The
Pope said an early Mass and had
returned to eat a small breakfast in his rooms. "Come in," he said at the soft
knock. "Holiness, are you certain you
will not need my assistance at the conference?" the Monsignor asked. It was 8:00
o'clock inside the walls of Vatican City and the most traveled Pope in the history of the
Church prepared to depart on another mission.
"No, Raphael. No entourage for the trip.
His Eminence has been there for days and will have every detail perfectly, and
excruciatingly, executed, as usual." The Pope rose from the half-eaten meal.
"I am ready to go," he said.
Raphael bowed slightly. Tapping a device on
his black robe, he spoke: "One ready to beam up." Pope John Paul V was encased
in shimmering light and sound. His white robes sparkled for a moment. Raphael made the
sign of the cross as the Pope disappeared. He picked up a nice-looking apple John Paul had
not touched, and walked from the room.
