Chapter 308 - 231: Remission of All Sins

Henry could not refuse Gregory’s demand.

Fortunately, Gregory had no intention of making him go alone, nor did he seem to show any sign of favoring Rudolph.

He sympathized with the tragic plight of the East, particularly the Greek Empire. The Greek Emperor had written to him on more than one occasion and had, quite unusually, addressed him as Western Caesar.

At first, he was even pleased by this, but he later learned from his close friend, the Duke of Upper Lorraine, that the Greek Emperor had likely sent a similar letter to every Imperial Count and any noble of higher rank—the detestable Rudolph included.

After that, he lost all sympathy for the Greek Empire. And although the letter asserted in no uncertain terms that Jerusalem was Greek territory and had only recently fallen into Turkic hands...

...Henry knew this was a lie. Jerusalem had been ruled by Heretics for a long time; the Greek Emperor mentioned Jerusalem merely as a plea for aid.

The cunning Greeks could be ignored, but Jerusalem carried enough weight.

Gregory, that Scorpion, had shown a rare mercy, and as a ’sinner,’ Henry was in no position to refuse his request.

"I will not lift your excommunication, but the moment you restore the Holy City, God will wash away all your sins, and you will immediately return to the embrace of the Holy Church." Gregory placed his scepter on Henry’s shoulder, then looked to the others in attendance.

"Cease all blood feuds among you, quiet all quarrels, end all wars, and let all conflicts born of disharmony be reconciled.

Prepare to set forth on the road to the Holy Sepulchre and wrest that land from the hands of a wicked race.

I, Gregory, in the name of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, stand as guarantor between God and all Holy Warriors.

I promise you: all who die along the way, whether on land or at sea, or in battle against the Heretics, shall have their sins immediately remitted.

Therefore, so that your sins may be forgiven and you may be sure of the everlasting glory of the Celestial Realm, march on to Jerusalem!"

"Merciful Holy Father, your demand is supremely just! No Christian could refuse this unprecedented expedition, for it is the will of God! The will of God!" Henry, trying to appear devout, pressed his forehead to the floor beside Gregory’s shoes.

...

The meeting between the Pope and the Emperor was over.

Yet the impact was enormous. Word of the Pope’s pronouncements during the meeting—the liberation of Jerusalem and the remission of all sins—spread like wildfire through Canossa, carried by the castle’s servants and Knights, and from there to the lands beyond.

Everyone who had come to Canossa seemed to have gotten what they wanted. Though the process was a blur, the outcome and the objective were perfectly clear.

Jerusalem! Jerusalem!

Countless people left Canossa with the name of the Holy City on their lips, eager to spread the joyous news.

People rushed to tell one another: The Pope has made a promise!

Everyone’s sins would be washed away! All that was needed was to restore the Holy City!

Some of the Imperial Nobility accompanying Henry even rushed out of Canossa Castle the moment the meeting concluded.

They were terrified that any delay on their part would be seen by God as a slight, thereby jeopardizing their final salvation.

They had to return to their own lands. For the salvation of their souls, they would journey to the East and wage war on the Heretics, who until now had been mere figures of rumor. Though most had never met a Heretic in their lives, they were now utterly convinced that these were a people who needed to be destroyed—beings despised by God himself.

For all their past sins would be absolved and their souls would ascend to Heaven—if only the Holy City were restored!

...

That evening, Eric, his teacher Gerard’s Otto, and Pope Gregory discussed the specifics of the Eastern Expedition.

The first matter was funding. Eric believed that even if the expedition was for spiritual salvation, they still had to consider the material necessities.

The Holy See could not act merely as a spiritual guide. The affair with Henry had already proven how fragile such authority could be. The Holy See could rely on the spiritual, but it could not rely *only* on the spiritual.

In addition to being the spiritual leader of this Eastern Expedition, the Holy See also had to play a role on a material level.

Therefore, Eric proposed that the Roman Curia could seize this opportunity to establish a voluntary donation drive in the name of the Eastern Expedition, encouraging people to bequeath a portion of their inheritance to the cause.

Commoners with no fighting ability who still wished to participate in the Eastern Expedition—to take part in God’s work—could take the expeditionary vow. They would then be allowed to pay a fee to the Church to redeem that vow, and the Church would use these funds to sponsor those truly suited to join the expedition—experienced, well-equipped Warriors.

If Jews were willing to donate to the cause of the Eastern Expedition, the Church could, depending on the size of the donation, negotiate with the local Lord to remove any humiliating identifying marks and grant them the protection of canon law.

The Holy See’s stance on the Jews had always been ambiguous, with different Popes holding their own views, so this would not be considered an unprecedented action.

Of course, all of this would require time to prepare.

With Gerard’s Otto acting as a mediator, Gregory accepted the majority of Eric’s proposals.