Today's
Book Spotlight......
The
Franciscan
by WR.
Park
The
most internationally anticipated religious suspense-thriller since Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, WR.PARK’s The Franciscan is now available for sale
on Amazon, Barnes
& Noble, and CreateSpace. Written 14 years ago, The
Franciscan eerily forebodes current events in the Vatican predicting the
coming of the current Pope Francis and proves to be a timely novel more than a
decade after it was penned. This is the first book in The Franciscan Trilogy.
“The
pope is not infallible.” When the newly elected Pope Francis utters this bold
and unprecedented statement, he captures the attention of the world’s
population. His reforms leave no corner untouched as he strips away the mask so
long held before the face of the papacy. Bringing with him and open-minded
candor rarely seen by public figures – he’s an inspiration to his followers –
and a threat to those who oppose him.
“When I
penned this novel about a fictitious Pope Francis fourteen years ago, I never
envisioned that a future pope would select the name, Pope Francis I. This
novel’s Pope Francis is a bold and courageous pope whose sweeping reforms
reversing ancient Vatican edicts place his life in grave danger. The world can
only hope and pray that today’s Pope Francis, as bold as he is, will be
fruitful in his endeavors and have a lengthy and healthy reign,” said
WR.PARK.
Praise
for The Franciscan:
New
York Times bestselling author James Rollins commented on WR.PARK’s thirteenth
novel: “I’ve been a fan of WR.PARK’s work for years.”
“The
Franciscan featuring the first Pope Francis is about murder, suicide,
extortion, assassins, devilish plots with a narrative with more twists and
turns than a ride through purgatory.” – Publisher’s Auxiliary
“Unexpectedly
thrust upon the throne of St. Peter by dark forces within the Vatican, this
pope is trying to institute a radical agenda of change while contending with
assassination attempts and political intrigue… and then things get really
exciting.” – The Leaven Catholic Newspaper
“The
Franciscan is a fascinating tale and has great general appeal. Readers who like
intrigue and mystery in a colorful historical setting will enjoy [WR.PARK’s]
effort and will certainly look forward to his subsequent offering.” – The
Sun Newspaper
“Every
now and then a book I’m asked to read and write about pleasantly surprises me.
The Franciscan is a case point. It’s an intriguing read – weaving together two
fascinating tales. It kept me interested up to and including the end.” –
Northwest Florida Daily News
A hush fell
over the crowd in the square when the pope appeared in the entrance guarded by
two huge iron doors. The only sounds
were the distant drone of Rome's traffic and the splashing of the square's
giant dueling fountains. Pope Francis
hesitated, allowing his entourage to catch up, before descending the steps to
stand before the seated clergy. Forcing
a smile, he stepped forward, blessing those gathered for the ceremony.
On about the
tenth step down, the crowd's expression of restraint turned into one of horror
and disbelief. Most were too stunned to
utter a sound. Screams were trapped in a
thousand throats, but all managed to point upward towards the basilica's dome, and
behind those slowly walking down the steps.
Wooden chairs being tipped and flung aside clattered on the stone laid
square, as the assembled clergy leapt to their feet, anticipating the
worst.
Confused by
the crowd's alarm and unaware of the danger, they turned all too slowly to
avoid the coming peril. Kim, who was
several steps behind the group, was the first to hear a dull cracking sound. He turned and looked up. The huge concrete crucifix that had rested on
the left shoulder of the gigantic statue of Christ, standing at the center of
the row of saints, broke loose. As it
tumbled, it struck the peak of an architectural structure and burst into
sizable chunks, showering down on the pope and his unsuspecting group.
Kim sprang
forward, taking several steps at a time, and just as his shoulder was grazed by
a large jagged piece, he gave the pope a mighty shove. The force of being struck gave emphasis to
the thrust of Kim's hands, and he literally propelled the pope through the
air.
Pope Francis
somehow managed to land on his hands and knees.
Rolling over onto his backside and ignoring the pain of bloodied,
skinned hands and knees, he was grateful to see that most of the group was
spared injury. Kim was on his feet,
briskly rubbing his shoulder. Cardinal
Mumbwa was bent over and holding the back of his leg where he took a hit in
full fury, but motioned that he was okay, as did Kim. To Kim's left lay Cardinal Buldini. He lay
flat on his back, his belly pointing to the heavens, his legs in the direction
of the basilica and head towards the square.
Blood trickled down his forehead from a deep scalp wound.
Pope Francis
gingerly got to his feet, wiped his bloody hands on his sides, and gritted his
teeth while he pulled away the torn fabric that was embedded in the flesh of
both knees. “Kim, if you're okay, see to
Buldini; he's beginning to move, but needs assistance. Put a compress on the gash and take him to
the infirmary. And Kim—take good care of
him. You understand me?” Quickly surveying the fallen debris before
turning his attention to his dumb struck audience, he said, “Thank God. This could have been disastrous.”
Thomas,
favoring his right leg, hobbled over to where Buldini sat upright on a
step. He held a handkerchief to his head
and looked quite shaken. “Kim can care
for him. Thomas, I need you here,” ordered
the pope. “We'll go forward with the
installation proceedings.” The remainder
of the group, also shaken but unharmed, were brushing small dust particles from
their formal costumes and assuring the pope they were unscathed.
The crowd stood petrified with hands to their
mouths. The clergy remained on their
feet, chairs scattered about. Everyone
anticipated the pope's words as he limped down the stairs towards the
throne-style chair that was placed for his ceremonial use. Upon reaching the appointed spot, he took the
microphone, looked at those directly before him and said, “Please be
seated. This is your finest hour. And may I please be forgiven for sitting—I
seem to
have injured both knees.”
The same
whispers spread like a wave from person to person as his Holiness sat holding
the mike. “Look at his hands and
knees.” Twice the mike nearly slipped
from his hands smeared with blood, and both bloodied knees were bared for all
to see.
He pulled
down on the large scooped sleeve of his Franciscan habit to use it as a glove
in order to hold the mike in his right hand, and motioned for silence with his
left. A collective “Oh!” filled the
square when they saw the palm of his raised hand, which looked as though the
entire palm had its skin peeled off.
Reacting to
the people's obvious concern, he wiped his hand on his lap and then held it up
for all to see. “You see, it looks a lot
worse than it really is. I'm fine.
Really.” Then he looked down and
lifted the bloodied and torn skirt of his outfit and remarked with a toothy
grin, “But I'm afraid my tailor is going to be extremely upset with me.” The air was filled with good natured
laughter.
The smile
quickly disappeared and was replaced with a
serious expression. “Guests,
members of our religious orders, and cardinals-in-waiting. We did not stage
this little episode to command your attention. It is, however, an example of a
number of similar situations we will now reveal to you. The timing for full disclosure is right,
considering the advent of today's reported scandalous and false accusations
against the papacy.
“I'm pleased to see the media is out in full
force this afternoon. What will be
revealed to you for the first time, will be broadcast on the GlobalNet worldwide.” Teams of camera crews and reporters scurried
around, jockeying for the best view of the pope, anxiously waiting to report
the breaking news live.
A hush came
over the crowd as Pope Francis stood to speak.
From the grimace on his face, they knew his knees had stiffened and he
was in pain. But he continued. “What you have witnessed a few moments ago,
was the third such attempt on my life since my inauguration.” A gasp arose from the crowd.
“Yes. A third attempt. The first assassination undertaking came soon
after my election to the papacy. Sadly,
Cardinal Uden Borne of the Netherlands was mistakenly murdered in my
stead. Next, Kim Xinan, a Franciscan
friar from China, took a bullet in his chest that was meant for me. And as you just saw, once again, he risked
his life and came to my rescue.
“Since we
made the decision to follow Vatican II's and III's direction of opening the
doors and windows in hopes that fresh air would clear the musty bonds of
timeworn tradition, we've been repeatedly attacked. The papal order, especially to those in the
Church hierarchy, to ardently follow the spirit of Saint Francis' service to
all the sons and daughters of the Creator, I believe, was the catalyst that
drove the enemies of Pope Francis to this end.
“In addition
to the personal physical attacks, they have now stooped to assaulting me on
another level—that of a well-organized and orchestrated international character
assassination. I am not the only target
of this shameless and unholy effort.
They have also assaulted the reputation of my faithful Franciscan
brothers and that of the hallowed monastery from which we sprung.”
He turned
and laid the hand held mike on the chair's seat and picked up the clip-on, and
attached it to the large collar of his habit.
Once again he turned to face the audience and cameras. Taking a deep breath, he fell to his wounded
knees and stretched his arms upward toward the heavens. His normally handsome and welcoming features
were twisted in an expression of suffering.
From the
piercing cries of those in the crowd, you knew they, too, inwardly felt the
stabbing pain. A small pool of blood
became visible at the corners of both knees.
Pope Francis
bowed his head. Moments passed
agonizingly slow as he prepared himself to set the pain aside. Once that was accomplished, he raised his
head and spoke. “My brothers and
sisters, I now kneel humbly before you and the world—and before our Father in
heaven. And as our Creator is my
witness, I say to you simply—there is not an ounce of truth in the vicious lies
that are being reported. My Franciscans
and I are innocent of the slanderous accusations being leveled. They are, as I have explained, part of a plot
to discredit this papacy. Those
responsible are the ones who stand to lose the most, financially, if all of our
announced innovations would come to fruition.”
He stopped
abruptly, lowered his head once again, and took another deep breath. Many of those in the square were now openly
weeping at the courage and compassion of the pope. He looked straight at the audience, and continued
through gritted teeth.
“I need your help to survive this trial by fire. I need your prayers of support. I need you to believe in me.” His head dropped to his chest, and his body
wavered slightly as he attempted to steady himself while his hands gripped his
thighs.
Two Swiss
Guards dressed in their colorful pantaloons and polished helmets seemed to
appear out of nowhere; their capes flowed and their swords clattered as they
ran to assist their pope. He tried
unsuccessfully to stand on his own. All
the strength in his knees had abandoned him.
Each guard placed a hand under his arms and sat him on the chair.
Squaring his
shoulders, he raised his head and looked at his benefactors. He recognized them both as the two guards
that Kim had unceremoniously hoisted up the Tower stairs, and whom he later
mildly chastised. “Thank you guys. I owe you one,” he said softly.
The heart
wrenching scene that played out before their eyes was far too graphic for many
of the faithful and bystanders. Women
swooned, and tears flowed freely. Even
the most hardy found that holding back the flood was impossible. The sight of the bleeding, shaken and
physically weakened man of God, genuinely pleading for their prayers and their
trust, was more than their hearts could bear.
An
ear-splitting chorus of, “We believe! We
Believe!” filled Saint Peters'
Author,
columnist, teacher, lecturer, past president of three advertising agencies,
William R. Park, Sr. is nationally known and respected in the advertising and
literary worlds—and a Member of International Thriller Writers, Inc. His past
works include: The Talking Stones, Overlay, Fatal Incision, plus ten others,
each backed by glowing praise from numerous bestselling authors.
WR.PARK
currently resides in the Kansas City area with his wife Genie. To learn more,
and read what bestselling authors said about his body of work, visit: http://www.wrparkpublishinggroup.com/
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