FATHER DEVOTO How was your audience wit...

FATHER DEVOTO How was your audience with the President?

BENEDICTUS Productive. His intentions are commendable – within the sphere of his vision, as we often hear from politicians.

FATHER DEVOTO What do you mean, Your Holiness?

BENEDICTUS He is concerned about immediate problems in a practical way. But such actions will not save us.

FATHER DEVOTO Spiritually?

BENEDICTUS In the flesh. But first we must save ourselves spiritually.

FATHER DEVOTO Of course.

BENEDICTUS What if I told you?

FATHER DEVOTO What?

BENEDICTUS Never mind. I want to return to the discussion we had yesterday ... regarding visions. Do you think they can ever come, truly come to people who must deal with the problems of the world on the scale that, say, the President of the United States must?

FATHER DEVOTO I don't know that he's religious enough to be favored by heaven, Your Holiness.

BENEDICTUS Perhaps not. I wonder, though, if visions could really be vouchsafed even to such a one as myself?

FATHER DEVOTO If to anyone.

BENEDICTUS Ah, I wish I could believe that. And what if I told you I had, not one, but two visions? Ah, but it's nonsense. Forget I mentioned the subject. Children and other innocents may have them, but not a man besotted with the everyday concerns of the world.

FATHER DEVOTO Lately, you seem preoccupied by thoughts of them.

BENEDICTUS Maybe it's my advancing age. I sometimes think, if a vision seemed to come to me, would I believe it was really happening? And after it had passed, would I be skeptical? What do you suppose takes more strength – to believe in a vision or to dismiss it?

FATHER DEVOTO Why, to believe, I suppose.

BENEDICTUS And why is that?

FATHER DEVOTO The skepticism one must inevitably face, I think.

BENEDICTUS Yes, I'd say that's true. So what if I told you that one night I thought Jesus Christ appeared to me and the very next night, the Blessed Mother?

FATHER DEVOTO I would think you had been inordinately blessed.

BENEDICTUS And maybe senile.

FATHER DEVOTO Oh, come now, Pope Benedictus. You're as mentally healthy as a young man. You know that.

BENEDICTUS But would I still be so even if I believed what I just mentioned?

FATHER DEVOTO Do you?

BENEDICTUS Of course not. I was just ruminating. Funny how the mind can wander.

Benedictus

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