Sinners and Saints

Sinners and Saints Chapter 49 - Life During Wartime

“To:  The Holy See, Pope Francis I, Pontiff of the Holy Roman Church 

“From:  Mona Little, former Vatican nun 

“Date:  October 19th 

“Re:  Request for Annulment 

“Your Eminence, 

“I beg of you to hear and consider a rather unusual request for annulment between one Bastien Drake, incubus, and one Antonia Depardeux, succubus, while is recorded in the official records of the Vatican on April 12, 554 anno domini in Florence, Italy. 

“Both of them married under false pretenses. 

“As already damned souls, they knew that taking the holy rite of marriage in the Catholic Church was a sacrilege, but they did so anyway to further their plot of corrupting – and damning – the Florentine prince who would one day beget the daughter of the line that ultimately brought forth Mussolini.  

“It was, Your Eminence, part of a scam. 

“Furthermore, neither of them could or can bear children, which is another condition of marriage under Catholic doctrine.  This was not disclosed to the bishop who performed the service, nor was it disclosed to any of the witnesses of the service.  

“There were four witnesses, Beloved See, and they all signed documents recanting the validation of the ceremony.  However, those papers were lost through an unfortunate mix-up in communication and, as they were all human, cannot be reproduced. 

“But both Bastien and Antonia have enclosed letters of their own, swearing the truth to what I have disclosed above.  

“I know that this alone would not move you to defy policy.  Please hear me out a few more moments, Your Eminence. 

“Do it for Claire Saint. 

“Bastien Drake, who now goes by the name of Drake Sebastian, and Claire are in love.  They had been in denial about that for a very long time, but just as their romance was blooming, this forgotten marriage came to light. 

“She is devastated, Father.  And so is he. 

“Claire may not be a good nun, Your Eminence, but she is a good catholic all the same.  I use the lower-case ‘c’ here on purpose.  She may not have gone through confirmation, but in her heart she practices what the Son tried to teach us all.  Compassion.  Love.  Forgiveness. 

“And yes, Father, righteous anger also.  Just as He let his wrath out at the money-lenders, she has also righted two horrible wrongs in our midst.  Wrongs that would have perpetuated and gone un-noticed if not for her and what she can and has done for the Church. 

“She asked nothing for herself in return for that, Holy See.  She could have asked Giuseppe for anything – and he would have granted it.  But she asked only for my happiness – that I be allowed to go back to Paris and be reunited with my lovely Giselle.  

“Me, your Eminence.  A damned soul was shown compassion and love equal to the Good Samaritan himself.  I still get a little teary thinking about it. 

“Shouldn’t she be given the same compassion?  Didn’t the Son teach compassion before anything else? 

“I beseech thee, Most Holy, to break from dogma and do the right thing instead of the proper thing.  For our Sister Claire.”  

“Typical Mona,” I smile and blink back my tears.  Direct, to the point and polished.  I figured hers would be the easiest to get through.  I scribble a couple of notes and cross-reference some of David’s notes, but don’t spend a lot of time on her letter.  Responding to her would be – at best – a Christian rock song, which David has already said he’s not into.