13 C
[BE FOREWARNED: My very dear wife said this was, perhaps, the most tedious thing she had ever been
driven to read. It’s the kind of thing I was producing while in college. The original probably took up 800 pages,
typed edge to edge, top to bottom, single-spaced, on onion skin.]
It is fit and proper, inasmuch as it honors the Most High God and the exaltation of the Holy Catholic Faith,
instilled by God, that enemies of the cross be prosecuted, as the Church demands, for slander against the
Church and grievous errors in sacred diligence. And so it was that Clement, pope and servant to the just
servants of God, through the grace of Christ his son, requested the assistance of Phillipe, by the grace of God,
king of the French. And it was my honorable duty, as bishop of the Isle de France, servant to the will of God, to
unhesitatingly obey the commands of Clement V and thereby to oversee the conversion of those, though
charged to maintain the Faith, who chose instead to dwell in the blindness of heresy. And that is the means by
which I, willing servant to the Faith, sought, and then once found, put James De Molay, Grand Master of the
Knights Templar, at first under arrest, and ultimately to death.
Those others of the apostate order of the Knights Templar, while held in the dungeons of France, imprisoned
for impropriety of Faith, voluntarily confessed their sins, and were given just pardons. Jacques De Molay,
though subject to rigorous examination, refused to confess and instead chose to cling to vile apostasy,
proclaiming, at every opportunity that the charges against him were monstrous and unfounded. And though it is
not for me to formulate opinion on matters of the Faith, I knew this much: the accusations were, indeed,
monstrous. My own questioning of the man necessarily dealt with accusations of idolatry, anointing black idols
with the fat from roasted infants, and other abominations too horrible to mention. All of my questioning in this
lamentable matter, and especially concerning atrocities waged against legions of tender virgins, was dismissed
by the man as mere slander. And after facing him, I had my doubts. Yet my devotion to God, and His Holy
Church left me with no alternative but to convey to the Most Holy Father, Clement, and by him, the King of
France, the Grand Master's continued unwillingness to yield to ascertain truth, and to request further
instruction concerning that unwillingness.
My most earnest desire was to receive instruction as to the measure expected of me before proceeding with
the inquiry into the aforesaid crimes. For though respect for the Poor Knights of The Temple of Solomon had,
of late, fallen drastically, and their heresy, and continual mischief revealed, their fierce defense of the Faith in
the Jerusalem could not, with good heart, be forgotten by Christendom. That an order of noble knights, long
dedicated to the defense and maintenance of the Faith in the Outremer, should, after nearly 200 years
abandon themselves at home to unnatural acts, and unheard of atrocities against the Church and the Holy
Faith, was indeed, as good pope Clement, said, "enough to put the whole Church of Christ into confusion." As
humble servant to the Church, devoted to bringing souls to God, I found myself, indeed, confused.
"Before proceeding with the inquiry, Your Holiness," I wrote, "I must know if it is the intent of the Church, as is
conducive to the honor of our Most High God, to prosecute those who have shown such service to the Church
in times past, with benevolence. Whether the Church wishes, and the Faith demands that these stray sheep be
guided back into the fold, or to, by questionable council, perhaps driven from it. We humbly request that your
holiness consider both the history of this noble order, and the probable nature of their ignoble accusers." It was
a humble inquiry from a servant wishing only to serve.
Only a few days after the transmission of this epistle expressing my disbelief in the detestable rumors
concerning our prisoners to good Clement, pope by the grace of God, I received the following:
"As guardian of the flock, presiding, though unworthy, on the pastoral throne, by the will of He whose will
oversees all, we fervently seek, above all else, that that which is found within the Church which is hurtful to the
Church be expeditiously removed. Devotion to God and his holy Faith demands that all agents of the Church
recognize grave dangers to the Faith when it takes earthly form, and that the perpetrators of deplorable and
perfidious acts, risking not only their own heavenly reward but exposing the Church itself to great danger, must
be dispassionately expelled. Those who by what paths they chose threaten the Church cannot expect succor
from the Church. Further, to determine the extent and nature of the threat against Holy God's own Faith, the
truth of this monstrous business must be ascertained by any means necessary including torture."
I was so aggrieved by this response that my heart wept. Nevertheless, by this merciless missive, my course was
set. Those is greater positions, have greater insights, in all matters. If not, then why their appointment, by God,
to such positions on earth? Obedience demands compliance. Nevertheless, I was overwhelmed by confusion.
It is known that both the heretics and the Faithful in the south of France believe that the clippings from nails,
toenails, and bits of hair of their dead protect the domicile in which they reside. They call these sad fragments
their star, as if it were a thing to guide them. I know nothing of such practices other than that which I have
heard, but I know this much: such misunderstandings, if they serve no good, they at least serve no evil. And
these known practices, just one among many of such sort, are allowed to continue outside the laws of the
Church, though they be, as some would say it, an affront, if not to God himself than to the Church that God had
established. The Church, nonetheless, looks down upon such matters with paternal forbearance if not
benevolence. Though they be small crimes, they are their own customs, and priests are said to preside over
the ceremonies while such fragmentary remains of the dead are removed. Why then do these known errors in
Faith go unchallenged, while doubtful errors, though greater, yet unproved, demand severe prosecution?
On this I cannot allow myself to dwell.
The man, De Molay, seemed to me, when I questioned him, to be a man of great depth, and quite honest,
though he made no apologies. And I saw in him the noble lineage of the brotherhood of the Templars which
made them such stout warriors in defense of all that we hold sacred. Such was the thinking in my heart, as I
held Clement's response in my trembling hand. Perhaps if his Holiness were to meet the man… It seemed to
me, at time of disturbance in my faith, that, we, appointed guardians to the souls of others, may have lost our
own.
As children desirous of our Father in Heaven's grace, we spend time in prayer—hoping to receive from above
what knowledge we can, spend time in study—hoping to discover wisdom, spend time in deep anguish—our
wish only to find out what we can about human frailty. As children desirous of our Father, the pope's, grace, we
struggle to remain obedient. And yet the two are, a'times in dreadful, costly conflict, or so it seems to me. I am
not a deep man. I am a'times in need of guidance; more often than not. Though not belligerent by nature, I find
myself questioning matters that are not of my concern. And that is the means by which I, confronted with the
pope's demands on me, rebelled inwardly while carrying out his orders to the letter.
So, Jacque De Molay was imprisoned, and I appointed his inquisitor.
I knew this much, that Shem the son of Noah founded Shanah, home [in Yemen] of the Queen of Sheba the
source of black pepper, for our time, no longer the source of most precious electrum. And I knew this: from
there it would be shipped to Marseilles. For nearly two thousand years the Red Sea was awash in ships
carrying this precious cargo first to Syria and from there it came across land to France where we consumed it
in quantity. And I knew this: That the trade in black pepper and electrum are nothing to compare to the
knowledge that the Temple Knights brought forth in boats to us, unworthy as we may be, about the value of our
Holy Faith.
Yet, for its material contribution to our carnal wealth that small port town is held in great honor. And yet this
man, leader of the good warrior knights, who contributed to the wealth of our wisdom, if not our very souls, was
being held in disgrace, in prison. It seemed to me that he brought only goodness and light. He was in my
hands, and it my duty to extinguish that light, no matter how bright, should the pope, my shepherd, deem it so
necessary. And he did, saying, “If your opponent, by chance should tell the truth, it behooves you to deny it,
even lie, in order to refute his claims to knowledge.” That was my instruction from Avignon.
The priest kings of ancient Arabian culture, preservers of knowledge and librarians to the world, wished, in
strictest service to greater matters, to preserve all knowledge and, by the same stroke, it is known that they
liked much to convolute their conversation with riddles, as if to disguise the truth from those unworthy among
us. Such things as this I do not question, the service, the harm or harmlessness of it I cannot judge, for I have
no part in it. Be that as it is, my honorable duty, as bishop of the Isle de France, servant to the will of God,
demands my devoted and relentless obedience to the good wisdom of Clement V, our most worthy pope, by
the grace of God, in matters for which I am neither fit nor suited to judge. And so I, willing servant to the Faith,
must, without question, put the man, James De Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, to death, for his
unwillingness to confess his crimes against the Church, as the Holy Faith demands.
May God forgive me.
(…for asking anyone to read that.)