"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are clear, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eyes are evil, your whole body will be full of darkness."
—Gospel of Luke
Once snow-white ceremonial robes were stained with dust, they no longer looked so holy. Besides, the soil of Poveglia Island was full of bone ash. Pomona followed those bedraggled priests from a distance and felt somewhat sorry for them.
Few young men were willing to become Catholic priests. Jungle expeditions were not suited to elderly men.
"You feel sorry for them?" Voldemort asked with an interested smile. "As a witch, you actually feel sorry for priests?"
"I know." Pomona sighed helplessly. This sort of "womanly softness" had taught her a painful lesson. If she had not softened her heart and saved Wormtail, perhaps none of what followed would have happened.
"The old fool always placed me on the side opposed to evil. He never considered whether Muggles were willing to coexist peacefully with us. Do you think the witch hunts of the Middle Ages will never return?"
Pomona did not answer.
"At first, Muggles did not believe in magic. When the weather worsened, they shifted the blame onto wizards. When plague broke out, they said it was dark magic cast by wizards. Herpo once said that I was as great as God, while he was as insignificant as I was. He could not be above me, nor could I place myself beneath myself. Do you understand what that means?"
"Was God already so famous in Herpo's time?" Pomona asked in surprise. She had thought Druidism was the most widespread religion back then.
"The East does not believe in a Creator, while the West has always had some existence higher than humanity. Whether