The Shroud Codex - Jerome R. Corsi [91]
“Do you see any reason for me to go to the hospital?” Middagh asked.
“No,” Castle answered. “I think it’s better not to confront Father Bartholomew with a crowd. Your presentation today has been very helpful. Thank you, again.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Monday afternoon
Dr. Stephen Castle’s office, New York City
1:00 P.M. ET, 7:00 P.M. in Italy
Day 19
The conference call came through to Dr. Castle’s office on time, as expected.
“Can Father Bartholomew travel?” the pope asked Castle immediately.
“I’m not sure,” Castle answered. “I’m going to the hospital this afternoon to check on him. If his last injuries are any indication, he should recover rapidly. I can confirm it this evening, but I expect Father Bartholomew is going to be much stronger in a day or two. What do you have in mind?”
“I want to bring Father Bartholomew to the Vatican,” the pope answered. “We need to manage this situation from Rome. Father Bartholomew’s story is drawing tens of millions of believers and skeptics around the world and it’s more than Archbishop Duncan can or should have to handle on his own.”
“Thank you, Holy Father,” Duncan said, relieved that he might soon transfer primary responsibility for Father Bartholomew to the Vatican. “I think I need to stay here in New York, if only to deal with the press. That’s a responsibility that should fall to me.”
“Agreed,” the pope said. “You’ve got millions of people in New York and the United States who are now closely following Father Bartholomew.”
“We’re getting swamped with press requests,” Duncan noted.
“Even in Italy, Father Bartholomew has become a sensation,” the pope said. “Italians love the stigmata. When I was a boy growing up in the 1950s, Padre Pio was all the rage in Italy. He was on all the televisions. Every newspaper or magazine you picked up had a story about Padre Pio. I never was in favor of him being canonized, but then I guess a lot of Italians would say I’m prejudiced. I’m from northern Italy and Padre Pio was from southern Italy.”
Castle understood. “Are you implying you’ve concluded Father Bartholomew is a fraud?”
“I’m not implying anything,” the pope responded. “I just want Father Bartholomew in Rome where we can deal with him directly. This is the age of twenty-four-hour cable television news and the Internet. Father Bartholomew is an international celebrity. Have you seen how many people are watching the videos about Father Bartholomew on the Internet? In Italy alone the numbers are in the millions.”
“Am I off the case, then?” Castle asked.
“No,” the pope answered quickly. “If you can, I want you to clear your schedule and come to Rome with Father Bartholomew. I’m arranging for a chartered jet to arrive there tomorrow morning. The jet will have hospital facilities and I will send along a Vatican medical staff—provided you determine Father Bartholomew can leave tomorrow evening and be here in Rome on Wednesday morning.”
Castle thought quickly. “Okay,” he agreed. “I’m going to be at Beth Israel Hospital a little later today and I will begin figuring out when we can travel. How long do you think we will be in Italy?”
“I have no idea,” the pope answered. “Until this thing is over. That’s all I can say at this point.”
Castle considered carefully what that might mean in terms of his commitments to his patients. “It will be complicated,” he said quietly, “but I’ll do it.”
“One more thing,” the pope added.
“What’s that?”
“I want you to bring with you Father Morelli and Father Middagh. It’s time for Father Morelli to return to the Vatican. We are going to need Father Middagh’s expertise on the Shroud.”
“What about Anne Cassidy?” Castle asked. “She’s Father Bartholomew’s half sister. Should we bring her, too?”
“By all means,” the pope said. “She’s family. But there’s one more person I want you to bring, and this one might surprise you.”
“Who’s that?” Castle asked.
“That television reporter,” the pope said. “I want you