Free The de Montfort Histories - The Dove and the Devil by Gradyn Bell Page A

it?” Pierre asked. He forgot to bow, the act of veneration
being the last thing on his mind at that moment. “What has happened? Has
someone died?” He could have bitten his tongue as he said that, since Arnaud
had awoken and was listening intently to the conversation.
    “No one we know, but news has been received from the Perfecta who leads
our house in Troyes.” He paused dramatically. “There have been eight burnings
in the town centre there. Five of our brothers and three of our sisters have
gone to greater glory, burned by the order of the Archbishop. I am afraid it
has begun, my friend!”
    “What has begun?” Arnaud looked puzzled.
    “It is a long story and perhaps Pierre here will tell you about it. I
must go and spread the news and warn our people of what is happening.” With
that, the Elder left as quickly as he had arrived.
    “We have always lived our lives according to what we believe to be
right. The corruption and decay in the Catholic Church is easy to see. They
don’t even try to hide it! Many priests do not even bother to obey church laws.
They sell justice. If you can’t afford to buy a pardon from the priest, then
you are dammed. All poor people are dammed! Not so the rich! They can afford to
buy their salvation. When was the last time you ever saw an archbishop in this
diocese? They never even bother to visit, to see what is happening. They
believe, or perhaps they don’t even care, that illiterate priests pass on God’s
word. Many monks have taken mistresses; in principle I do not care if a man has
a mistress but I do if that man has sworn a vow of chastity! Some, even more
unworthy, have become money lenders. Their church forbids this but what do they
care? They live very well on the profit which they have bled from their poorest
parishioners.” Pierre’s eyes were alight as he spoke. He clearly had little
time for the Catholic clergy.
    “But why burn your people, the believers? What harm do you do?”
    “They fear us, my friend. We are a growing group. Already there are many
thousands who are believers and more come every day!”
    “I still do not understand why they should burn you.” Arnaud was clearly
very troubled. “I have received nothing but kindness at your hands. My wife was
one of you. She was a good person who never harmed a fly. What is it that Holy
Mother Church fears?”
    “They fear the lies they teach may become apparent and then their power
would be dissipated. Where would the church be without all the poor souls who
regularly pay for the upkeep of the bishops’ fine palaces? We are beginning to
find that even the most devout amongst Catholics doubt the sanctity of the
church! And this is the fault not of the Pope, perhaps, but certainly of some
of his priests. We are happy to live side-by-side with everyone, but it appears
we are a great threat.”
    Arnaud looked from Pierre to Saissa, who had been listening all the
while her husband was speaking. No one could look less threatening than this
couple!    “Are there many
believers in Lavaur? I know there are some because my wife’s parents live here
in the town.”
    “There are several hundreds of us, I think,” she replied. “We meet
regularly, not as a whole group but separately, sometimes outside, sometimes in
each other’s houses. You would be surprised by the names of some of the
believers. Many are very rich and some have become perfecti .” Saissa smiled. “Would you like to come to one of our meetings?
You would be made welcome and you could learn more, perhaps, to interest you.
We must be careful, though. It seems as though we are in for a period of
trouble. We have not had much of that for the past twenty-five years, even
though the Pope declared our beliefs anathema then. We were cursed for all time
and shortly after that, one of his bishops besieged our town and they tried to
make our families recant their beliefs. We never did, of course, but our lord,
Raymond-Roger, did so on our behalf.