The Pope Of Comber

Chapter 5

Mediterranean Sea Early May 1760 AD

The 5th of May in the Year of Our Lord 1760:

My name is Cardinal Sebastian. I am a passenger onboard this ship The San Giovanni, the flagship of the flotilla. Each ship (Three in All) contain a full crew of fifty sea-men plus fifty passengers consisting of Swiss Guards and science personnel onboard each vessel. I am writing this short log in the hope that perhaps the information it contains maybe of some use to the future generations.

It has been two weeks now and we are making good speed for our destination, the port of Belfast.

Our journey through the strait of Gibraltar passed without any problems and according to Captain Renzo with good winds and God's speed we should be docked in Belfast's Portland in less than two weeks.

His Holiness, our secret passenger, is safely stored in the cargo bay and is strapped in securely for the trip.

I myself, along with ten hand-picked Swiss Guards checked the wooden box containing the coffin for any defects, thankfully none were found.

Both Cardinal De Vitis and I made sure we followed the Ancient One's instructions which were outlined within his bible.

The coffin is sealed with a special mixture of gold and silver and is completely air tight.

The sealing-bond is strong, but we hope and pray that it lasts the course of time?

From what both Cardinal De Vitis and I can decipher from the Ancient One's Bible, the future is where the souls of both beings-The Ancient One and Pope Clements- will fight for the absolute control of mankind.

We can but pray that our brave Pope Clements will be strong enough to win the battle against that evil creature when the time comes?

That future could be many years from now? Perhaps, two hundred years from this moment? We are not sure?

We are not sure if this world will still exist, or if our beloved church will survive the test of time?

We believe that our best intentions for the safe-keeping of his Holiness are best served as far as possible from the homeland of Italy.

With that fact in mind, we have chosen a large 'Manor-house' with extensive acres of good farmland on the outskirts of Belfast within a small village called Comber.

The property had been purchased by proxy through a 'London law-firm' a couple of years ago on behave of the church. Our first intentions for the 'Manor-House' were to turn it into a school and residential home for the 'Sisters of mercy'.

Unfortunately after what has happened to our beloved Pope Clements. The plans for the school and home have been scraped.

The less the church is seen to be in control of the 'Manor-House' the better the safety of our beloved Pope Clements.

We will always keep an open eye on the 'Manor-house', especially the underground catacombs, that we believe will make an ideal hiding place for the Popes body.

Only a few trusted members of this party of men will know of the final resting place of Pope Clements.

Just like the Ancient-Egyptians feared the evil grave robbers and became masters at hiding their Pharaohs, we will have to be just as vigilant.

No one will know the true hiding place of the Pope. I will make sure of that even if it should cost me my life?

If there ever comes a time in the future that a cure can be found for the Popes dreadful affliction, I pray to our lord that day will dawn very soon.

--#--