Quotes

“The crowd erupt with joy. They were happy to finally be given the chance to restore justice. They did not have a particularly deep understanding of what was required of them, but they were sure that God willed it so.”

 

“Urban tried not to show that he attached importance to Odo’s advice and comments, though Odo himself was not particularly interested in whether his advice was followed. He was overconfident that his every action would strengthen the papal supremacy, sometimes going beyond the boundaries of what was acceptable.”

“Urban never talked to Odo about religious, theological or doctrinal topics. He didn’t even know whether Odo was a believer or not, and at that point in their relationship it didn’t really matter, since Odo had done much more for the church than many of the cardinals or bishops, with their pseudo-sanctimonious prayers and exclusively demonstrative faith. Odo, unlike those mentioned above, was a man of action.”

“…Nothing makes a man more compassionate towards his friends than the enemy,” Urban said.

“He was determined to thoroughly research his plan before carrying it out, and he intended to consult with leading specialists who had great influence on people’s consciences. He wanted to consider the whole depth of the pope’s mind.”

“Gossip, as you know, is the most ingenious and reliable means of disseminating information. If the information that needs to be disseminated does not need to be specified but needs to be spread far and be heard by everyone, or if the message needs to reach a level of being called a legend, then gossip and oral stories are the best methods; the aura of secrecy increases the pleasure of knowing the disseminated information. After all, possessing information that is not available to others gives a feeling of pleasure, and boasting about that secret knowledge in the presence of others gives double the pleasure.”

“The bodyguards, deeply shocked, were looking at Arrani; everything was very unexpected for them. Arrani seemed to have fallen from the sky or emerged from beneath the ground. His soft face had even given the bodyguards cause for mystic contemplations. Some of them even threw up their arms and got down on their knees, thinking that they were witnessing Allah's punishment.”

“Do you think that one can believe without studying, without seeing and understanding?”

“Yes, true faith must be like that.”

“Interesting.” The professor was deep in thought. “And have you ever heard about Akhenaten?”

“That was Odo; he was the only person in the palace to have free access to the pope’s rooms, even the bedroom. No guard could stop Odo. At times, he seemed like the pope’s shadow. No one even noticed his movement within the palace anymore.”

“But of course all this research wouldn’t have been so precise and accurate if I hadn’t taken advantage of one of the most reliable resources at the church’s disposal for studying public opinion - confession booths.”

“Most people go to church not with religious or spiritual intentions, but because they don’t know how else to spend their free time. People pay their taxes to the church and then they feel obligated to attend, just like if they were going to watch a performance they had already paid for.”

“…if false testimony against your neighbor is considered inadmissible, and it is even written in the Bible, can’t we assume that you can give false testimony against someone who is not your neighbor?”