Peter Tremayne - The Leper's bell

As if he had heard her whispered question, Bishop Petrán had turned and spotted them. He said something to his companion, then walked across the quadrangle towards them. He halted in front of the archway under which they stood.

‘God be with you, Fidelma, and with you, Brother Eadulf.’ The elderly bishop greeted them in a manner that sounded more suited to intoning the last rites. It was a hollow voice of mourning.

Eadulf’s eyes narrowed in dislike but Fidelma replied in formal manner.

‘God and Mary be your guide, Bishop Petrán. What brings you back to Cashel so soon? I was told that you had only recently departed to the western islands.’

The bishop sniffed dismissively.

‘An unexpected matter arose and I proceeded no further than the abbey of Coimán on the coast. I did not even set foot on shipboard.’

‘Nothing serious, I trust?’

The bishop shook his head. Obviously he did not feel the necessity to speak further on the subject. He cleared his throat hesitantly.

‘I have just heard of your loss. My … er, my condolences. I will say a mass for the repose of the soul of Sárait, who was an obedient daughter of the Faith…’ he hesitated again, ‘and I will pray for the safe return of the child.’

Eadulf grimaced sourly.

‘You will pray for our son, Alchú?’ he asked with emphasis. ‘My wife is most appreciative of such a gesture.’

Bishop Petrán blinked at the quiet belligerence in his voice.

‘It is not a gesture but my duty as a servant of the Faith.’

‘But I thought you disapproved of our son? Indeed, you do not even approve of our marital union,’ Eadulf continued, without disguising the sneer in his voice. Fidelma tried to give him a warning glance but he was not looking.

Bishop Petrán’s pale cheeks had reddened a little.

‘I have my beliefs, Eadulf of Seaxmund’s Ham,’ he replied irritably. ‘It does not prevent me from being concerned with the fate of the son of the sister of my temporal king.’

‘Or my son?’ snapped Eadulf. ‘You surprise me. I thought you condemned all marital unions between the members of the religious as inspired by evil, especially those unions wrought between women of your land and the men of my country?’

Fidelma stirred uncomfortably at his side. She had been shocked into silence by Eadulf’s verbal attack on the elderly bishop. Once again, she was dumbfounded at seeing this new, angry side to Eadulf’s nature. It both astonished and concerned her.

‘This is not the time to speak of theological differences, Eadulf,’ she admonished. ‘We should thank the bishop for his spiritual concern.’

Eadulf snorted in disgust.

‘I have spoken of your appreciation. Yet I do not give thanks for that which should be a natural reaction. Petrán and I both know well that we hold differences that are irreconcilable. I have to say, however, that I find his words sanctimonious and lacking in sincerity.’

Bishop Petrán took a step backward, his eyes wide. The flush deepened as his expression hardened into dislike.

‘I have no knowledge of how your people treat their bishops, Saxon,’ he said coldly. ‘Indeed, I know that only a generation or so ago they had not even heard the Word of the True Faith, let alone had bishops to guide them. My people had to teach them, so maybe you are still in the process of learning. However, in this land, the bishops are treated with respect.’

Eadulf’s eyes were like pinpricks of fire. His face, too, was flushed with anger.

‘Respect is something that a Saxon, whether bishop or king, has to earn, Petrán. It is not given as a right. I have spent enough time in Rome and Gaul to know that you hold a very narrow view of the Faith. I upheld Rome at the great Council of Whitby and not even the Bishop of Rome, who is the Father of the Faith, preaches or condones those things that you teach.’

Bishop Petrán actually smiled, albeit a grimace without warmth.

‘I presume that you mean my teaching that for the religious only celibacy is the true path to God?’ he demanded. ‘In that case, I should remind you what the great Gregory of Rome said — that all sexual desire is sinful in itself.’

Eadulf uttered a short sharp bark of laughter.

‘Then he must mean that desire itself is intrinsically evil. How can that be? Did God not create men and women and the means to procreate? Do you say that God created something that is fundamentally evil? Something that is sinful?’

Bishop Petrán’s face darkened for a moment.

‘Do not question the word of a great saint. Gregory the Great is God’s infallible word. He is not to be challenged.’

‘Then you must condemn the great abbot and missionary Columbanus who defied him? Columbanus adhered to the ecclesiastical customs and teachings of the five kingdoms of Éireann, and when challenged by Gregory he wrote in defence of those teachings. Do you argue that the Faith is closed to such challenge and debate?’

‘Columbanus was a Laigin man who should have been content to remain abbot of Bangor in the northern kingdom. His pride in arguing with Gregory was sinful.’

Eadulf shook his head sadly. ‘You are prejudiced in your beliefs. That makes you a bigot.’

Bishop Petrán twisted his lips into an ugly sneer. ‘Heraclitus wrote that bigotry was a sacred disease.’

‘And that prejudice is the child of ignorance,’ riposted Eadulf.

‘And Aristotle pointed out that some men are just as sure of the truth of their opinions as are others of what they know,’ intervened Fidelma, raising her voice sharply as she tried to mediate in the argument.

‘When I travelled in Rome,’ went on Eadulf, ignoring her, as did Bishop Petrán, ‘I learnt that even Christ’s own people in Judaea believed that marriage was the prominent symbol for the relationship of God to his people, that marriage and family were in the centre of life and celibacy was not recognised as having any religious value. Very few Bishops of Rome have so far argued that the only route to God would come through celibacy.’

Bishop Petrán scowled as he replied.

‘The Faith, the congregation of bishops, is moving slowly to an acceptance of the teaching that the way of achieving greater devotion to God and victory over the world’s evils is to live the celibate life. For those religious who achieve it, it is to achieve a place in the hereafter as great as martyrdom.’

‘And I have no intention of achieving either martyrdom or celibacy,’ replied Eadulf. ‘Nowhere is it decreed by God or Christ that those who follow the Faith must abandon a normal life. Even those who a few centuries ago started to practise sexual abstinence as though it was a possible vocation did so in the belief that it was a transitory ritual during the brief time they thought they had to wait while the form of this world was passing away before the Kingdom of Christ arrived.’

The bishop shook his head in exasperation.

‘I have my belief, Saxon. I know I am right. I am fighting to keep the truth safe.’ He suddenly held out his hands, each balled into a fist. ‘I grasp that truth tight in these hands for protection.’

‘And your grip might kill it, Petrán,’ interposed Fidelma softly, speaking again in an attempt to end the argument. ‘Let each of you have his own truth for the time being. We have other matters of more immediate concern. I thank you, Petrán, for your prayers and good wishes.’

She turned, with a meaningful look at Eadulf, and began to walk away. After a second’s hesitation, Eadulf reluctantly followed after her.

‘What are you doing, verbally and outrageously attacking Bishop Petrán?’ she hissed as they turned into the corridor leading to their chambers. A shadow was standing near their door. It was the tall warrior, Gorman.