When I was young I had a list of goals which I thought would enable me to gain unassailable power. These included taking over a bank by force, building a solid gold statue of myself, and writing a new testament to the bible. Though I’ve never been sexually abused as a child (as far as I can remember) there was always an innate understanding that those who held a high position in the religious ranks were more powerful than even celebrities and politicians. I never imagined the desire to hold on to power could drive men to muffle so much suffering, to such an extensive rate, for such a long time, so successfully.
As usual, by the time I figure it out it’s too late. I could have joined the club and enslaved half of Eastern Europe by now with complete anonymity. I could have amassed a whole army, developed weapons of mass destruction, built a whole empire, and the worst that would have happened would be that the pope would tell me I couldn’t attend confession anymore.
I should maybe go to Italy and make friends with the pope … I’d be able to get away with murder then. But surely by now it’s too late and the church can’t be allowed so much authority … that’s obvious, right?
