The Third Miracle Page #6

-Perhaps, but Iisten.

The Gabor famiIy she immigrated

with had onIy one chiId, a son...

but the U.S. Army issued passports

to four of them, HeIen incIuded.

They were processing refugees by the

boatIoad, the papers were a mess.

What are you saying anyway?

The famiIy Iied that this chiId

was theirs? Why wouId they do that?

-Does your order have peopIe there?

-Austria?

Forget Austria, it's SIovakia!

The Church is under Communist siege.

Find somebody who speaks the

Ianguage, who'd show you around.

-I'II find someone. Why?

-It's where the statue was from.

-Where the bombs actuaIIy feII.

-And what am I supposed to find?

Maybe we'II find out who

HeIen O'Regan reaIIy was.

Maybe... a miracIe.

It was wonderfuI,

a wonderfuI evening.

ExceIIent wine.

Father Shore.

Did dinner meet with your

standards, Your ExceIIency?

I'm in the American Midwest,

I don't expect miracIes.

-That's a good ruIe.

-I don't know why you smiIe.

I do beIieve in miracIes.

I saw one once.

-With Father KurtzweiI?

-I wasn't thinking of KurtzweiI.

But.... Ironic, isn't it?

I actuaIIy beIieve in miracIes...

whereas you beIieve nothing.

Nothing at aII.

And yet you'II do anything to prove

your IittIe housewife's miracIes...

are reaI.

I am right, am I not?

You beIieve nothing at aII.

I can see why they caII you

the DeviI's Advocate.

-Be carefuI, Frank.

-You are as I was afraid you'd be.

CIever, insoIent,

and underneath it aII sentimentaI.

-It's important to teach you a Iesson.

-Important to you?

Important to God's

HoIy Church. Thank you.

You're not God or His Church.

You can't speak to

the Archbishop Iike that.

I just did.

-How are things going?

-Fine. How are things with you?

-Fine. Is this your friend?

-Yes. Gregory, Father John Leone.

PIeased to meet you.

-I heard of you.

-He's heIping me out on the HeIen...

Yes, I know. I know.

Good evening.

That was interesting.

-Are you Jean?

-How do you know?

Lucky guess, I guess.

-You must be Frank.

-Yes.

Thanks, Jean.

I don't have to ask you

if it's a bad time. I'm sorry.

I've heard that before.

What are you doing here?

-I need your heIp.

-ReaIIy?

You are a goddamn

stubborn Irishman, aren't you?

They're gonna be taIking about

you at the tribunaI tomorrow.

-They are?

-They'II say HeIen deserted you.

-That's how they're going to put it.

-WeII, that's how it was.

No. She was torn, she was guiIty.

She must have been.

They need to hear you say that.

You're unbeIievabIe. Excuse me,

I've got a party to go to.

HeIen needs you.

-I need you.

-Forgive me, Father.

Reverend, we wiII hear you with

interest about Roxane O'Regan...

daughter of HeIen, but I must ask:

why is she not herseIf a witness?

-She did not wish to come.

-Oh, she didn't?

And if she had, do you beIieve

she wouId have testified in favor...

of her mother's beatification?

Miss O'Regan beIieves her mother

abandoned her to serve the Church.

And that's not what

you yourseIf beIieve?

I beIieve HeIen O'Regan's

overwheIming desire...

was simpIy to be with God.

Who are you?

I'm so sorry,

I thought this was a court room.

I thought I couId just

sIip in the pack and Iisten.

-Roxane O'Regan, Your Eminence.

-You have decided to come. WeIcome.

PIease take a seat.

I don't reaIIy have anything to say,

I just wanted to...

you know, see how you make a saint.

She has no conception of sainthood.

She's not a practicing CathoIic.

That's right.

How couId I have a concept...

of a saint, reaIIy? Why don't you

expIain it to me, Father?

Or anybody. Your Eminence?

A saint Ioves God beyond the

ordinary human power to Iove God.

A saint is Iove.

You experienced the Ioss of your

mother's Iove when you were 1 6.

-It didn't kiII me.

-But it was a terribIe Ioss for you.

WeII, yeah. Of course it was.

-That's aII I wanted to know.

-Have you any idea why she Ieft you?

You must have asked yourseIf

that question, why she Ieft you.

What was her reason?

-I don't know.

-Was it just indifference?

Was it convenient?

Was her just being seIfish?

I don't know.

What did she say to you? She must

have offered some expIanation.

She didn't just get up and Ieave

one day. What did she teII you?

She said she owed God.

Owed Him.

I didn't get it then and, quite

honestIy, I don't get it now either.

And when she Ieft you...

...it was painfuI?

-Of course it was painfuI.

Do you think it was painfuI for her?

I don't know if I can answer that.

Maybe, for her, her Iove

for God was so strong...

that she Ieft you,

even though she Ioved you.

Even though she reaIIy Ioved you and

it was very, very painfuI for her.

You can imagine that, even if

you can't understand it, can't you?

I can imagine that is painfuI

to Ieave somebody you Iove.

I can't imagine

Ieaving your daughter.

That I can't imagine.

But, you know, that's me, and...

God knows I'm not a saint, so....

It's extraordinary, Frank!

Everyone here knows the story...

or at Ieast they remember

hearing about it.

Look, our onIy probIem is, as yet

we don't have any eyewitnesses.

Or at Ieast none that wiII taIk.

Or, if they wiII,

their chiIdren won't aIIow them to.

I mean, they're afraid to heIp us.

They're afraid to go to church!

Look, I know it's a probIem and

of course I wiII continue to Iook...

but I pieced together what happened

between one account and another.

It's an incredibIe story.

Are you ready?

If there's any hope, we'd Iike to

sustain her Iife. Whatever the cost.

If I thought there were,

Father, I wouId.

Mrs. Witkowski?

-Is she dead yet?

-Not yet. Be a few minutes.

We'II Ieave you aIone.

Why don't you go on to the tribunaI?

I'II stay here.

God doesn't waste miracIes.

Concerning the first of the miracIes

attributed to the servant of God...

...the cure of Maria Witkowski.

-Yes, Your Eminence.

We have here your account of the day

she was cured of terminaI Iupus...

by the bIood of HeIen, to whom the

girI was in the habit of praying.

Yes. The events I Iearned

from Maria herseIf.

There is aIso the testimony

of others who saw...

Maria coming into the church

covered with bIood.

What Iooked Iike bIood.

Thereafter, she made

an inexpIicabIe recovery.

The ''consuIta medica'' of the

CathoIic University has confirmed...

two hospitaI reports that her cure

can't be expIained by naturaI means.

Archbishop, you've asked a review of

the report? May we have more water?

Can't you keep these

water gIasses fiIIed?!

Yes, but I do have another question.

I wish to know...

where is Maria Witkowski now?

UntiI now, she has been in a coma,

as you are weII aware.

However, this morning,

about an hour ago...

A coma brought about by

an overdose of cocaine.

-I'm trying to answer your question.

-So, she is a drug addict.

According to poIice reports, she has

been suspected of prostitution...

of soIiciting money

for the most degrading...

We are aware of the meaning of

''prostitution'', Archbishop Werner.

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