The Sacrifice Read Free Page B

becomes rampant. Then you’ll say: ‘See, it works. It’s perfectly natural to have a married clergy. We must get rid of mandatory celibacy.’ And,” he concluded, “you will have destroyed a sacred tradition.” If he had been at a desk or a table, he would have thumped his fist upon it.
    â€œThe Holy Spirit acts in wondrous ways.” Koesler could think of nothing more basic and absolute.
    In response to which statement, the two friends, Koesler feared, were going to suffer simultaneous strokes.
    â€œHow dare you say such a thing!” Morgan had mounted the battlements. “It’s as we said: They are taking advantage of this ailing old man. It’s on public record! The Pope has said so at his every opportunity. He has banned the topic from speculation. An unmarried clergy is of divine ordinance.”
    â€œAnd the Greek rites?”
    â€œThough there are numerous different Greek rite churches, all in all, they comprise only a mere handful of members compared with the Latin rite. When we in the Western world speak of the Catholic Church, we’re talking about the Roman Catholic Church—the Latin rite!”
    Koesler shook his head. “Look, I believe the Church is here to stay. I believe that as truly as you do. But the Spirit may be directing us through uncharted waters. At the bottom of it all is the shortage of priests. Now, it cannot come as a surprise to you that we’re running out of priests.”
    â€œThe Holy Spirit will save us,” Reichert declared. “It doesn’t matter how desperate the situation becomes. And the solution will not lie with taking in the leftovers of Protestantism.”
    That reached Koesler. “Surely you can’t refer to a man like George Wheatley as a ‘leftover.’ He’s one of the finest Christian gentlemen I’ve ever known.”
    â€œWell …” Reichert began.
    â€œBesides,” Koesler broke in, “I am willing to grant you that there hasn’t been any sort of wholesale movement toward the Catholic priesthood by Episcopal priests. I’ll expand that opinion to say that most of the converts so far might have been motivated by less than noble reasons.”
    â€œYou mean,” Morgan said, “that they are protesting the practice in their own Church of admitting women into their clergy. Whereas that protest is the only good thing to emerge from this entire fiasco.”
    â€œAnd,” Reichert added, “your friend Wheatley doesn’t bring even that saving grace. He supports women’s ordination. Why, his own daughter is studying for their priesthood!”
    â€œYou,” Morgan stated, “have managed to do what I’ve always thought was impossible: You and your ilk have forced a Pope to contradict himself. Or seem to. After all, he is only permitting this practice of ordaining Protestants. That’s far removed from his apostolic teaching in this matter.
    â€œBut I must thank you for one thing, Father Koesler.” There was no reason for the formal address other than sheer sarcasm. “This conversation has served to clear my mind. Before we talked this out I feared that our Holy Church was actually dead and didn’t know it. Now I see that there is hope after all. As long as we who enjoy the vera doctrina survive this attack. Except that we must be overwhelmingly militant. And I assure you: This militancy is already being mobilized. We shall endure!”
    As Morgan finished his bellicose statement, Reichert groaned and clutched at his chest.
    Both Koesler and Morgan, concerned, immediately moved toward him. But Reichert waved them off as he fumbled in his breast pocket.
    â€œWhat is it, Dan?” Morgan asked urgently. “Your heart?”
    Reichert retrieved a small vial containing tiny white pills. With a practiced hand he extracted one pill, popped it into his mouth, and carefully folded his tongue over it.
    â€œIt’s