Blackstone Code

In the cathedral, Ms. Tracey's uncle sat in the first row, on the left, near the aisle.

In addition to him, there were also some church staff.

Today is not a Sunday, nor is it a religious holiday. The cathedral did not welcome worshipers or tourists today.

Because here, there are some things that need to be dealt with.

A few minutes later, the Pope and another patriarch walked in from the side door. With a wave of his hand, all the irrelevant staff left, leaving the huge cathedral to these three people.

The Pope looked at Ms. Tracey's uncle, his good friend, and he suddenly wanted to laugh.

"Is all this worth it?"

he asks.

It's a bit baffling, but all three of them know what this sentence means.

Ms. Tracey's uncle smiled and replied, "Does it matter whether it's worth it or not?"

“Just do it if you want to, that’s enough.”

"All the efforts and gains are just extra scenery on the road to pursuing your ideal. There is nothing worthwhile or unworthy."

Another patriarch couldn't help but comment, "It's a very in-depth statement. Have you considered how to deal with these problems next?"

At this time, the topic gradually turned to the "main topic".

Inside the church...it's actually very complicated.

The churches provided by the federation are not completely clean. This is actually the same as religious organizations around the world. They cannot be truly spotless.

The issue of child abuse within the church... is something that is difficult to explain clearly. It can even be said that this is partly a legacy of history.

In the past, when there were many missionary schools in the Commonwealth, children from most families would be sent to missionary schools, especially girls.

A semi-closed management system is adopted here, and the rules are very strict.

Priests or nuns who are teachers are not always patient enough with children, so they often use some "punishment" methods to make children obedient.

Like... spanking.

It sounds very ordinary, but what if you were spanked in front of your classmates?

Or even take off your pants and get spanked?

Physical pain and mental stimulation will make every child who is punished more vulnerable and sensitive.

This is inevitable, after all, being taken off your pants in front of many people and spanked with a bag or a cowhide wooden board to make your butt red, is really not something that can be treated as if it has never happened.

And some church schools have stricter, even harsh, methods to deal with similar problems - to make disobedient children obedient.

For example, some schools will hang disobedient children, especially teenagers, older children who are in the rebellious stage, from trees, strip them of their clothes and beat them with whips.

Others will watch from a distance.

In this process, the authority of priests and nuns in the minds of children will continue to increase.

Whether they are those who have been spanked or those who have not been spanked, they will slowly become obedient and lose the power to question and resist.

Human beings can never be perfect, and even God is not perfect enough, let alone human beings.

In the team of priests and nuns, it is inevitable that there will be some people with psychological problems. They have the right to punish the children, and the children do not dare to resist.

This creates a "dominance" superior-subordinate relationship, where some people are simply abusive, and some people may add a few other things.

This happened much less often until recent years, when the "status" of parochial schools in society began to decline.

But that doesn't mean it won't happen.

Because church schools still exist, some parents are devout believers and they want their children to be closer to God, so they send their children to church schools.

Some simply knew that the management of church schools was very strict and their children were naughty and not liked by them, so they sent their children there.

This time, a child in the choir of Ms. Tracey's uncle's pastoral district told her parents that she had been abused at school and in the choir.

The bishop who was confessed was a confidant of Ms. Tracey's uncle.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if that was all it was, but the child claimed that she wasn't the only one who was abused, but that others were also abused and beaten.

When answering questions, they even mentioned that sometimes they need to serve people they don’t know.

The problem suddenly became serious. If the investigation results were as people imagined, Ms. Tracey's uncle would certainly not be able to escape responsibility.

This problem does not only exist in this pastoral area, but actually exists in many pastoral areas.

A very small number of people feel that the children in the church are more innocent, cleaner, and more willing to enjoy their service.

The status and social status of these people are very high, and this is also a potential means for the church to win over the upper class.

Just like Bliss Island, just like those things the Duncan family did, almost nothing was illegal, and everyone knew what they were doing and how terrible it was.

But before the problem was triggered, did anyone take the initiative to accuse them or report them?

No, because this is the truth about the operation of this society, it has its rules of rotation.

Within the rules, no one can break or destroy them.

Facing the question from another patriarch, the smile on Ms. Tracy's uncle's face gradually faded, "I will admit my sins and am willing to atone for them."

"But it's not mine. If someone tries to frame me, I won't make it easy for them."

"I can't have a worse outcome, I have nothing to fear!"

The atmosphere was a little tense, and the Pope interrupted the two of them with a slight cough.

In the Federation, the Pope does not have particularly great power. He is like a spiritual leader, but his control over the church is far less than that of the patriarchs.

Moreover, the federal government does not allow a tough pope who has a firm grip on the church to appear in the federal territory.

So the Pope is more like a mascot.

Although he is a mascot, believers are very enthusiastic about him. After all, he is the one closest to God!

Even though he has no actual power, in terms of influence, his influence in society is still quite large.

"People from Congress talked to me, and their request is very simple. They just need you to plead guilty."

Ms. Tracey's uncle laughed again, "I'm going to be seventy, are they going to let me die in a cell?"

The Pope did not smile. He met his gaze without giving in at all. "You and your niece have caused huge losses to the reputation of the church. Once the investigation is fully launched, the trouble will only get bigger and bigger."

"If you can make concessions before the trouble gets too big to deal with, everything will end here."

"She is just an example and everything she says is just exaggerated truth out of fear. There are no more victims and there are no more perpetrators."

"And all this requires is that you admit your mistakes."

"They won't lock you in..."

Ms. Tracey's uncle was stunned for a moment, "Then you want to ruin my reputation, right?"

The Pope said nothing, acquiescing to his guess.

Move the problem away from his confidants and onto him, and the perverted Patriarch will be exposed, and all his glory will be a thing of the past.

How important he is in the hearts of believers, how much people will hate him now.

The former Patriarch, who has lost his social influence, been completely disgraced, and may even be under surveillance, will no longer be able to increase his leverage for Ms. Tracey through religious means.

Ms. Tracey's uncle thought for a moment and asked, "What if I say no?"

The Pope didn't say much in the complexities, he just looked at him with a "better not to do that" look and some pity, "You're going to die in prison."

"People in prison hate those crimes very much. As you said, you are seventy and you can't stand it."

Ms. Tracy's uncle sneered, "It seems I have no choice. You don't need to ask me to meet at all."

Another patriarch said softly, "But the final choice in this matter is still in your hands. If you are willing to plead guilty and cooperate with us, the matter will be much simpler."

"No one wants to take the worst step, but if there is really no other way, we can only abandon you."

"After all, you are just one person, and we..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but Ms. Tracy's uncle knew the lines that followed him very well, which was a whole.

Compared to the church being disgraced, killing someone is an acceptable fact for everyone!

A few minutes later, the Pope patted Ms. Tracey’s uncle on the shoulder and left with another patriarch.

About five minutes later, several FBI agents walked in from outside the church and took him away after showing their identification.

That night, a scandal about the former patriarch of a certain pastoral area was suddenly exposed. There were testimonies from the victims and testimonies from people around him. Almost all the fingers were pointed at him, making it impossible for him to get rid of it.

The former patriarch also admitted to the FBI the mistakes he had committed, and was willing to make amends to the victims and their families, while expressing remorse.

Ms. Tracey clenched her fists tightly as she watched her uncle being put into the car in handcuffs on TV, with the angry crowd shouting abuse around him.

There is no question that Congress took action.

If it hadn't been for Congress, it would have been impossible to hit the target so accurately, and her uncle's scandal would have caused her a lot of trouble.

You know, she is a representative figure of feminism, but there is such a...perverted existence in her family.

This is like a joke!

She will be questioned by people, questioning whether what she says and what she does are really the same and consistent.

Why else would something like this happen?

And this is definitely not the end, who is next?