"I guess I deny the consequence," Grace retorted. "Of course people would infer all sorts of things which ought not to be inferred: but I can't see that that need concern us."
"One might imperil the salient and sacred aloofness which marks off God's Work from man's work, the Church's unmistakeable contrast to the whole world," said the Cardinal of St. Nicholas-in-the-Jail-of-Tully.
"And her complete discordance from the world by all the difference which separates the Divine Institution from the human, the Church of God from the churches of men," Saviolli appended.
"All the same I think I go with the Cardinal of St. Cosmas and St. Damian," said Mundo.
"There would not be any real ground," Sterling continued, "for suspecting one of disloyalty to the Church, if one were to recognize the Invincibly Ignorant as the 'other sheep' which His Holiness mentioned in His first Epistle. One is not going to take part in their worship, or frequent their services: because one knows better. And one is not going to accept the principle of a conglomerate Church of the 'common-christianity' type any more than one is going to accept an Olympos of gods for a Divinity. But one confesses that one can see no reason why one should not pray for outsiders, offer Mass for outsiders, recognize them in short, as His Holiness seems to ordain. They don't know us; and, naturally, they invent a caricature of us, as things are. Yes, on the whole, perhaps one ought to support Carvale."
"Well: if we're taking sides, I'll follow you," said Semphill.
Their Eminencies rose and surrounded Cardinal Carvale. Talacryn was left alone at the other end of the seat; and Percy moved a few inches nearer to the Pope.
"Now Percy?" said Talacryn with invitation. The youngest cardinal shook his grand head in the negative.
"And will not you yourself join the majority?" Hadrian inquired of the single minority.