Page 10 of The Medici Return

“Why did you come to me? There are other cardinals much more politically connected. I work only with the bank.”

“Which is precisely why I chose you. You alone will understand the gravity of the debt the church owes.”

He shrugged. “Could we not simply ignore any pledge, assuming for a moment it still even exists? That was a long time ago.”

Casaburi chuckled. “Which the church is quite the expert at doing. But really? That would be your solution? The pope gave his word, in writing, upon an oath sworn to God, and you simply ignore it? What do you think 1.2 billion Catholics would think of that?”

Not much, he silently admitted. But still. “It is ancient history.”

“How hard would it be to have the faithful obey the commands of the pope when the church itself is a liar?” Casaburi asked. “What kind of panic do you think will ensue when people realize that something so basic and fundamental as their church is founded on nothingness. No honor. No integrity. No nothing. Have you not taken enough abuse with your questionable positions on sexual predators? What has that cost, just in terms of credibility?”

He knew the answer. A lot. “You seem quite the expert on this Pledge of Christ.”

Casaburi nodded. “It was memorialized in two writings. Each identical. Both signed by the pope. One was kept with the church, the other with the Medici.”

He needed to make clear, “The Medici family effectively ended in 1737, when the last male royal heir died. Then, six years later, the final female heir died. There are no more legitimate royal Medicis in that line. It is extinct. So even if this Pledge of Christ exists, it would only be viable to a lawful Medici.”

“I am a legitimate Medici. A legal royal heir.”

“That’s impossible.”

“I assure you, it is not.”

From everything he knew about Eric Casaburi, the man was regarded as braggadocious and narcissistic. As a minister in parliament Casaburi had never sponsored a single piece of meaningful legislation. He spent the majority of his time managing the National Freedom Party, talking to the media, and speaking at political gatherings, promising only that he and his party would deliver the direct opposite of the current ruling majority. What that might be was never detailed. He, and his party, were the precise definition of style over substance. But in today’s Italy, where the people were clamoring for change, tired of the same old, same old, that empty rhetoric had found a welcome home.

“You have DNA evidence of your ancestry?”

“I do. My family’s Medici roots are not something we speak of in public. The story of thePignus Christisigned by Julius II has been with us for generations. And DNA evidence does not lie.”

“You will have to prove all of that,” he made clear.

“I will. But keep this in mind. The Florentine florin was struck from 1252 to 1533, with no significant change in its design or metal content. It contained 3.5 grams of pure gold. The Medici loaned ten million florins to the church. In today’s value that is 2.3 billion euros.”

“A significant sum,” he said.

Casaburi stood. “Then interest, for over five hundred years, has to be added to that. Which is substantial. Ten percent, I am told. The resulting balance would be in the hundreds of billions of euros.”

He stayed seated and kept a calm demeanor. “You seem to know a great deal about this pledge. Do you have the Medici copy?”

“Of course. I would not be here without it.”

“Why is this only being demanded now?”

“You have to ask that?”

Of course. “I assume that in return for our political support, this matter will never see the light of day?”

“It would not be in our best interests to bankrupt the Holy See. We prefer to be in partnership with you. But if you decide to support our opponents? Then our empathy would wane, and we would see what the people think of another example of Catholic hypocrisy.”

“Does the party know of your… Medici connection?”

“Not in the least. My task as party secretary is to advance our aims. How I do that is my concern. Results are what they want.” Casaburi stepped for the door. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

“Soon? I assume.”

“I will give you until Friday at noon.”

Four days.

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