you would say. Take the cathedral, name myself Bishop, called by the almighty to defend his fledgling church in this land of heretics?" Gregory did not look apologetic. "And when order has been restored, my enemies in Rome, or even better, in Constantinople, can strip me of my frills, excommunicate me on grounds of pomposity, and execute me? Bishops are made, not self-appointed. It isn't the natural order of things!"

Both fell silent again for a time, digesting what the other had said. Thomas grew irritated after a time. He knew that there must be order, even if the personal risk was great. It was not perfectly legal, but perhaps special circumstances called for special action...perhaps he should ascend to St. Demetrius. After a while he looked back to Gregory. "you are my truest friend and without you neither of us would be here. Likely we would be flayed by now in all likelihood, but you ask too much of me. I must pray on it."

The abbot without a friary nodded, knowing that it would only be a matter of time now.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Several days had passed, and as afternoon melted into evening, footsteps erupted on the marble outside the sanctuary, the church of St. Demetrius. The outer wall was easily breached by some careful climbing. "This place is a castle" Thomas thought to himself, as he remembered his own small church in the south of England. This cathedral eclipsed most all other he had seen. He doubted it would be empty...if there were any eastern priests or patriarchs, they would have been here. He had seen none in the city. Could they have abandoned their own people?

The band consisted of a dozen men, mostly clad in the black robes of the Cistercian order. They concealed knives, should any resistance be met. At the head of this group strode Thomas Malet, who had come to claim the sanctuary in the name of the one true faith. Opus aided in pushing the doors in, where they were greeted by stark silence, dust, and darkness. A candelabra near the door was overturned, and had dirtied the marble floor before them. The group advanced slowly, peering into the emptiness. Great columns rose before them. The exploration began, and the ensuing hours were spent admiring the artistic achievements, tearing down idols of the east and disposing of their tapestries, and organizing an impromptu council at which Thomas would be elected Bishop by the religiously ordained within the city. Then it would be a matter of organizing crusaders to enter his service.

[Pontifex Maximus]

The following day, an edict had been declared and read by monks in black throughout the city.

"His Excellency Thomas Malet is hereby declared Bishop of Adrianople and of St. Demetrius by unanimous consideration by the provisional council of Adrianople. His election and ascension to the bishopric is in order to maintain order and religious observance in the city, as well as to afford the city a degree of stability until peace once again reigns. Formal acknowledgement of this appointment is reserved for the proper authorities at such a time that the hierarchy has been restored."

[Pontifex Maximus]

The newly installed Bishop wasted no time in consolidating those loyal to him. The Abbot had been given his chapel, and a cadre of monks under his command, hearing of the consolidation, pilgrims flocked to the city, and already men had been enrolled into his service. The conversions would be taken care of next. He had all the trappings of office and religious authority, but as of yet he was the bishop of a small flock. They would need coaxing, enticement, and perhaps even some force to abandon the myths and errors of the past. The Greek schimites had done quite a good job of instilling hatred of the west in them, but their priests had deserted them in their hour of need...this was Malet's opportunity to win them over by pointing out these fatal flaws.

He stood outside the steps of the cathedral as a small crowd began to gather. He was joined by a Venetian translator. An unsavory character, but one who had proven useful in the past. His translations would need to be on the spot today as they had been dealing with the fishmonger last week for an affordable meal. Thomas wore his finest vestments, rich robes, rings, a large, golden crucifix, and a golden silver mitre. If nothing else, he would look the part. He began slowly.

"Brethren, the past few weeks has seen a rise in our plight. The inhabitants of this town have been abandoned not only by their secular rulers, but by their priests as well. Such a fatal abandonment must weigh heavy on the hearts of all. you have been betrayed by the institutions that have sworn to protect you. It is only now that you can see the error of those institutions, their falsehoods. They have finally shown that they are naught but swindlers and cowards, who aim for nothing else but their own gains at your loss, their own safety at your peril. They have demonstrated how little you mean to them.

I have assumed control of not only Adrianople, but the fledgling church within in order to rekindle the true religion, and to guide the lost back onto the pat of righteousness. We must leave the old ways, the old institutions behind us and accept the Latin Rite as the only just religion of practice within this fair city. I endeavor to aid in the kindling of this flame that it may grow into a great inferno of faith and piety. The wheels are already set in motion. We have already observed a revolution begin not only in ways of thinking and behaving, but in religious observance. Attendance in my chapels grows daily, pilgrims from the west flock to us. Do not let your hearts turn to stone in the wake of these changes; embrace them and become a part of them.

The doors of the cathedral are open to all who seek guidance and protection. Regardless of religious affiliation, all citizens of this city shall be placed under my benevolent protection from all dangers. Violence for any reason within the city is discouraged. I shall name deputies for the enforcement of law in the absence of a secular authority.

May God bless you all, and grant you peace."

It was a shorted address than he had intended, but he had much work to do still.