Chapter 1
A Frightful Revelation
“Peter, I’m pregnant,” she whispers.
The young priest pulls away, the horror on his face hidden by the darkness of the room.
“Peter, where are you?” She reaches out for him but feels only the air in front of her. “Don’t you remember, Peter, the first time we made love? You told me it was God’s will. Well, our baby is God’s will!”
There is a long moment of silence broken only by Peter’s heavy breathing.
“Don’t you understand, Maria? If I’m identified as the father of your baby it will ruin my career in the Church.” Although his voice is calm, it reveals an edge of panic. “Your pregnancy is not God’s will. God’s will is that I rise to church leadership and lead the Catholic Church to new heights in the works of the Lord.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “It’s not God’s will that I be defrocked for violating the vow of celibacy, a church doctrine that has no basis in scripture.”
Maria hears Peter fumbling in the darkness with his clothes. “Then I’ll raise the baby myself.”
“No, no you won’t. Everyone will know that I’m the father. For now, everyone sees me as your spiritual advisor, but when your belly starts to swell, people will know that my coming to this room was for something other than leading you in prayer.”
“Not everyone saw you as my spiritual advisor. What about the letter that was sent to your superiors questioning the propriety of our being alone together.”
“That was suspicion, not fact. My superior accepted my explanation. But when your belly swells, that’s fact, not suspicion.”
“Then what do we do?”
“You must get an abortion,” he says without a trace of emotion.
The word cuts through her like a knife. “No! I’ll never do that. Not for you, not for anyone.”
“You won’t do it for God? Even if it’s God’s will?”
“It’s not God’s will. You have repeatedly told me that abortion is a mortal sin. It is a violation of human life, and that’s against God’s will.”
Standing by the bed and looking down at her, Peter says, “If you ever want to see me again, you’ll get an abortion. It will cost you nothing. I’ll pay for it and make all the arrangements.” He pauses. “I’ll be at my office all day tomorrow. Stop by and let me know your decision.”
She hears the door close. She is alone with the horrible choice of losing Peter or losing her baby. She bursts into tears.