Gregory, by excommunicating the Emperor Frederick, when he had renounced to sail for the crusade, had at the same time forbidden him to embark in a new one. He knew by now that Frederick`s expeditions had to be a pacific realization of the accord stipulated between the emperor and the Sultan El-Kamil. But for Frederick it was not honorary to retire, so whilst the Pope proclaimed the canonisation of Francis, the naval ships docked at Limassol Harbour in Cyprus. Here the Emperor by deception took possession the island which was governed by the Regent John Ibelin, Count of Acri. He ordered the Sultan to release Jesuralem in accordance of the stipulated accord. El-Kamil didn’t want to. The situation in the Arab world had changed and the alliance with the emperor was no longer necessary. Nevertheless to avoid any fight he didn`t oppose resistance.
Contrary to the restitution of Jerusalem were both Muslims and Christians. The Christians wanted to conquer Jerusalem. They didn`t want to receive it pacifically from the hands of the Sultan. In the meantime they had great respect for the Islamic Cult.
The Latin Patriarch had cast on the city a blockade whilst the Templari and the Hospitaller refused of being part of the retinue of the Emperor.
Frederick entered Jerusalem accompanied only by the knights of the Teutonic order guided by Von Salza. He crowned himself king of Jerusalem. In this city he received the news of the papal armies, which were guided by the King of Jerusalem, John of Brienne, who being deprived of his throne devastated his Sicilian possessions and departed angrily towards Italy leaving Jerusalem unguarded.
The conflict between the Pope and the Emperor resulted in the struggle between Guelph and Ghibellines. The Ghibellines who supported the cause of the Emperor prevailed in the city of Romagna, whilst the ancient Vassals of the Emperor italianised in the course of two or three generations governed the cities and the provinces. Between these started conspiracies and rebellions, although they were in general smothered.
Anthony was sent in this city. Obedient to this call he set off quickly and didn`t stop to wander in the country. His fame of preacher and exceptional confessor continued to grow. But at the same time the illness tormented him more and more. He was not healthy at all. His body was swollen, so were his feet. He could hardly walk. He had asthma attacks. His sight and hearing were diminishing. On his hands and feet had appeared tormeting plagues.
The General of the Order, wanting to assuage the work of Anthony, so he freed him from being the Provincial of Romagna. He asked him to dedicate himself as a missionary worker and to preach in every place it became necessary.
In every city he went, he usually remained for a little while. He was working from dawn to night. At night, after a day of intense work, his strengths were abandoning him. So he would lay on a small bed in the house of the Friars minor, half-blind, crushed by the massive structure of his bulgy body. Nevertheless, as soon as he recovered his strengths, he returned to his activity. He knew that he was necessary.
The life of this city of Italy was contaminated with dissoluteness.
The clergy, the cavalry, the middle class let themselves be dominated by the feverish greed of getting rich. The expensive goods that because of the conquests flowed from the East, particularly after taken Bisanzio, gave rise to feverish appetites. Every one wanted gold. And it was gold, which changed the way of life.
The Parish Priests once upon a time frugal, now weren’t able to live without a pompous palace, without wonderful steeds, without banquets and parties. Just as it was happening in the palaces even within the Parish Priests there was the plague drunkness and dissoluteness.
The austere castles of the knights were transformed in palaces that all day long were full with music, songs, and shouts of jugglers.
Husbands abandoned their wives so that they could have concubines whilst the abandoned wives were looking for lovers.
The songs of the troubadors were often about betrayal. If there were difficulties, they were usually solved with poison or with a dagger. These customs which started in the house of knights soon moved to the houses of the bourgeois. Here, as well, reigned banquets full of songs and music, drunkness, women going mad in purchasing expensive garments, jewels and refined cosmetics.
To live this kind of life, there was need of gold. Where would they get it?
In the city was flowrishing usury. Using mediators, the rich lent money to who ever needed it. The interest percentage was quite high. It happened that for a loan of two three week, the restitution of such loan had to be twice the money lent.
Since every one wanted to live as the rich ones, very soon the best party of the inhabitants of the cities became insolvent. So as the rich multiplied their wealth the poor fell in further poverty.
These very the very people that, at the bottom of the misery, places their hope in Anthony. He found out that once they were deprived of their house in order to pay debts, they had to sell the youngest of their families to the rich who used this person as a servant until the whole debt was paid off.
This sad atmosphere incresed banditry, looting and prostitution.
And so also appeared, from their hideways, the perfects Cathari who taught to hate the Church by spreading the doctrine that God is wicked, the contempt of marriage and the ideal of the suicidal death.
In his wandering Anthony arrived to Padua. This also was a Ghibelline city, and it was governed, just as another three cities, by Ezzelino. Ezzelino was an offspring of a German lineage. His grandfather had settled in Padua even before Emperor Ottone.
Padua was a big and rich city, contained between two branches of the Retrone river. In Padua`s University studies many foreign students and contended the title of being the best even compared to Bologna`s University. Both students and Magistrates made the city picturesque.
It was also a merchant city. And as other cities of Italy contained a small group of wealthy people and the rest stripped off by usury.
The first day after his arrival in Padua, Anthony began with a sermon on the plaza in front or the Cathedral.
"Citizens of Padua, why are you so covetous of gold?" he said "Have you forgotten what our Lord said, that where ever man keeps his treasure, there is his heart? Look inside yourselves. Check if your heart is still there. Or is your heart inside the coffers and sacks in which you have your gold? All this happens because your hearts are not visible.
However it is visible the lament of the poors of this city. May people are crying and complaining, are starved and with no roof over their heads. The people of this city cry as Lazzarous cried lying on the treshold of the rich, whilst the dogs licked his wounds.
Have you forgotten the teaching of Christ? Do you remember what He said? The most important thing is to love your neighbour. Its not an advice, brothers, but an order. You cannot say that you love God if you do not love your neighbour. And if you love your neighbour, you cannot possibly feel good if your neighbour suffers. Do not say: It wasn`t me who hurt him. Anyone who enjoy the dissoluteness of this city, the amusements, the comforts, is guilty. The injustice towards the poor will be revenged in Heaven.
You Priests who celebrate the Holy Mass and make God come down with your words, be careful because in front of your door are crying hungered and needy people.
You, noble knights that with much boldness know how to celebrate victories, ask yourself if in your fighting and conquest haven`t stamped on innocent people.
And you, rich merchants of Padua, these people are crying against you because you lent money at an interest so high which makes it so difficult to pay their loan back and in addition you take away their houses, their possession … you are prevaricators. Where is your love for humanity? Look in your coffers, because in them you may find your hearts…"
After the homily, Anthony took place in the confessional and until late hour he listened to Padua`s people. From time to time he heard:
"I have lent money at an interest of thirty per cent, but now I will give it back."
More often they were telling him: "I hate him, because he has robbed me. He knew that I could not have returned the money. And then he took away everything… Because of him, my children are asking for charity while I have to go and steal… He reduced me in misery. I have no house, I have no shop, I cannot earn anything… My wife has left me… I listened to a 'perfect'. He said that the Church is in fault, because the Church is in good relation with the rich… I want vengeance, spark off a fire against he who has stripped me of everything that I had… Or kill my people and myself. The 'perfects' are right: the best thing is to kill oneself and to escape this terrible exploitation…"
He tried to ask them to be patient, to forget the teaching of the 'perfects',to believe in God`s love. But he felt that that glass was too full and that it was practically overflowing.
Up to now he had fought for the truth and faith. His teaching was towards the awares of staying away from sin. But now raised another awareness in him. Those people were forced to commit their sins. He had come across than once in human injustice. In those cases he explained: these people are doing what is evil. But we need to forgive them. They do not know what they are doing. They do not know the truth, they do not know God. But here, who was the person who commit injustice? Weren’t they the people who obeyed the rules. These very people were practically guarding soul and bodies of others.
If the people who have obligation of performing good in the name of Jesus do what is evil, is it not a sin against the Holy Spirit? Anthony thought.
Jesus said that a sin against the Holy
Spirit is an unforgivable sin. So how many times we are so close of not being able to be forgiven? Anthony kept on thinking.
When at night he returned to his cell, he took a leather strap and hit himself with all his strength. On the tense and shining skin appeared immediately strips of purplish blood. His shut teeth held back a moan. Then he fell prone on the ground. He had the sensation of having understood only now, he, the wise theologian, the horror of sin…
Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Gregory, by excommunicating the Emperor Frederick, when he had renounced to sail for the crusade, had at the same time forbidden him to embark in a new one. He knew by now that Frederick`s expeditions had to be a pacific realization of the accord stipulated between the emperor and the Sultan El-Kamil. But for Frederick it was not honorary to retire, so whilst the Pope proclaimed the canonisation of Francis, the naval ships docked at Limassol Harbour in Cyprus. Here the Emperor by deception took possession the island which was governed by the Regent John Ibelin, Count of Acri. He ordered the Sultan to release Jesuralem in accordance of the stipulated accord. El-Kamil didn’t want to. The situation in the Arab world had changed and the alliance with the emperor was no longer necessary. Nevertheless to avoid any fight he didn`t oppose resistance.
Contrary to the restitution of Jerusalem were both Muslims and Christians. The Christians wanted to conquer Jerusalem. They didn`t want to receive it pacifically from the hands of the Sultan. In the meantime they had great respect for the Islamic Cult.
The Latin Patriarch had cast on the city a blockade whilst the Templari and the Hospitaller refused of being part of the retinue of the Emperor.
Frederick entered Jerusalem accompanied only by the knights of the Teutonic order guided by Von Salza. He crowned himself king of Jerusalem. In this city he received the news of the papal armies, which were guided by the King of Jerusalem, John of Brienne, who being deprived of his throne devastated his Sicilian possessions and departed angrily towards Italy leaving Jerusalem unguarded.
The conflict between the Pope and the Emperor resulted in the struggle between Guelph and Ghibellines. The Ghibellines who supported the cause of the Emperor prevailed in the city of Romagna, whilst the ancient Vassals of the Emperor italianised in the course of two or three generations governed the cities and the provinces. Between these started conspiracies and rebellions, although they were in general smothered.
Anthony was sent in this city. Obedient to this call he set off quickly and didn`t stop to wander in the country. His fame of preacher and exceptional confessor continued to grow. But at the same time the illness tormented him more and more. He was not healthy at all. His body was swollen, so were his feet. He could hardly walk. He had asthma attacks. His sight and hearing were diminishing. On his hands and feet had appeared tormeting plagues.
The General of the Order, wanting to assuage the work of Anthony, so he freed him from being the Provincial of Romagna. He asked him to dedicate himself as a missionary worker and to preach in every place it became necessary.
In every city he went, he usually remained for a little while. He was working from dawn to night. At night, after a day of intense work, his strengths were abandoning him. So he would lay on a small bed in the house of the Friars minor, half-blind, crushed by the massive structure of his bulgy body. Nevertheless, as soon as he recovered his strengths, he returned to his activity. He knew that he was necessary.
The life of this city of Italy was contaminated with dissoluteness.
The clergy, the cavalry, the middle class let themselves be dominated by the feverish greed of getting rich. The expensive goods that because of the conquests flowed from the East, particularly after taken Bisanzio, gave rise to feverish appetites. Every one wanted gold. And it was gold, which changed the way of life.
The Parish Priests once upon a time frugal, now weren’t able to live without a pompous palace, without wonderful steeds, without banquets and parties. Just as it was happening in the palaces even within the Parish Priests there was the plague drunkness and dissoluteness.
The austere castles of the knights were transformed in palaces that all day long were full with music, songs, and shouts of jugglers.
Husbands abandoned their wives so that they could have concubines whilst the abandoned wives were looking for lovers.
The songs of the troubadors were often about betrayal. If there were difficulties, they were usually solved with poison or with a dagger. These customs which started in the house of knights soon moved to the houses of the bourgeois. Here, as well, reigned banquets full of songs and music, drunkness, women going mad in purchasing expensive garments, jewels and refined cosmetics.
To live this kind of life, there was need of gold. Where would they get it?
In the city was flowrishing usury. Using mediators, the rich lent money to who ever needed it. The interest percentage was quite high. It happened that for a loan of two three week, the restitution of such loan had to be twice the money lent.
Since every one wanted to live as the rich ones, very soon the best party of the inhabitants of the cities became insolvent. So as the rich multiplied their wealth the poor fell in further poverty.
These very the very people that, at the bottom of the misery, places their hope in Anthony. He found out that once they were deprived of their house in order to pay debts, they had to sell the youngest of their families to the rich who used this person as a servant until the whole debt was paid off.
This sad atmosphere incresed banditry, looting and prostitution.
And so also appeared, from their hideways, the perfects Cathari who taught to hate the Church by spreading the doctrine that God is wicked, the contempt of marriage and the ideal of the suicidal death.
In his wandering Anthony arrived to Padua. This also was a Ghibelline city, and it was governed, just as another three cities, by Ezzelino. Ezzelino was an offspring of a German lineage. His grandfather had settled in Padua even before Emperor Ottone.
Padua was a big and rich city, contained between two branches of the Retrone river. In Padua`s University studies many foreign students and contended the title of being the best even compared to Bologna`s University. Both students and Magistrates made the city picturesque.
It was also a merchant city. And as other cities of Italy contained a small group of wealthy people and the rest stripped off by usury.
The first day after his arrival in Padua, Anthony began with a sermon on the plaza in front or the Cathedral.
"Citizens of Padua, why are you so covetous of gold?" he said "Have you forgotten what our Lord said, that where ever man keeps his treasure, there is his heart? Look inside yourselves. Check if your heart is still there. Or is your heart inside the coffers and sacks in which you have your gold? All this happens because your hearts are not visible.
However it is visible the lament of the poors of this city. May people are crying and complaining, are starved and with no roof over their heads. The people of this city cry as Lazzarous cried lying on the treshold of the rich, whilst the dogs licked his wounds.
Have you forgotten the teaching of Christ? Do you remember what He said? The most important thing is to love your neighbour. Its not an advice, brothers, but an order. You cannot say that you love God if you do not love your neighbour. And if you love your neighbour, you cannot possibly feel good if your neighbour suffers. Do not say: It wasn`t me who hurt him. Anyone who enjoy the dissoluteness of this city, the amusements, the comforts, is guilty. The injustice towards the poor will be revenged in Heaven.
You Priests who celebrate the Holy Mass and make God come down with your words, be careful because in front of your door are crying hungered and needy people.
You, noble knights that with much boldness know how to celebrate victories, ask yourself if in your fighting and conquest haven`t stamped on innocent people.
And you, rich merchants of Padua, these people are crying against you because you lent money at an interest so high which makes it so difficult to pay their loan back and in addition you take away their houses, their possession … you are prevaricators. Where is your love for humanity? Look in your coffers, because in them you may find your hearts…"
After the homily, Anthony took place in the confessional and until late hour he listened to Padua`s people. From time to time he heard:
"I have lent money at an interest of thirty per cent, but now I will give it back."
More often they were telling him: "I hate him, because he has robbed me. He knew that I could not have returned the money. And then he took away everything… Because of him, my children are asking for charity while I have to go and steal… He reduced me in misery. I have no house, I have no shop, I cannot earn anything… My wife has left me… I listened to a 'perfect'. He said that the Church is in fault, because the Church is in good relation with the rich… I want vengeance, spark off a fire against he who has stripped me of everything that I had… Or kill my people and myself. The 'perfects' are right: the best thing is to kill oneself and to escape this terrible exploitation…"
He tried to ask them to be patient, to forget the teaching of the 'perfects',to believe in God`s love. But he felt that that glass was too full and that it was practically overflowing.
Up to now he had fought for the truth and faith. His teaching was towards the awares of staying away from sin. But now raised another awareness in him. Those people were forced to commit their sins. He had come across than once in human injustice. In those cases he explained: these people are doing what is evil. But we need to forgive them. They do not know what they are doing. They do not know the truth, they do not know God. But here, who was the person who commit injustice? Weren’t they the people who obeyed the rules. These very people were practically guarding soul and bodies of others.
If the people who have obligation of performing good in the name of Jesus do what is evil, is it not a sin against the Holy Spirit? Anthony thought.
Jesus said that a sin against the Holy
Spirit is an unforgivable sin. So how many times we are so close of not being able to be forgiven? Anthony kept on thinking.
When at night he returned to his cell, he took a leather strap and hit himself with all his strength. On the tense and shining skin appeared immediately strips of purplish blood. His shut teeth held back a moan. Then he fell prone on the ground. He had the sensation of having understood only now, he, the wise theologian, the horror of sin…