When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1029 "The Tale of Saint Lan's Good Deeds" is a forgery (combined chapter)

Establishing the Gospels as supreme is a shared desire of the Theocratic, Reformed, and Christian denominations.

For Grandiva, establishing that the Gospels were unalterable was a way to gain an advantage in the subsequent debates.

According to the spies, the Holy Alliance is currently secretly conducting activities that question scriptures, and they've even put up a sign saying "verification."

If they were to use questioning tactics to derive evidence to attack their own theories, it would cause considerable trouble.

At this point, you can use the principle that "the Gospels should not be altered or added to" to slap them in the face.

Grandiva smugly pulled out a peacock feather fan, fanning himself with an air of self-assurance, and looked at Horn.

Huh? What's with that expression on the demonic monk's face?
Horn believed his expression was one of barely holding it in.

These were lines that were supposed to be spoken by him, how did Grandiva steal them?

He hadn't even set a trap yet, so why did Grandiva dig a hole for himself and jump in?

As Horn tried his best to keep a straight face, the conversations of both sides gradually spread to the outside world through the monks present.

The so-called ecumenical council is actually a gathering of representatives from various religious orders to discuss Messianic doctrines.

However, this Council of Polon is significantly different from those of the past.

Leaving aside the definition of the Holy Alliance, the number of church representatives attending was unprecedented.

The church representatives, numbering three thousand, came from monasteries and local churches at all levels, encompassing almost all clergy groups.

If the Flesh and Blood Royal Court were to send a few vampire dukes to infiltrate, they could basically wipe out the entire Imperial Church.

So many people gathered in one place that even the main nave of Bologna Cathedral couldn't contain them all.

Only a portion of the representatives could remain outside to relay messages from inside to outsiders, conveying the internal debates and situation to the outside world.

So it's actually a two-way debate, with a smaller debate inside and a larger debate outside.

However, the intensity should be about the same, because even before it started, it was already noisy both inside and outside.

"Freedom! Work! Equality!"

"That's wrong. God is the standard for humanity!"

"The Pope should never exist!"

"I want to report the wicked monk Horn for having illicit relations with four witches. I have evidence!"

With the master of ceremonies' sharp shouts of silence, and the efforts of the Imperial Guard and the guards of the Kingdom of Fran, the hall finally quieted down.

After the initial pleasantries, the debate finally began.

According to the usual procedures of the Grand Council, the first step is for the monks of the religious order to read out the "erroneous claims" of both sides.

Then each side sends out a debater to refute and defend their arguments.

As for Sheri, he was sitting uneasily in a chair in the middle of the two rows, as a prize.

Behind the four long, curved tables, the first three rows were occupied by archbishops and abbots from various regions.

They wore scarlet and blackish-purple robes, tricorn hats, and solemn expressions.

Following them were the bishops, priests, and monks from various regions, most of whom wore black robes and white shawls.

These representatives were arranged according to the importance of their respective parishes.

Parishes on places like the Golden Plains are often in the front row, while parishes on Storm Point, Red Leaf Hill, or Thorn Garden are often relegated to the back.

Furthermore, some newly established Norn priests, or even those with dual faiths, have no seats!

Priests from places like Lemington and Swensen in Windmill Country often received only a minor divine item, indicating a very low status.

They could only stand at the back without seats, but the only advantage was that Horn had prepared small stools for them to rest on in advance.

Lemington looked at the hall where the reading was taking place and asked Mattis beside him, "Has His Majesty Galar responded?"

"No."

"Not yet?" Lemingston frowned.

In theory, the debaters at the Grand Council could be any monk in the front row, but according to tradition, they were usually the last to speak.

Those responsible for charging forward and attacking the opponent are the debaters nominated by each side.

For example, the Franco side had nine debaters, all of whom were eloquent theologians or bishops.

On the Holy Alliance side, apart from Armand, whom they somewhat respected, Jean-Baptiste and Thomas were both unknown figures.

Three against nine? Do you even know how to play?

"Looks like someone's going to miss out on the debater position," Svensson said sarcastically from the side. "I already told you not to include your personal agenda in the application materials. If you were selected normally, you would definitely be on the team."

"The priests wrote things down truthfully, and they were absolutely uncompromising on their beliefs, not changing a single word," Lemingston said, though inwardly he was filled with doubt and regret.

Your Majesty, what exactly do you want to do?
The long, curved table was used as the debate area, where debaters from both sides were required to speak.

The priest then formally began reading the opposing positions of both sides according to the list.

Actually, you can understand it after reading it once.

Horn's side argued that all believers are priests, while Grandiva's side insisted that the church is an indispensable intermediary between believers and God.

Horn's side claimed that the intermediaries were deceiving their superiors and engaging in the sale of indulgences and blue blood wine, while Grandiva stated that suffering is a gift from the Father to mortals.

Horn's side argued that mortals should have their own will and rights, while Grandiva's side argued that mortals are pawns of the Father, destined to be so.

Horn's side argued that the Father stopped micromanaging after creating the world, while Grandiva argued that the Lord was always micromanaging.

Basically, whatever Horn approves of, Grandiva opposes.

Putting aside the fancy and complicated topics, there are still three core points.

Does the Holy Father, who represents our worldview, actually engage in micromanagement? In other words, is the world even comprehensible?
Representing one's philosophy of life, should one pursue salvation after death or happiness in this world?
What is the method by which people practice the Father's way to achieve salvation, representing their values: prayer, doing good deeds, or labor?
After the reading was finished, the entire room fell silent.

Those chosen as representatives are certainly not some incompetent educators; they can all understand the significant doctrinal reforms behind the teachings.

Not to mention the impact of ideological reform on the political power structure.

The monks of the Holy Way sect were eager to overturn the outdated doctrines of the past.

According to the original ecumenical council, after the reading was completed, the Pope would act as the judge to maintain order.

But there are two popes at this moment, and one of them will lose his papacy after the meeting.

Therefore, the two "absolutely neutral" judges, Cuevalin, Hadesius, and Sheri, were temporarily elected by the people present to serve as the moderators.

Quevalin, unable to refuse, coughed and spoke in a weathered but still resonant voice:
"The first debate topic is: Are all believers priests? Who wants to come first?"

Quivalin raised his pupils and asked the surrounding debaters.

“I’ll go first.” Archbishop Rovaruk of White Sands stepped forward first, taking out the original copy of Pravda that contained the article “Man Cannot Give Up Freedom.”

"Lord Galar, what do you think?" Quivalin looked at Horn.

Horn smiled and nodded: "Respecting the elderly and caring for the young, let the elders go first."

"Hmph." As if thinking Horn was mocking his age, Rovaruk let out a heavy sigh through his nose.

"This Pope Galar said in Pravda that people do not have the right to give up their freedom, which is based entirely on the fact that people have a self!"
But in reality, although man is created by the Father, man does not actually have a self; rather, the Father is a part of man.

Just like the fingers of people, if you say everyone is a priest, aren't you implying that human fingers are also human?

“Absurd!” Thomas was about to stand up and retort when Rovaruk loudly silenced him.

"It's not absurd at all; you're just looking at the commentaries without understanding the original meaning. Please see section five of 'The Life and Deeds of St. Langren'!"

During this debate, roughly every two or three people brought a complete copy of the Gospels.

As soon as Rovaruk finished speaking, the room erupted in the rustling sound of pages turning.

Only those priests who had read and memorized the entire text sat calmly, their faces showing deep thought.

"Man is like a blind sparrow, needing a guiding branch..." someone murmured this verse.

After repeating it three times aloud, Rovaruk continued, "Look at the Book of the Second Gospels: Only the sacred tree can receive divine grace, and only the sacred branches can transmit divine revelation."

Do I need to say more? Aren't the holy branches just priests? Mortals need priests to guide them in order to receive divine revelation.

Not to mention that Saint Lannister stated, 'Those who voluntarily become slaves will automatically gain their freedom in the new millennium!'

This not only refutes your theory that people cannot voluntarily become slaves, but also refutes the theory that people should pursue worldly pleasures in this life!

Your article, "Can a Person Voluntarily Become a Slave?", is completely unfounded!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Rocrois tore the Pravda newspaper in his hand in half and threw it high into the air.

Newspapers fluttered in the air and scattered all over the ground.

“You!” Thomas immediately stood up, pointing at Rocrois and about to curse, but Armand pressed him down.

“This is disrespectful to His Excellency Horn, and I demand that Rocrova apologize immediately.”

Mittner immediately stepped forward and addressed Sherri and the two judges.

Hades glanced at Rocrova: "You have crossed the line. Apologize to Lord Horn Galar."

"I'm sorry, I got a little emotional, hahaha." Rocrova apologized insincerely, but didn't give any debater a chance to interject.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please look again at the commentary on the life of Saint Rania by the wise man Abilenko, which clearly records..."

"The Gospels are without error or omission; every book of biography has a purpose. For example, the biography of St. George summarizes the doctrines, while the biography of St. Langley laid the foundation for the Papacy..."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please read 'The Holy Trinity' again..." "Read it again..."

As a renowned orator, Rocroi's style was naturally one of eloquent, flowing speech that never stopped.

He didn't need to drink water, urinate, or even pause; he stood firmly in the center of the hall and spoke.

The sunlight gradually rose into the sky, streaming vertically through the skylight and windows.

Horn looked up at his watch and realized it was already noon, and Rocrova still hadn't finished speaking.

He couldn't help but have Mittner stop Rocrois from speaking, standing up and asking, "How much longer do you think Bishop Rocrois will have to speak?"

"My defense is only a third of the way through. Of course, although I am the one speaking, the defense was written by His Majesty Grandiva."

"You've only covered a third of it?" Horn's eyes widened.

"How is it?" The Archbishop of White Sands, though thin, had a booming voice. "Your Excellency Galar, are you afraid?"

Horn didn't speak, but frowned, his expression almost conflicted.

Sure enough, he was scared!

Grandiva gripped his robe tightly in the audience, barely managing to suppress his excitement and maintain a calm demeanor.

"Lord Galar," Grandiva began slowly, "why are you hesitating and not saying anything?"

Horn gave a wry smile: "I originally wanted you to finish speaking, but now it seems that it was too much of a waste of time."

Distinguished hosts, may we perhaps interject for a few words?

Still wasting time? Are you arguing back? Are you arguing back?
Now they're like a cornered beast, fighting desperately.

Grandiva couldn't hide his smile; his previously devised debate strategy had worked.

By speaking first, they attract everyone's attention and then completely take control of the situation.

To use a military analogy, Grandiwa is like building a castle.

With the combined efforts of scholars from the entire Kingdom of France, over three months, they have thoroughly researched and analyzed the works of generations, judging and criticizing them. Is the theoretical castle they built around the "Biography of Saint Rania" so easy to break down?
Sure enough, the castle was only one-third complete when the wicked monk Horn couldn't sit still any longer.

You should know that this is just the beginning; there are much bigger things waiting for Horn.

Feeling confident of victory, Grandiva adopted an indifferent attitude: "I agree. After all, it's not good to keep letting us talk. Please say whatever you want, haha."

Horn nodded, but did not get up from his seat.

Instead, when Brock walked to the front of the stage, he seemed to be lost in thought or in a daze for a while. He only snapped out of it when the crowd started booing.

This naturally drew a lot of ridicule, making Broe blush deeply.

Grandiva became even more certain that this old scholar from the border region was not much of a talent.

"Your Excellency Rovaruk, how much of your theory is based on the 'Biography of St. Ran'?"

“The Deeds of Saint Ran is the clearest and most sacred chapter describing the organization of the church. Am I not allowed to quote it?” Rovaruk retorted like a cockfighting rooster.

"Of course, of course." These hesitant words made many priests of the Holy Path Sect break out in a cold sweat.

This Thousand River Valley is located near the Dragon Sleep Mountains on the edge of civilization, making it impossible for the empire's latest research findings to be transmitted there.

As for the local Juano faction, they are only known in the vicinity of the Thousand Rivers Valley. As for the three great Blagos, people are more familiar with Juano, the sage who sacrificed himself for his faith.

"Who is this old man?" Lemingston asked in a low voice.

“I heard they’re from Juano’s faction, sent out by Pope Galar to be debaters…” Mattis replied in a low voice.

"Does he have any theological papers or books available for viewing?"

Several religious priests whispered among themselves for a while, and even got up from their seats to inquire, before bringing back the news.

"No, he is said to be a priest at the Blago Monastery, in charge of the sacred objects and other finances."

"Huh? From a mundane background?" Now it was Svensson's turn to be surprised.

You should know that in a monastery, there are two separate teams in charge of secular affairs and those in charge of theology.

Although Blow's ability to become a worship priest suggests he was a seminary graduate, he hadn't touched theological texts for decades...

They all looked at Horn, waiting for his command so they could defend him on this point.

The North was a region where the Holy Path Sect spread extremely rapidly, so the loopholes in the sect's scriptures were naturally clear to the public.

The most effective weapon against these loopholes is the story of St. Ran in the second Gospel.

Because the biography of St. Lannister tells the story of Lannister, the youngest follower of the Holy Lord and the third Pope.

This Lan Liang laid the foundation for many of the church's current rules, regulations, and structure.

It could even be said that if the second pope, St. George, established the Messianic Church, then St. Langley established the Messianic Papacy.

Using his biography to refute the idea that "everyone is a priest" is incredibly useful.

Therefore, the monks of the Holy Way Sect spent three months preparing for the debate, using "The Biography of Saint Lan Liangxing" as the core of their attack and defense.

Moreover, they had already managed to build siege towers to attack the castle, just as the "Saint-Lan Good Deeds" clearly states: "If you sell an elven slave to you, serve him for five years, and in the sixth year set him free."

This is precisely what addresses the Southern Church's protection of the nobility and the serf system.

They can come to support us immediately, as long as Pope Galar approves.

At this point, even Father Lemingston dared not say it was a good thing. He urged Mattis, "Go and ask again. There's still time. You can even let Svenson go."

Tell Your Majesty that we must not let emotions cloud our judgment at this moment; we must unite against the external forces and fight together against the Divine Origin Sect.

Mattis hurried away, his back hunched, while Lemington kept wiping away sweat with a handkerchief.

I thought that Pope Galar was a reasonable person. Although he was considered a minor heretic within the Holy Path Sect, he should be able to put aside past grievances at this time.

But he never expected that the Pope would send out someone like Bro to fight.

He should have known sooner; the Pope is too young and prone to acting impulsively.

The author shouldn't have criticized the doctrine of divine intervention in the article; this has angered the pope.

The Holy Alliance has always been weak in theoretical construction.

Thousand River Valley is located on the border of the empire and has only been prosperous for a few years. If I were to take action myself, I'm afraid I wouldn't suffer such a humiliating defeat.

“Priest Lemington…”

Lemington looked at Matisse as he returned, making no attempt to hide his astonishment: "The message was delivered so quickly?"

“No.” Mattis said with a bitter face, “The guards of the Kingdom of Fran who were maintaining order told me not to disrupt the proceedings and brought me back.”

"Damn it!" Lemingston slammed his fist on the armrest of his chair, drawing curious glances from those around him.

Svensson closed his eyes and pondered for a long time, then could only sigh, "The only thing we can do is pray..."

Grandiva glanced at Campbell as he watched the agitated priests.

The old bishop remained calm and composed, as if he were dozing off.

Grandiva was relieved. Through the Kingdom's spies in Fran, he had learned that the secret weapon of this Holy Path Sect was the scripture about elven slaves.

But I'm sorry, it didn't work.

Grandiva was prepared; his earlier large attack was a counterattack against this.

Elves are not the same as Els, Els are not the same as believers, and believers are not the same as humans!

Then came his final, fatal blow—if everyone is a priest, the church as a medium of faith should not exist, shouldn't your Holy Alliance be dissolved?

Grandiva could almost see Horn's shocked and angry expression, and he could even hear the sound of him accidentally tearing his robes.

It all depends on what Jean-Baptiste says. Poor thing, what can he say?

Everyone's attention was drawn to the round-faced figure in the hall.

It could be malice, worry, or pity.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have to inform you of some unfortunate news."

Despite the attention, Bro remained calm and composed, his voice carrying clearly throughout the hall.

He snapped his fingers, and a dozen monks behind him handed a box of pamphlets and thumb-thick books to the front-row attendees.

What is this doing?
Rocroissants kept a close eye on Jean-Billot's movements, but he could hear gasps of surprise coming from the other attendees.

"This...this can't be real!"

"Oh God, Father!"

"Lord Brock, where did you get these things?"

Grandiva leaned forward slightly, craning his neck to see, but couldn't bring himself to ask someone to bring it over.

Justice Cuyvalin glanced at the pamphlet and then, for the first time during the debate, interjected: "Pope Galar, what is the significance of this book?"

Horn smiled, pointed at Jean Broe, and made a "stay tuned" gesture.

Amidst the intense scrutiny of the crowd, Bro's face was filled with sorrow:
"My fellow believers, I must tell you some terrible news: The Story of Saint Ran is a forgery written by later generations."

"Thorn-"

Grandiva accidentally tore the hem of his robe.

(End of this chapter)