Inside the cathedral, Ms. Tracy's uncle sat on the left side of the front row, near the aisle.
Apart from him, there were also several church staff members.
It wasn't Sunday, nor was it any religious holiday. The cathedral wasn't receiving believers or tourists that day.
There were matters that needed to be dealt with here.
A few minutes later, the Pope and another patriarch entered through a side door. With a wave of his hand, all the uninvolved staff members left one after another, leaving the enormous cathedral to the three of them.
The Pope looked at Ms. Tracy's uncle, his close friend, and suddenly felt like laughing.
"Was all this worth it?"
he asked.
The question seemed somewhat inexplicable, but all three of them knew what he meant.
Ms. Tracy's uncle answered with a smile, "Whether it was worth it or not—is that really important?"
"If you want to do something, then do it. That's enough."
"All the sacrifices and gains are merely extra scenery along the road to pursuing one's ideals. Nothing is truly worth it or not worth it."
The other patriarch couldn't help commenting, "That's a very profound way of putting it. Have you considered how you're going to deal with these problems next?"
Only then did the topic gradually turn to the "main issue."
The church was... actually very complicated.
The church supported by the Federal Government wasn't completely clean. In fact, that was the same for religious organizations all over the world. It was impossible for them to be truly spotless.
The issue of child abuse within the church was... also something difficult to explain clearly. It could even be said to be partly a legacy of history.
Back when the Federal Government still had a great many church schools, most families sent