Farewall Jerusalem

[Ernesto Strozzi]

Father Ernesto's relief at returning to Jerusalem was to be short lived. He welcomed the respite from the horrors of the battlefield and looked forward to a time of peaceful prayer and study.

Instead he discovered that his servants were already starting to pack up his possessions and prepared for a hasty departure.

With astonishment he read the decree of banishment from Jerusalem. When he regained his composure he wrote to inform his ecclesiastical superiors.

[Ernesto Strozzi]

Ernesto took one last look at Caesarea as he boarded his ship, then he stood on deck and watched as the coast dwindled into the distance.

He wondered, what would become of his flock, and what would become of Jerusalem?

[Emma Le Chappelle]

In the bustling city of Cyrene, a ship docked at the harbour.

Emma was walking from her workshop to the academy, when she noticed some new arrivals walking up from the harbour.  One of them looked familiar...

"Greetings Father Ernesto, how nice of you to come and visit Cyrene again!"

called out Emma, but just then she had the strangest feeling that she had missed something, and somehow spoken out of turn.

[Ernesto Strozzi]

"Greetings to you also, Emma Le Chappelle, and congratulations on your appointment as Academy Director. I look forward to making good use of the academy, but that is not the only reason that I am here. I am refugee from Jerusalem. I was banished for the crime of healing some Roman soldiers. Yet, I believe that Immanuel would have done the same..."

[Fabiotto Borgia]

Fabiotto was looking for the Director of the Academy to be able to talk with her and know how things were going in the Academy.
He saw her talking to Father Ernesto Strozzi. He knew Ernesto, as he knew many others who came from the neighboring kingdoms to work on the different sites of Cyrene.
He approached the two and looked at Lady Emma.
Then he turned to Ernesto
"Happy to see you again Father Ernesto.The voices are turning.I already know the special edict that was made in a few minutes just for you" then smiled "You are lucky, not everyone is lucky enough to have a special edict"
But then Fabiotto returned seriously: "These are particular days of fear, and the weak kingdoms act accordingly.Our priest was called to go to Kiev to help the Romans, she informed us, and we from Cyrene have banned our priest  to do that. Our weak kingdom has acted this way.Your weak kingdom has acted differently, It has acted exiled. You do not have to blame your kingdom for your exile. Exactly like us, they too are afraid. We live every day with the fear of being attacked. People said we help someone, but who can we help? We are all young, lovers of life . The truth is that if they attack, they will do it because we are weak and we do not have anyone to help us.I really hope this will not happen,  we have built something really beautiful together. And to see to destroy what is beautiful,  it's  more sad there may be. Welcome Father Ernesto. "
Then he turned to the crowd he did not know and passed through the harbor.
He shouted: "WELCOME TO YOU, PEOPLE FROM EVERYWERE!  WHOEVER YOU ARE!"

[Ernesto Strozzi]

Father Ernesto turned towards Ambassador Borgia and made a slight bow and a warm smile.

"Greetings, Your Excellency, Lord Fabiotto, it is so good to see you again. I look forward to seeing all the friends that I made at Cyrene and new friends as well. I thank you for your warm welcome. I hope Cyrene will not incur any political consequences for accepting a refugee, like myself. I do not wish to cause any trouble, and will leave quietly if asked to do so. For now I wish to apply for citizenship of Cyrene, so that I can live and work and pray among people of Theological faith, and indeed Cyrene belongs to the same diocese as Jerusalem. Cyrene has always been my home-from-home, now it is my home."

[Fabiotto Borgia]

Fabiotto left the tavern for the umpteenth time drunk

"Good morning, Fabiotto"
Fabiotto turned and saw Ernesto
"What's new?"
Fabiotto looked at him. Then he began to laugh out loud "HAHAHAHAHA!"
Ernesto looked at him
"What's new?" Fabiotto laughed. Then he put a hand on his shoulder to the priest "Ernesto, you became the man of the moment"
Ernesto did not understand
Fabiotto kept laughing and grabbed Ernesto's arm with one hand
"Come with me, let's go and admire our church again!"
The two went to the church and Fabiotto kept laughing
"Actually I should go to my farm ..." Ernesto said
"Don't worry.." said Fabiotto. "Someone will kill the cows for you!"
Fabiotto kept laughing, and without an apparent reason, Ernesto also began to laugh

[Ernesto Strozzi]

”How is it that a humble priest becomes the second most hated enemy of the Patriarchal church, almost as feared as the Pontifex himself?”

Father Ernesto felt the burden of both  Jerusalem and Cyrene. If they fell it would be all his fault.

It was ironic, a few months ago, hardly anyone knew his name, but now the Grand Villainess herself was denouncing him as a reason to destroy the churches of both Jerusalem and Cyrene, which made no sense.

He was not the priest of Cyrene, so why punish Cyrene, and he was not a citizen of Jerusalem, so why punish that region?

[Emma Le Chappelle]

Emma was walking back from the farm to the academy when she heard part of the conversation between Fabitto and Father Ernesto.

She thought about it for a moment and then replied:


”Persection is good for the church. The true believers will stay firm, but the weaker ones will leave.”

[Ernesto Strozzi]

Ernesto thought to himself that the true believers had grown stronger and bolder in recent days. They had lost their fear of persecution.