Chapter 386: Indulgence is a good thing! (Long chapter, please subscribe! Happy National Day!)

"Master Camille Blanchard..."

While the Cardinal was still furious and wondering what impact Mike and Will Roche's defection would have on the Church of Light, his attendant approached cautiously with his head lowered.

"What's wrong?" The cardinal frowned.

"The bishops have arrived."

The attendant added cautiously: "You instructed them yesterday to come to the Lateran Palace for a meeting today..."

Hearing this, the cardinal finally took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and then nodded to the attendant.

After a while,

The bishops who received the order from the cardinal filed in one after another and stood on both sides very respectfully.

Of course, they knew how the Cardinal felt these days.

Even when they passed by the Lateran Palace, they could hear Camus Blanchard's roar and curse in the side hall, and could hear words like "Let the damn Mike eat Oris's stinky leather boots."

In fact, when they heard that Cardinal Mike of the Eastern Diocese had established his own sect and founded a new religion in the eastern part of the empire, and that the commander of the Crusaders who were sent out to gather information and intelligence had also converted to Protestantism, almost all the bishops of the Church of Light were shocked and confused.

The reason is simple: this has never happened since the founding of the Church of Light.

and……

The Protestant doctrines and the Duke of Idar's interference and influence on this new sect also made them feel nervous.

This is even more serious than simply surrendering to pagans! Because... this directly touches the foundation of the Church of Light and affects the foundation of believers in the Church of Light!

But what surprised them was that the Church of Light did not respond at all.

"Your Excellency, Cardinal Camus Blanchard..." The leading bishop spoke first, "Founded by the evil betrayers Mike and Will Roche..."

Before he finished speaking, the cardinal interrupted him without hesitation:

"I didn't call you here today for these things."

Upon hearing this, everyone present showed surprised expressions.

What about the Protestantism that was born in the eastern part of the empire?

For the Church of Light today, is there anything more important than this? !

Is the Church of Light simply going to swallow this loss and turn a blind eye to the unstable factor that could shake the church's foundation?

"Archcardinal! The existence of Protestantism is a humiliation to the Church of Light! If this matter is not properly resolved, how will the Church of Light cope with itself?"

Just as the bishops present bowed their heads, waiting for the cardinal's instructions, another bishop raised his head and questioned in a stern voice: "This is an extremely irresponsible behavior of yours. Have you ever asked the Pope for his opinion?!"

Hearing this familiar voice, Camus Blanchard couldn't help but raise his head and looked at the bishop who was speaking... Theo Green with a very gloomy expression.

Theo Green, the second-ranked cardinal in the Church of Light, is the third most important figure in the Church of Light, second only to the Pope and the Cardinal.

However...the conflict between Cardinal Camus Blanchard and Theo Green has long been an open secret in the Church of Light.

As early as when the current Pope Clement V was selecting a new cardinal, Theo Green was a strong contender for the position.

The bishops promoted by Theo Green control almost all the dioceses in the western part of the empire and are the most important force in the Church of Light.

And now...

As the inland of the empire was raging and the western part of the empire was relatively stable, most of the church's tax revenue came from the western part of the empire.

In addition, Mike, who betrayed the church, was promoted by Camus Blanchard, so... Theo Green's voice in the church is more important than before.

so……

The purpose of mentioning Michael and Protestantism at this time is not simply to discuss the influence of the Church of Light in the eastern part of the empire, but also to shake the status and authority of Camus Blanchard.

The cardinal stared into Theo Green's eyes and said word by word: "This is exactly what His Holiness the Pope ordered!"

As he spoke, Camus Blanchard gently placed the gold medal from the Pope on the table in front of him.

Seeing the familiar cross, crown and scepter on the pure gold token, Theo Green frowned slightly, but he didn't say anything, so he slowly retreated back to the queue.

“Ahem…”

After the incident just now, the cardinal cleared his throat and continued in a cold voice: "We have only one topic to discuss today, which is... the church needs a way to raise money and food."

When the cardinal finished speaking, the bishops present, including Theo Green, were more or less confused, and some even began to whisper.

In fact, when the bishops heard the cardinal solemnly say that he wanted to discuss the matter, most of them thought that they would discuss many issues related to Protestantism and the Principality of Idar, as well as the countermeasures that the church would take.

But what caught them off guard was that the big event the cardinal was talking about, the big event that required the bishops of the entire holy city of Bethlehem to discuss together, turned out to be... money and food? This was something that almost no one had ever expected.

after all……

When has the church ever been short of money? When has the church ever been short of food?

As the only organization on the continent that can collect taxes from all countries (except the Odin Empire), the tithes collected from civilians by the Church of Light every year are an astronomical figure.

In the bishops' impression, even though the church spends money lavishly on a daily basis and the bishops who support it enjoy an extremely luxurious life, these are insignificant compared to the huge tithes.

It is precisely for this reason that the Church of Light was able to build churches all over the empire, appoint clergymen on a large scale, recruit crusader soldiers, and become the undoubted uncrowned king among the mountains in the southern part of the empire.

Over the years, the church can be said to have never had to worry about money.

That is why, when the cardinal brought up this topic so abruptly, everyone present... was stunned.

Camus Blanchard looked around and naturally noticed the surprised expressions of the people.

Although it sounds unbelievable, the shortage of money and food is indeed a real problem that the church is facing today.

Yes, the Church of Light does have a large surplus from the tithes it collects every year, but Cardinal Camus Blanchard knows very well that these surpluses only exist on paper.

In fact, all these extra food and fodder were transported to the Augustus region by the Crusaders under the instruction of Pope Clement V.

Over the past year, the chaotic situation in the inland of the empire has had a great impact on the collection of the tithe. A large number of people have become homeless and naturally have no extra money to pay taxes.

In fact, if it happened in the past, this would not have brought much impact to the Church of Light. After all... the church itself still has some savings, and it can always be squeezed out with a little effort.

However, for unknown reasons, the expenses of the Church of Light in the August area have been rising day by day, and the construction of the colossus outside Bethlehem will also cost a large sum of money.

Therefore, for a while, the Church of Light, which was originally rich, was faced with the dilemma of shortage of money and food.

No matter what happened, the construction of the Colossus and the supply of money and food to the Auguste region must be guaranteed first. This was the death order given by Pope Clement V to Camus Blanchard.

Because this is related to whether the Church of Light can be great again! It is related to the great cause of the Church of Light! It is precisely for this reason that Camus Blanchard has been in a state of confusion during this period.

There's nothing I can do, my major is not suitable!

If he were asked to preach to the believers, Camus Blanchard could definitely make them cry and their hearts tremble, but if he were asked to raise money and food, the cardinal would be at a loss and at a loss.

Because it is really not an easy thing to do.

"Everyone... The situation in the interior of the empire has greatly affected the tithe collection this year. Coupled with the expenses of building the colossus and expanding the Crusaders, the Church of Light is in urgent need of a way to raise money and food."

"The reason why I have gathered everyone at the Lateran Palace today is to ask everyone to come up with ideas and think about how to make up for the current financial shortfall of the church!"

The cardinal had made his point clear.

However, the bishops present still looked at each other in bewilderment. There was nothing they could do. Camus Blanchard's expertise was not suitable, but could their expertise be suitable? !

As a charlatan...er, as a devout clergyman bathed in the glory of the God of Light, who the hell knows how to make money? After a long silence, finally, a bishop tried to speak: "Your Excellency the Cardinal, I think...we can call on the nobles of the empire to donate their property to alleviate the church's current financial and food problems as much as possible."

“…”

“…”

To be honest, even though they didn't know much about money and grain, the charlatans present knew that this proposal was extremely unreliable.

The nobles have always been a group of stingy guys. Although many of them are believers of the Church of Light, most of them are reluctant to pay the tithe.

In the entire empire, the only noble leader who paid taxes on time every year and even exceeded the task, and was very friendly to the church, has become the patron of Protestantism and is playing against the Church of Light.

In addition, this war also had a great impact on the nobles of the Norman Empire. Therefore... it was almost impossible to ask the nobles to donate extra money on top of the tithe.

The man thought about it, and seemed to feel that his suggestion was somewhat unreliable, so he tried again:

"How about... calling on believers to donate?"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was silence all around, and even many colleagues looked at the bishop who made the proposal with complicated eyes.

What kind of crazy idea is this? ! Not to mention that most of the believers of the Church of Light are civilians living in poverty and cannot donate much money.

As long as one civilian really donated, then... how should the bishops of the church deal with it? You know, the clergy of the church have always enjoyed the offerings of the believers and lived a good life relying on the tithes, so that almost everyone has valuable wealth in their hands.

so……

If the poor civilians donated, then as the most devout believers of the Church of Light, should the bishops of the church donate? In any era, moral kidnapping is a very unsolvable thing.

If you don't donate, does that mean you are not pious enough? Of course,

In the Church of Light, he does have bishops and priests who are willing to donate their wealth for their beliefs, but... this is only a part of it.

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If there really is a devout bishop who is willing to go bankrupt and donate all his wealth...then how much should others donate?

If you donate less, does it mean that you are only enjoying the support from the church but not considering the Church of Light?

Not to mention in this era, even in the previous life, this would definitely be an extremely troublesome problem.

"Ah! I seem to have said something wrong. This doesn't seem to have much effect..." The bishop who spoke earlier finally came to his senses and hurriedly made amends.

"Bishop Barbosa, what do you want to say?"

Camus Blanchard had long seen what everyone was thinking, so when he saw Bishop Barbosa hesitating, he took the initiative to ask.

Bishop Barbosa's heart trembled when he saw that the cardinal suddenly called out his name.

He did have some ideas in his mind, but the problem was... in a sense, these ideas were not his own.

But...

Michael, who had already defected from the Principality of Idar! Since he and Michael were both members of the Inquisition, he often discussed issues with Bishop Barbosa before Michael left the holy city of Bethlehem, so... Michael had also discussed related topics with him unintentionally.

But...is it really appropriate to bring the ideas of a guy who has already defected to the cardinal?

never mind!

Give it a try! Since Michael had been a subordinate of Bishop Barbosa before his defection, the cardinal had always been resentful of him since the news of Michael's establishment of Protestantism reached the holy city of Bethlehem.

Therefore, in order to change the cardinal's view of him, Barbosa finally gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "Respected Cardinal Camus Blanchard, I think... we can try to issue some indulgences..."

That’s right!

It was the indulgence! The indulgence that Mike mentioned to Bishop Barbosa was the fuse that triggered the religious reform on Earth and the culprit that caused the people to erupt in resistance! But...

Bishop Barbosa had no idea of ​​the side effects it would bring, and the clergy of the era had no foresight either.

So, driven by the principle of taking what is useful, and at the request of the cardinal, Barbosa finally took out this so-called "good thing".

When Mike mentioned indulgences, Bishop Barbosa was a little indifferent. After all... in his opinion, the thing that the Church of Light lacked the least was money and food!

But what I didn’t expect was that it would come in handy now!

He certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to say that this was Mike's idea, so Bishop Barbosa could only take the credit for this great invention.

When everyone present heard Bishop Barbosa propose "indulgence" once, they were a little confused.

but……

Although I don't understand it, I feel it's very powerful! This kind of thing that I have never heard of seems to be much more advanced than those previous rubbish suggestions!

"But...what is an indulgence?"

The cardinal also looked bewildered, but...

Bishop Barbosa's proposal made him feel like he saw hope, a hope that would allow the church to perfectly fill the current financial and food gap! "Ahem..."

Bishop Barbosa cleared his throat solemnly and introduced: "The reason why I was able to come up with this indulgence is actually thanks to the teachings of Master Camus Blanchard."

"According to the description in the church scriptures, if the confession of a commoner can touch the God of Light, then the light of God can wash away the sins he carries. Indulgences are another way for believers to cleanse their sins."

"The construction of the colossus is for the return of the God of Light, and the existence of the church is the representation of God in the world. So... when believers donate money for the operation of the church and the construction of the colossus, can they get the care of the God of Light?"

Hearing this, everyone present nodded, feeling that it made a lot of sense.

"so……"

Bishop Barbosa took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Since donating money to the church can gain the care of the God of Light, then we can sell indulgences to believers! Whoever holds an indulgence can be forgiven of the sins he has committed!"

Hearing this, the cardinal's heart was slightly moved.

Although in essence it was just about getting the common people and nobles to pay again, after being packaged by Bishop Barbosa, it sounded much better.

You know, according to the philosophy of the church, only those who are recognized by the God of Light can enter the Kingdom of Heaven after death, and those who are deeply sinful will be thrown into hell! And such rhetoric has a very broad market in this era of extreme poverty, and has long become the spiritual sustenance of countless civilians! After all...

Not all noble territories can make it possible for everyone to live and work in peace and contentment like the Principality of Idar.

"This idea... sounds really good!"

The cardinal could not help but nod slightly and looked at Bishop Barbosa with great favor.

"But... if we just issue indulgences, it would be a bit too monotonous..." Bishop Barbosa continued.

Oh? Such an idea actually shocked the bishops present. They didn't expect that there was such a thing!

"The money that nobles have and the wealth that commoners have are two completely different concepts, so...if we really want to issue indulgences, we naturally can't generalize."

"What do you mean..." the cardinal asked quickly.

The talk of indulgences had cleared up all the grudges in the cardinal's heart, and the heavy stone in his heart fell.

I didn't make a mistake! Bishop Barbosa, you are such a talent! "First, we need to classify indulgences."

Anyway, it had been said, and it had excited the cardinal in front of him, so Bishop Barbosa simply repeated all the words that Mike had mentioned before.

"Grading?"

“That’s right!”

Bishop Barbosa nodded very seriously and said:

"The indulgences issued by the church can be divided into yellow diamond indulgences that forgive the greatest sins, gold indulgences that help nobles continue to enjoy noble treatment in the Kingdom of Heaven after death, silver indulgences that wash away minor sins of ordinary civilians, and bronze indulgences that allow serfs to gain freedom in the Kingdom of Heaven!"

"We can formulate a set of price standards, and sell indulgences of different levels at different prices. We can even guide nobles and merchants to hoard indulgences and use them as gifts!"

Wow! After hearing this theory, the cardinal was completely shocked by Bishop Barbosa!

The nobles feared the most that they would not be able to enjoy their privileges after death, and the serfs feared the most that they would be oppressed after death. The indulgences after classification could directly hit the vital points of different groups...

"Bishop Barbosa was able to come up with such a brilliant idea. This is simply the God of Light blessing the church..."

Not only the cardinal, but also the bishops present were extremely excited.

The reason is simple.

Who am I?

I am a clergyman of the Church of Light! I am the most pious and pure believer. How could I be tainted with sin?

Bishop Barbosa's proposal not only perfectly avoids the dilemma of having to empty his own pockets to make contributions, but it can also solve the difficulties of the Church of Light and open up a lasting source of income for the Church of Light!

Well done, Bishop Barbosa!

Indulgences sound like a good thing! 　Happy National Day everyone! 　　The beginning of the month is the time for double monthly tickets, please give me monthly tickets, please give me monthly tickets! Tomorrow's daily ticket will be 10,000, ahhhh~ 　　 　 (End of this chapter)