Ben Bova - Voyagers

“Quite true, my friend,” murmured the Pope. “Quite true. Even in Redemptor hominis I said that man has been given dominion over the visible world by his Creator.”

“If the world is suddenly told that there are other intelligent creatures in space, from other worlds, other suns, and that they are in some physical ways superior to us”—Von Friederich closed his eyes to hide the pain—“the faith of many Catholics will be strained to the utmost.”

Benedetto nodded reluctantly. “The entire foundation upon which their faith is built could be shaken. It could be the greatest blow to the Church since Luther.”

Von Friederich shook his head. “Not Luther. It was Galileo and the scientists who destroyed the authority of the Universal Church. Luther was nothing without them. Rome had dealt with schisms and heresies before the scientists led to the Protestant movement.”

“A harsh view of science,” the Pope said, smiling.

“Heretics we can convert, given time,” Von Friederich said, his voice trembling. “It was the scientists who subverted the Church.”

The Pope raised a hand. “We are not here to reopen centuries-old schisms. Science has found this alien artifact. What should Holy Mother Church do about it?”

“Pray that it goes away,” said Von Friederich.

“Apparently,” said Benedetto, “both the Americans and the Russians are trying to keep the information secret, for the time being.”

“Good!”

“They are hinting at the possibility of working together in investigating the artifact,” Benedetto went on, “but both of them really want to seize the alien knowledge for themselves, for their own military purposes.”

The Pope’s face went somber. “Of course. What else would they think of? But how long can they keep this knowledge secret from their own people?”

“Someone is bound to speak up sooner or later,” Benedetto agreed.

“We must decide on how to handle the situation when the news is made public,” said the Pope.

“We could make the revelation ourselves,” Benedetto suggested.

“No!” Von Friederich snapped.

“It would give the Holy Father great prestige,” Benedetto argued, “and also show the faithful that our Pope is unafraid.”

Von Friederich thought for a moment, then replied, “But if the Americans and Russians are both trying to keep this a secret, wouldn’t they deny everything if we tried to make the news public? After all, the Americans have not made a formal announcement of their discovery. We have learned of it through the most circumspect of channels. And the Russians…!”

Benedetto said, “The American and Soviet governments may wish to keep this a secret. But their scientists do not, I’m certain. And there are many other scientists, in other nations, who could confirm the truth once His Holiness revealed it.”

“You are sure of that?” the Pope asked.

“Reasonably sure, Your Holiness.”

“Reasonably,” Von Friederich sneered.

“But have we decided,” the Pope asked softly, “that the time is right to release this news to the public?”

“We must consider this carefully before plunging into a precipitous course of action,” Von Friederich said.

The Pope cocked an eyebrow in his direction. “The Propaganda Fide wants a few weeks to think about it?”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“Or a few months?”

Von Friederich tried to shrug, almost failed.

“We don’t have months,” Benedetto urged. “We may not even have weeks. We must decide now. Quickly!”

The Pope turned toward him. “My friend, I have learned in my time here that nothing is done very quickly in the Vatican.”

“There is one thing that we can do immediately,” Benedetto countered. “With your permission, of course, Your Holiness.”

“And what is that?”

“The Americans are inviting the Russians and scientists from many other countries to join them in a co-operative research program, to study these signals and attempt to make contact with the alien artifact.”

“Yes?”

“So our people in Washington tell me,” Benedetto said, a bit smugly, Von Friederich thought.

“What has this to do with us?” the Pope asked.

“We should send a scientist to join this group, if the Americans actually are sincere in their words.”

“A scientist from the Church? Now, who…”

“We have just the man,” Benedetto said, with the air of a magician pulling a rabbit from his hat. “A Dominican lay brother in a monastery in Languedoc. He was a world-renowned cosmologist who received the Nobel Prize for his theories…”

Von Friederich interrupted, “A cosmologist who received the Nobel and then retired to a Dominican monastery?”

Benedetto spread his hands in an Italian gesture of regret. “He wished to get away from the world. He had a problem with alcohol. There were also other rumors…about carnal excesses…”

“This man should represent the Vatican?”

“He is much older now,” Benedetto said. “The monastic life has purified him.”

“Will he be able to face the temptations of the outer world, beyond his monastery’s walls?” the Pope wondered.

Smiling, Benedetto answered, “At some scientific research station? I should think so.”

“What is his name?”

“Reynaud. Edouard Reynaud.”

“I never heard of him,” Von Friederich muttered.

“He is a very famous scientist.”

“Very well,” said the Pope. “Ask his Order for his services. He should come here first, to discuss the matter with you in detail.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.” Bendetto bowed his head meekly.

Von Friederich gathered his strength and said firmly, “But we will make no public announcements. We must not alarm the faithful.”

The Pope nodded. “I agree, my Lord Cardinal. If the Americans and Russians remain silent, we must keep silent, also.”

The pain washed over him, but with it Von Friederich felt a profound sense of relief, almost gratitude. At least I have accomplished that much, he thought. I’ve stemmed the Italian tide one more time. I’ve protected Christ’s Vicar on Earth from making a fool of himself.

Even through the red haze of his suffering, Von Friederich relished the look of discomfort on Benedetto’s swarthy face.

REVIVALISTS, UFO FANS CLASH

SAN DIEGO: A near riot broke out at an outdoor revival meeting in Marineland of the Pacific last night as followers of Urban Evangelist Willie Wilson clashed with UFO fans who had infiltrated Rev. Wilson’s meeting.

More than six thousand persons were jammed into the outdoor meeting grounds, police estimate, to hear Rev. Wilson preach his “watch the skies” message. Shortly after he began speaking, an organized band of UFO enthusiasts began heckling, booing and waving protest signs. Several scuffles broke out, but police armed with riot gear quickly quelled the disturbances.

“He’s a phony,” said Fred W. Weddell, a local UFO expert, of Rev. Wilson. “He’s trying to scare everybody with an end of the world sermon. We all know that UFOs are friendly, peaceful.”

Rev. Wilson declared, “My message is one of peace and hope. It has nothing to do with UFOs. I’m merely warning people that a Great Change is coming to this world, and we should all be watching the skies for it.”

Seventeen persons were injured in the fighting, including two who were hospitalized. Police arrested eight…

A storm was coming.

Stoner had lived in New England long enough to know the warnings. The eleven o’clock news on television—two bland men so alike they might have been clones, in their gold blazers, teamed with a carefully coiffed Hispanic woman who traded inane small talk with them—had given a weather forecast of “clear and colder, with an overnight low around zero, winds from the west light and variable.”