Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

Page 125

"The Borgia family's ancestral motto is to dedicate everything to Lord Novia."

When I was young, this is what the elders in my family said to me.

Why?

The child asked this question.

“Our family migrated from Rome. At that time, our ancestors were starving and on the verge of starvation. Meanwhile, their parents and sister were waiting for them. Then, Lord Novia, who brought Lucius from Anatolia to Rome, gave them food, and that's how they survived.”

This... is so stupid, such foolish ancestral teachings.

The child once cried out in his heart.

He remembered what he had shouted in his heart, and this wholehearted shout was so impulsive and sudden. He felt that his ancestors were fools who stupidly uttered such pathetic and crude words that would affect future generations.

In reality, Alexander VI did not dislike Novia's theories and had his own insights into Novia at a very young age.

The world and humanity are both cold and cruel, but who doesn't believe that coldness, cruelty, and depravity are the proper characteristics of humanity?

That person didn't want to think that way. On one side were so many disgusting and unbearable acts of depravity, and on the other side were a handful of admirable noble sentiments. If he had to choose a side, he would rather choose nobility than depravity.

This wish and aspiration—described by the church as 'not wanting a world where kindness is considered a weakness'—to exist.

Even knowing that the world is vicious and cruel, I will never believe it is right, nor will I succumb to the cruel reality. It is not regarded as an ideal to be pursued, but as a declaration of my own dignity.

Perhaps the times a thousand years ago have changed, and the world that person and Alexander VI saw is no longer the same.

Even Alexander VI cannot believe in the world or humanity as much as he did.

Even so, he believed that there was a shared expectation—

Parents give to their children without expecting anything in return. This selfless devotion brings them joy, just as doing things for friends brings happiness without expecting anything in return. The joy that comes from giving to one another out of kindness is the true essence of human relationships, and it is the most beautiful thing.

"You still haven't told me why I wanted to have a theological debate with Martin."

Upon hearing this, the Pope fell into a brief silence. He sat silently in his antique armchair before replying:

"Just as the original intention of the Grand Council was to hold a meeting, necessary debate is essential. Let me see if this reformer Luther can be as good as His Excellency Augustine of the past."

As noon approaches, the theological debate that has captured the attention of all of Europe is about to take place in full swing inside the usually solemn church.

Inside the church, the soaring dome is decorated with magnificent murals depicting the legendary stories of numerous saints and messengers. Their figures appear and disappear in the interplay of light and shadow, as if they too are silently watching this debate.

The light filtering through the stained glass windows cast dappled shadows inside the church, adding a touch of mystery and solemnity to the debate.

In the center of the hall, a long table made of dark wood separated the two debaters. On the table were heavy scrolls and manuscripts, which were not only references for the debate but also symbols of wisdom. The edges of the scrolls were worn by time, revealing a sense of historical weight.

The air was filled with a scent that blended incense and paper, an aroma that evoked a sense of solemnity and reverence.

An elderly man and a middle-aged man stood on either side of a long table, their figures appearing solemn and resolute in the light.

The middle-aged man was Martin Luther, the German religious reformer.

In the audience, people sat or stood, their eyes fixed on Pope Alexander VI and Martin Luther, their faces filled with tension and anticipation.

"Martin, come and confess to me now, and retract your disrespectful words to the church, how about it?"

Alexander VI smiled.

Luther snorted and stood in the center of the stage. “Disrespect for the church? It is common knowledge that the authority and status of the Roman Church were established by people since the fall of the Western Roman Empire, not bestowed by God.”

"Oh? Can I take that as arrogance and disrespect towards the Pope and the entire Church?"

"If it weren't for His Excellency Augustine, where would the Church of Rome be today? In the earlier days of ancient Rome, without our Lord Jesus and Saint Novia, where would the Church be? Since its founding, the Church has gradually turned the believers' faith in 'good' into blind obedience to the authority of the Church."

The students Luther brought to the audience burst into enthusiastic applause.

Alexander VI remained expressionless and continued:

"So, do you acknowledge that the Gospel of Matthew is true?"

Luther nodded. "Of course it's true. How could the Gospels written by four saints be wrong or false?"

"Since you cannot deny this, then let me ask you, what does Matthew 16:18 say?"

Luther slowly walked to the front of the stage, facing the students he had brought with him, and began to recite: "I also tell you..."

With Luther leading the way, his students recited the rest of the text in unison, and even members of the church began to recite it.

"...You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, which the forces of Hades cannot overcome. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. To all those you have bound on earth..."

"Alright, that's enough for now." Luther's gesture interrupted the recitation, but a few still quietly finished reciting the last few lines: "In heaven they will be bound; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." The voices of the last few lines gradually faded.

"Since you do not deny the Gospels, how do you interpret Jesus Christ's words about Peter establishing a church?"

The Pope patiently waited for the room to quiet down before asking his questions.

"Pope, you are a world-renowned theologian who has studied the Bible for decades and recited it day and night, yet you are blind and deaf to it."

"Oh, then tell me how to interpret this sentence."

"Because you have been reading this sentence day and night all these years, and you have completely misunderstood it."

"Incorrect?"

This time, not only Alexander VI looked bewildered, but many of the audience members also showed blank expressions.

"Yes, I'll ask you, what does the name 'Peter' of the Apostle Peter mean?"

“The original meaning of ‘Peter’ is a small stone; the Latin word is Petrus.”

"So, what is the Latin word for stone?"

“Pedra”.

"Now I understand, Petrus is a diminutive of Pedra."

Luther pointed out the connection, but still kept it a secret and didn't explain it clearly.

Then he waved his hand and slowly said, "Therefore, the 'You are Peter, and I will build my church on this rock' in the Gospel of Matthew does not mean what you understand: that our Lord Jesus wants Peter to build a church. Rather, Jesus said to Peter: You are just a small stone, and the church cannot be built on small stones, but on the rock. The 'rock' in this sentence refers to Jesus Christ."

Luther paused, looked at the Pope, and said, “Therefore, Jesus used a parable in this statement to say that the Apostle Peter was not capable of this great task. In fact, it was Saint Novia who was capable of this great task, neither Peter nor Augustine. The Roman Church today does not have spiritual authority!”

Martin Luther upheld the truth that "the righteous will live by faith."

Its source is the passage from Romans: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is shown, which is by faith from first to last. As it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

"Through God's righteousness, God justifies us by faith through grace and mercy," this is the cornerstone of Luther's theology. Later, this idea led to the denial of indulgences, and further to the denial of the Church and the Pope's authority to forgive sins, as well as the denial of Church liturgy, thus parting ways with the Roman Catholic Church.

Alexander VI understood Luther's meaning, but with a smile, he shook his head and said:

"That's sophistry. According to your logic, everyone has the right to interpret the Bible. So, everyone's understanding is different. How can you be sure that your own understanding is the truth and the holy word?"

“You’re right. Everyone has the right to understand the Bible; it’s not something that the Roman Catholic Church can uniformly manage and interpret. Everyone can be justified by faith, as long as they are devout. Everyone has this right, just as St. Novia said, ‘It is the same for everyone; you then have the key.’”

At this point, Luther turned to the audience and said, “We don’t need the church to teach us how to understand. Take this statement, for example; your church’s interpretation has misled us believers for thousands of years!”

"Yes! We don't need the Church of Rome! We don't need the Pope!" a radical student in the audience shouted, prompting everyone to join in the chant, "We don't need the Church! We don't need the Pope!"

Seeing that only Luther's students responded with their shouts, Alexander VI sighed slightly. "Martin, you are following the same path as Jan Hus, who was condemned as a heretic a hundred years ago. You are rebelling. I want to advise you, do you want to be burned at the stake?"

—On the morning of November 7, 1455, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, was packed with people.

All the priests and citizens who rushed to the scene looked at one woman.

The woman was sixty-seven years old, pale-faced, and tearful. Her name was Elizabeth Darque, Joan of Arc's mother. At this moment, supported by her two sons, Elizabeth was sobbing uncontrollably.

“My daughter, who grew up in fields and pastures, was baptized and confirmed by me, and raised in an atmosphere of reverence for God. Given her age and simple living conditions, I did my best to teach her to respect the traditions of the church.”

Her words came out in fits and starts.

“I have had great success. She spends most of her time in church. She confesses and receives communion every month because she has great compassion for the people of France who have suffered so much. Despite her youth, she fasts and prays for them with great devotion and passion. She has never thought, said, or done anything against her faith.”

Her voice rose and fell.

“She was summoned by certain enemies during the religious trial. Despite her explicit denial and appeals, she was subjected to a perfidious, violent, unjust, and guilty trial without any defense. The judges brought false, heinous, and criminal charges against her and cruelly burned her to death.”

The elderly mother spoke with sorrow, but not with despair, for she held in her hands the hope of her daughter's exoneration—a bull issued by Pope Christian III, ordering the Bishop of Paris and the Archbishop of Reims to re-examine the charges against Joan of Arc.

From that day onward, a series of investigations into the Joan of Arc case were launched at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

In 1456, twenty-five years after Joan of Arc's death, Pope Charles III declared that Joan of Arc had died in defense of her religion, her country, and her king, and that she was a true martyr.

In fact, the fact that Joan of Arc's mother's cries for justice echoed in Notre Dame Cathedral already explained everything.

"—Is that so? The French heard the voice of God, which went to save the people in what seemed to be a calm voice tinged with pain."

Those who dream of tomorrow, for their village, for their country, for their Lord, chose the path of battle. Farewell, Joan of Arc of Domrémy, the happiness you dreamed of still dwells in the skies of Domrémy, still resides in the world protected by Lord Novia.

The light that swept across the village was faint, yet beautiful; even without seeing the brilliance of the sky, it was still beautiful.

This happened more than 60 years ago.

For Alexander VI, those were undoubtedly his golden years.

"Throughout the millennia, how many of Jesus' apostles and saints have been burned at the stake! I, Luther, merely do not acknowledge the authority of the Pope and deny the power of the Roman Catholic Church, but this does not mean that I intend to rebel."

"Martin, how many rebellions and bloodshed have been caused by heresy throughout history?"

At this point, Luther was no longer able to listen to anything. He addressed the students he had brought with him, shouting...

"Since this theologian has already said that we are Hussites, then let's boldly admit it: we don't need a pope! We don't need the church!"

"We don't need a Pope!"

"No church is needed!"

The shouts of the young people burst out of Rome and drifted into the Western European world.

However, how could a theological debate end so quickly?

In this situation where neither side could convince the other, the only option was to extend the time, eventually leading to a truce.

After today's debate, as everyone slowly left the stage, Alexander VI, who remained gazing at the murals, inexplicably glanced at the departing figures of the 'artists'.

"you--"

In that instant, amidst those blurry figures, and amidst those blurry figures, the voice that spoke seemed even more distant than the eternity of Rome. That person seemed to be aware of his gaze and looked toward Alexander VI.

For Favia, who witnessed the entire process, he didn't know if it was a hallucination, or perhaps it really was.

For the infamous Alexander VI, he was reminded of a child he had encountered in Roman times—no, to be precise, all such children.

Malnourished, skin and bones, sallow-faced, thin, ragged, and with lifeless eyes, all such children were easily distinguishable from the fair and round faces of children from wealthy families.

"Sir, thank you for God's grace."

"Okay, then take more."

"Really? Even if I die, it's okay... My sister, Mom, Dad... they're still waiting..."

"If you're waiting, then hurry back. Don't get impatient."

"Thanks....."

Memories flooded back, and when Favia looked up, she found the old man had stumbled and walked up to her.

“Rodrigo, you are a venerable believer.”

This simple statement clearly conveyed Favia's heartfelt words.

That alone is enough for the elderly.

The voice that echoed in the Eternal City was the final and greatest blessing for the old man in this debate.

However, Alexander VI couldn't help but say one more thing.

"Thanks........"