Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 433 The Darkest Hour

Repeated schisms have shaped the global landscape of Christianity.

One hundred and fifty years ago, the Eastern Orthodox Church formally broke with the Catholic Church.

Not long ago, Garys uprooted the Catholic Church in Jerusalem and rebuilt it into the Jerusalem Church.

These are the constantly split churches, except for the Jerusalem Church, which is an outlier.

The earlier other churches split, the greater the differences between the two sides.

The Arians even directly denied the Trinity. While the Coptic Orthodox Church was slightly better, the saints they worshipped and the style of their Masses were quite different from those in Rome, and even the language they used was completely different.

Catholics use Latin, while Coptics use Coptic.

Theologically, the Coptics emphasize inner repentance, while the Catholic Church emphasizes the role of the organization in this process, arguing that there is no salvation without the Church.

It's truly a case of being forced into a difficult position, as a Coptic priest like Shennuda is expected to be giving Mass to Catholics.

As Mass began, Shennuda, dressed in simple black robes, stood on the humble altar.

In front of him, a group of young Norman soldiers were chuckling quietly.

A young man with short hair pouted and made a donkey-ear shape with his hands.

Everyone else laughed when they saw it.

Another veteran, who was also drinking, chimed in, "I thought he was going to sing a love song."

When it came to the third person, he simply imitated the priest's Coptic accent and pretended to make the sign of the cross, but deliberately made it in the opposite direction. Then he simply fell to the ground and kept convulsing, clearly looking like he was possessed by a demon.

This caused the people around to burst into laughter, one after another.

The priest on the stage could no longer maintain his composure and, in a fit of anger, stormed off.

Shennuda approached the camp commander to report that he had been mocked by soldiers during a mass.

But the camp commander just smiled and didn't take it seriously, instead advising the other party to pay more attention.

“Shennuda, have you ever heard the saying: I must fight against my own brothers, against my own brothers against my cousins, against my cousins ​​against other relatives, and against my own clan against outsiders.”

“The wicked people in Jerusalem today have even denied the Trinity; what kind of Christians are they?”

"I don't know much about your church, but I want to say Christians, unite!"

When his superior uttered such idiotic words, Shennuda had nothing to say. Apart from muttering a few words in Coptic that the other party couldn't understand, cursing that the other party deserved to go to hell, there was nothing else he could do.

I could only turn back and continue preaching during today's Ramadan.

But in reality, even this Mass, which is so unclear about its exact nature, cannot be held.

Not long after, a messenger arrived at the military camp, informing the troops to assemble, march north under cover of night, and prepare to launch an attack the following day.

The soldiers had some doubts about this, after all, it was Ramadan and the next day would be Sunday.

Putting aside the minor issue of everyone going hungry during Ramadan, it feels somewhat inappropriate to go on a campaign on such a sacred day.

But the signalmen responded to these complaints by saying that not only the Egyptian army would fast, but the Jerusalem army would too.

Choosing to launch an attack on the Sunday will catch the opponent off guard, allowing for a surprise attack.

The battalion commander in charge of the camp agreed with this explanation. As for Shennuda, the accompanying priest, he was not required to march with the troops and could remain in the camp to continue his religious prayers, which no one cared about.

However, what he didn't know was that the Egyptians thought the other side would be less vigilant on Sundays, and the Jerusalem army thought the same.

After the main force of this camp left, a sizable army assembled in the vicinity.

At that moment, they were also holding a pre-battle mass.

Unlike the half-hearted performance of Father Shennuda, the Paladins of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were much more devout, enthusiastic, and passionate when they held pre-battle Masses.

In fact, for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the pre-war Mass served more than just a morale-boosting event.

In essence, it was also a way for Paladins and officers to understand the situation of the soldiers.

Unlike the Egyptians who blindly imitated the priests who accompanied the army, the Paladins of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were closer to role models, emphasizing leading by example.

During battle, one must lead the charge.

If it weren't for the fact that in this day and age, most battles don't result in heavy casualties, and that the thick armor protects against most injuries, then the Paladins leading the charge might lead to a shortage of Paladins.

For soldiers, a spiritual mentor who is also a brother in battle has an exceptionally powerful and persuasive influence.

……

That night, Shennuda crawled out of his bedding, intending to relieve himself in the nearby field. After greeting the guards at the gate, he left the camp.

Although if the legion's rules were strictly followed, the toilets would be planned and placed within the camp, and the latrines would be buried or removed before they were filled, with people cleaning them regularly.

But when it came to actually being implemented, the place was, to put it mildly, quite charming.

Therefore, for someone like a priest, who has a certain status and is not bound by the rules of the military camp, it is still desirable to relieve one's physiological needs in a place with fresh air.

Then, he saw the shadowy figures of the group moving past him from the left and right of the bushes where he was.

Just as he was about to shout something, he suddenly realized that his own life was more important, so he tightly covered his mouth.

He squatted in the wilderness, watching his former camp burning fiercely, surrounded by sounds of fighting, shouts, and screams.

Terrified, he didn't even dare to stand up in the chaotic scene, fearing that some bloodthirsty bastard would chop him up with a single blow.

It is unknown how much time passed, until the empty camp gradually fell silent, and the chaotic situation finally came to an end.

By this time, he wouldn't need to clean up his mess.

But just as he tried to stand up, he found that he couldn't—his legs had gone numb from squatting.

"Is anyone there? Can you help me up?"

Left with no other choice, the priest called out for help to those around him.

This finally caught the attention of the Jerusalem soldiers.

When the soldiers surrounded the priest.

The priest felt he had experienced the darkest moment of his life.

(End of this chapter)