The Cardinal Page #2

Both.

But if you had to make a choice

between the two?

A good priest.

The very best priest in all the world?

The best priest in the world.

And how do you expect to be that...

when already you are committing

the sin of pride even to think it?

Frank, will you stop that noise?

Don't you get enough of that...

playing in those Scully Square

movie parlors...

till the Lord knows what hour of the night?

Don't worry about me, Dad.

I get plenty of sleep during the day.

Steve, listen to this. It's a new one.

Dinner's ready.

Shouldn't we wait for Mona?

She's due back from the library

any minute.

The library?

Is that where she told you she was going?

What you do mean by that, Florrie?

I mean, she is more likely out

with lkie Rampbell.

His name's not lkie, it's Benny.

What's the difference?

There are enough Catholic boys

in this parish...

without you having to run around

with a rag-picking Jew.

He's not a ragpicker.

He is studying to be a dentist

He's still a Jew.

I'm sick and tired of having to do

all the work around here...

while she is out with

that sheeny boyfriend of hers.

You like it better not having

any boyfriend at all?

Slut!

Will you go up to Mona, Steve?

You've always had a special way with her.

Yes, you talk to Mona, Steve.

I'll talk to Florrie.

Monie?

It's me, Steve.

Monie.

Put your arms around me.

Remember the bear hugs

you used to give me...

and I'd take you down Crescent Hill

on my double runner?

Before we'd start, I'd show you

how to put your arms around me...

and I'd say:

"No matter what happens,

just hang on to me."

And you'd say, "I'll hang on, Steve."

What am I gonna do?

I'm in love with Benny.

I want to marry him.

Has he asked you?

Yes.

I asked him to wait.

He won't wait forever.

The difference in faith. It doesn't matter?

Only if it matters to you, Steve.

Does it matter?

I'd like to meet Benny.

Would you bring him over to the rectory

one of these days?

I'm so glad you're back.

You're gonna fix everything.

I'm so glad you're home.

- Father, I've got a bet.

- What about?

Chick, here, says that only Catholics

can get into heaven.

Everyone knows Protestants

can't go to heaven.

Why can't Protestants go to heaven?

Does anyone have an answer for that?

- Father!

- Father!

'Cause they ain't Catholics.

How does that strike the rest of you?

He's right!

You're all wrong.

The Catholic Church teaches

that it's possible for anyone...

Protestant, Mohammedan, Jew...

anyone who does God's will according

to his conscience to go to heaven.

Then what's the use of going

to all this trouble to be Catholic?

Yes, Father, what's the use?

We'll take that up next Sunday.

I think we've all had enough for today.

Steve.

This is Benny Rampbell.

- How do you do, Benny?

- How do you do, Father?

The kid had a point there, don't you think?

Have you ever thought

about becoming Catholic?

You know...

my parents aren't too keen on the idea

of my marrying a Christian, either.

Couldn't we just get married,

and then try to convert each other?

No, you couldn't.

For Mona to marry you at all,

she'd need special dispensation...

and you'd have to pledge not to interfere

with the practice of her religion...

and raise your children as Catholics.

That's not exactly

treating the two things as equal, is it?

It would be hypocritical if we did.

We happen to believe our church

is the only true one.

If you're right,

then your rules make sense.

I'm glad you think so.

And, if you're right,

then a guy'd be a fool not to join up.

Would you, Benny?

Steve, I'm in love with your sister.

I want to marry her.

So, if my becoming a Catholic

will make that easier...

I'll give it a try.

Benny, I love you.

- Steve, you did it!

- Not yet.

You'll have to work pretty hard.

No Sunday school stuff for me.

I'm up to my neck in what you call

perfidious darkness.

We'll do our best to turn on the light.

But hasn't Darwin put

the skids to Genesis?

If he's done it for us,

he's done it for the Jewish faith, too.

Listen, if I was a good Jew,

I wouldn't be here.

I don't see how anyone can square this

Adam-and-Eve business with evolution.

Why not?

Good afternoon, Monsignor.

- Father. Benny.

- Good afternoon, sir.

- How're you getting along?

- All right, I guess.

Go ahead, don't let me bother you.

Father Fermoyle was asking you,

"Why not?"

Because they are mutually exclusive.

Not if you separate

what is essential in the Bible.

What affects matters of faith from...

the names and physical details

that don't have to be taken literally.

Dogma is that there is

one pair of first parents...

from whom all mankind is descended.

That truth remains...

whether or not evolution was the method

by which God chose to create them.

I've been working on

a similar question that came up when...

Copernicus and Galileo...

made their discoveries

about the mechanics of the universe.

What's that?

It's a book I've been writing...

in my spare time.

I borrowed a quote on the subject

from Bishop Quarenghi, my teacher.

Why didn't you say so in the first place?

That makes everything clear.

The Bible teaches not

how the heavens go...

but how to go to heaven.

A pretty phrase, Father...

but aren't you getting

a bit away from the usual instruction?

- Benny's a tough nut to crack.

- There's nothing tough about it.

What it all amounts to

in the long run, Benny...

is faith.

You've got to have faith.

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem

to be contagious.

What's going on out there?

What's happened, Father Lyons?

A miracle, it looks like.

There's blood dripping from the statue,

from her heart.

That girl, Elena,

one of the new Italian immigrants...

her husband was stabbed yesterday.

He was dying when they took him

to the hospital.

She prayed to the Blessed Mother

to save him.

She lit a candle in front of the statue.

She went back to the hospital...

and her husband was sitting up in bed,

asking for pasta.

Get over there, quick.

Speak Italian to them, but for heaven's

sake, get them out of the church.

Children of the miraculous Queen

of the heavens...

let us pray.

Let us cover the Blessed Virgin

with flowers.

Let us cover her with the flowers...

of her litanies.

Lord, have pity on us.

Lord, have pity on us.

Christ, hear our prayer.

Holy Trinity, one single God.

Son, God, Redeemer of the world.

Holy Spirit, thou art God.

He sure does have a way with them.

Holy Mother of God.

Pray for us.

The miracle of the leaking steam pipe...

courtesy of the Cornelius J.

Deegan Construction Company.

And I thought this was a special effort

for my conversion.

It'll be a jolt for those people

when they find out the truth.

Maybe they won't have to.

You're not gonna tell them?

It's not up to me to tell them.

Come on.

I report what we found

to Monsignor Monaghan.

He reports it to Cardinal Glennon's office.

In the end, the Cardinal himself will decide

what to tell them.

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