The Last Cato by Matilde Asensi

and which now were in Orthodox hands. In the end, all this was about the vulgar subject of property and power. The hierarchic structure of the Orthodox Christian churches (which did not exist, in theory at least) was a dense network formed by historic scheming and economic plots. The patriarchate of Moscow and All the Russias, in the hands of His Holiness Alexy II, sheltered under its wing the independent Orthodox churches of countries in Eastern Europe (Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania). The Patriarchate of Constantinople, led by His Very Divine Holiness Bartolomeos, harbored all the rest (in Greece, Syria, Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, as well as the very important Greco-Orthodox Church of America). Nevertheless, the divisions were not as clear as it would seem at first glance. Both factions had monasteries and temples in each other’s sphere of influence. In any case, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, despite not having any power over them, “proceeded honorably” to represent all the rest of the Orthodox patriarchates of the world, including Alejo II, who seemed to totally ignore the millennia-old tradition, and was primarily concerned with preventing the Russian authorities from drawing the Catholic Church into their feud. Up till now, he had been quite successful.
    In short, chaos. By resolving the theft, we would be able to help smooth out the rocky road to uniting all Christians. This would fuel the rickety motor of ecumenicalism.
    For hours in that meeting room, Professor Boswell had not unglued his lips, except to eat. Yet, I could see that he listened very carefully to all the discussion. Once in a while, he slightly nodded or shook his head. He was the quietest man I’d ever met. He gave the impression that the world overwhelmed him. He was not comfortable in the least.
    “Well, well… Professor Boswell,” Monsignor Tournier blurted out as if he were reading my thoughts. “I believe it’s your turn. Do you speak my language? Do you understand what I am saying? Do you understand any of what has been said here tonight?”
    Glauser-Röist half closed his eyes and fixed his stare at the monsignor. Professor Boswell blinked. He cleared his throat in a desperate attempt to gain control over his voice.
    “I understand perfectly, Monsignor,” stammered the professor with a noticeable Arabic accent. “My mother was Italian.”
    “Ah, wonderful!” exclaimed Tournier, flashing a wide smile.
    “In addition to Arabic and Coptic,” Glauser-Röist clarified sharply, leaving no room for doubt, “Professor Farag Boswell has perfect command of Greek, Turkish, Latin, Hebrew, Italian, French, and English.”
    “Really, it’s nothing,” the professor hurried to explain, stuttering. “My paternal grandparents were Jewish, my mother Italian, and the rest of my family, including myself of course, are Coptic Catholics.”
    “But your last name is English, Professor,” I said, confused, until I recalled that Egypt had once been a colony for the English.
    “You’ll like this, Doctor,” said Glauser-Röist with a strange smile. “Professor Boswell is the great-grandson of Dr. Kenneth Boswell, one of the archeologists who discovered the Byzantine city of Oxirrinco.”
    Oxirrinco! That was extremely interesting, but the best part was seeing Glauser-Röist in his role as the Egyptian’s friend and champion.
    “Is that true, Professor?” I asked him.
    “It is, Doctor,” confirmed Boswell with a shy nod. “My great-grandfather discovered Oxirrinco.”
    Oxirrinco, one of the most important capitals of Byzantine Egypt, lost for centuries, swallowed up by desert sands, was revitalized in 1895, thanks to the English archeologists Bernard Grenfell, Arthur Hunt, and Kenneth Boswell. It’s considered the most important repository of Byzantine papyruses and a true library of lost work by classic authors.
    “So, naturally, you are also an archeologist,” affirmed Monsignor Tournier.
    “True. I work…” He paused,