The Miracle of the Images. Welby Thomas Cox, Jr.

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СКАЧАТЬ body to stand on end." He said.

      The Monsignor lifted his hand to give testimony to the condition and the hair on his knuckles was standing as though someone was holding a comb filled with electrical current over it. The hair waved and danced with the motion...and the emotion of a morning, which had started with so much promise and now played out a moment which none of the participants could explain. Something had indeed transpired but none where prepared to attempt an explanation...after all this was a Monsignor... a man of the clothe...a man not given to hyperbole...an educated, grounded man of God whose life had stopped in this small agricultural community one thousand miles from where he had been born to Irish immigrants in the south of Boston.

      Now... the others knew that Monsignor Voght was in charge...that the lady had come in the night and taken him to the mat...but had it been a dream...was it a manifestation of the trip and the aura surrounding the reason for the visit? They had been effectively taken out of their game...how do you fashion a new defense or offense after your star player has been neutralized? How could they now return to the Vatican with a report that confirmed the evidentiary existence of a phenomenon without and before the portrait had even been examined? Surely it would make the case for bringing Aldo back with them...along with the portrait?

      V. A PASSPORT FOR ALDO

      Father Tim spoke up... In view of the paranormal visit experienced by The Monsignor...it seems to me that we are now entitled to view the portrait!"

      "Forgive me Father, but in all due respect to you and Monsignor Voght there are two constants in my life...first, I deliver the portrait to the Holy Father. Second, I do not relate this event to anyone. I am happy to go back to Rome with you with the Portrait in tow. But in order to do so, there are several matters, which must be taken care of.

      Number 1. I need a Passport from Vatican City. I don't know if this is a Diplomatic Passport or some other type but I must receive this passport enabling me to travel as a citizen of Vatican City, Italy.

      Number 2. You will have to make me a Diplomatic Courier in order to carry the portrait on board a commercial flight or you will have to schedule a flight aboard a private aircraft so that I will not have to clear customs.

      Number 3. I will be unable to stay at Vatican City all the time. I will have to come back to the US in order to run my farm but I have been praying to this portrait for fifty years and I do not expect that to stop altogether. I want access to the portrait for the purpose of paying my respects.

      Number 4. I expect to pay all the expense related to the visit including the private charter if I must take one.

      Those are my wish list as I see them. I am a wealthy man so I do not seek your support and I plan to donate the portrait to the Catholic Church." Aldo said.

      "Well that is a major wish list...most especially the passport." Father Tim said.

      "Again respectfully, these are not surprises, I outlined my requirements carefully in my letter to the Vatican, in no uncertain teinis, and I told the Holy Father that I would not show or deliver the portrait to anyone but his Holiness. Not because I want to be difficult, but because this was the command made of me by the angel. So I don't mean to be rude, but you have come a long way to Ohio to change the game in Rome."

      "When could you travel? The Monsignor asked. "Tomorrow." Aldo said.

      **************

      The next few days were filled with communications via the fax in Aldo's farm office from Father Tim. They had returned safely to Rome and all the processes where now going forward including the application forms for the passport. Aldo had official passport photographs taken at FedEx Kinko and dispatched them via overnight with the application to Father Tim in Rome. It felt extremely freeing to send the application without any sense of guilt or any lies as to his former existence. He was simply Aldo Selleri, sixty-seven year old Italian seeking citizenship in Vatican City, Italy.

      A communique' from the Sala Stampa della Santa Sede, the press office of the Holy See was received via fax at Aldo's office at 4:00 am. Of course it was now 10:00 am in Rome so there was great effort being made as though the rest of the world operated on the same clock as the Holy See. Aldo heard the fax and went to see who could possibly be operating at this hour. He was shocked to see the communique', knowing that he had specifically informed both priest, that he would not be available ...ever for a meeting with the press. Surely they had heard him and did not misunderstand. He read the note and it was a rather innocuous request for bonefides.

      Aldo scrolled a remark on the communication sending it back to Father Tim... "How do these people know who I am, and how did they get my fax number...did you not understand that I will not meet with the press?"

      One thing was certain from Aldo's point of view...someone was pulling some mighty long strings and they were pulling them quickly. At this rate Aldo felt that he could be before the Holy Father in Rome for an Audience before the end of November...and that would be just wonderful.

      Several considerations remained, looking for solutions to issues of importance. Aldo tried to confront each of them... in as head on a manner as possible. There was the ever present issue of the confidentiality of the portrait. How was Aldo to maintain the confidential nature of the portrait on a 24/7 basis. He knew that he could not keep the portrait on his person 24/7 and therefore must seek alternate safekeeping. What were the options:

      Could he possible ask his bank to courier the portrait into a 'street named account'.

      Could he utilize the Client/Attorney privilege, having his local law firm contract with a law firm in Rome and then ship the portrait via special courier.

      Could he make a color copy of the portrait since it only measured 12 x 14 out of the frame. Send the copy as though it was the original and carry the original on his person...inside his shirt.

      Could he arrange with UPS or Federal Express to drop ship via overnight the color copy when it became apparent that the Audience with the Pope had been scheduled.

      Each of these prospects could establish Aldo's alibi that he did not have possession of the portrait for security reasons and thereby circumvent any would be thieves or conspirators. Or those with political power to somehow have the portrait seized by the Polizia di Stato (Italian Police) when it arrived at the Aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci in Rome.

      After much deliberation, Aldo, who was an avowed practitioner of the age old adage 'if something can go wrong, it will' decided that even with the prospect that he would have Diplomatic Immunity he could not chance being searched nor did he want to have an extra color copy of the portrait out there to be seized and duplicated. Therefore he chose to place his future in the capable hands of his local attorneys, Handmaker & Handmaker. Both good Jewish boys... so the importance of the portrait was greatly reduced. They would not care about the contents of the mailing piece so long as it wasn't some form of contraband or illegal copies from museum masters.

      Two days later Aldo was in the office of Homer Handmaker. Aldo had been made comfortable with a nice cup of coffee and was seated in the large conference room when Handmaker came in and shook his client's hand.

      "Well Aldo...ready to sell off another fifty acres?" he smiled. "No counselor, something a little more complicated." Aldo said.

      "OK shoot, I am all ears...and nose." Again an effort at self deprecation in the form of Woody Allen, the wonderfully brilliant Jewish comedian, actor and film director. Aldo loved this form of humor and had a good belly laugh at the expense of his Jewish lawyer.

      "Counselor, СКАЧАТЬ