[CONGO] Line to the Holy See

[Kelly the Mad]

SECURE

Chief of European diplomatic affairs of the Congo, Senior Ambassador Simba Ayim, would pick up the phone in his office and dial the direct line to the Holy See.

Ender

 

[Ender]

A much beleaguered and harried nun was manning the switchboard when a call came in on the private diplomatic direct line. Usually such calls would be forwarded to the Cardinal Secretary of State but as he was no longer Secretary of State, it fell to her to take a message and pass it along to the appropriate people.

"Saluti, Centralino vaticano, come posso aiutarla? (Greetings, Vatican Switchboard, how may i help you?)" She said in Italian.

 

[Kelly the Mad]

He would clear his throat, before asking "Hm, French? English? Spanish? My Italian is hurting at this time." He spoke each in its own language and the last part in very rough Italian. He looked down at his desk and at the many papers stacked up around him, detailing a highly classified offer that would consist of millions of dollars to the faith. He hoped it would go down well.

Ender

 

[Ender]

The nun shook her head when the person on the other end of the diplomatic line spoke such bad Italian that it may as well have been any language but Italian. She spoke most of the european languages fluently, which was one of the reasons she was assigned tasks at the Vatican switchboard, so she spoke to him in French.

”Oui, je parle Français. En quoi puis-je vous aider? (Yes, I speak French. How may I help you?” She said in a tone that showed none of her inward frustrations at a diplomat calling the Vatican who couldn’t speak any Italian. She had been in her position with the Switchboard since she was a young Nun, she could’t even begin to imagine how this delegate would’ve reacted to her answering in Latin like they did before the Pontificate of Paul VI.

Kelly the Mad

 

[Kelly the Mad]

"I am the Congolese Chief Ambassador for European affairs, Simba Ayim. Firstly I would like to express my condolences for the Bishop of Rome, John Paul II, both personally and on behalf of the Congo's more than 35 million Catholics. He led the church well in his time and I hope his successor will rule fairly and in the manner in which god may wish. Now, I would request I be forwarded to the current highest-ranking member of the Vatican you can forward me to. I have a very important matter to discuss in addition to arrangements for our regent to visit the lying-in-state of His Holiness, and ascertaining who is allowed to visit him."

Ender

 

[Ender]

The nun rolled her eyes at the audacity of the man on the other end of the line. Demanding she put him through the Camerlengo as if he had ever right in the world to do so. Did the man not know that at this moment in time the Vatican was in shambles, there were hardly anyone who still formally held their positions in the Vatican. She quickly checked the switch board to see who maybe still in their offices by the time the man had finished speaking she had seen who was available, and it seemed only the Undersecretary of Relations with States was available from the Secretariate of State.

"Un instant et je vous rattraperai. (One moment and I will patch you through). " She then put the man on hold and hit the extension for the Undersecretary.

"Monsignore ho in linea un ambasciatore congolese, glielo faccio passare? (Monsignor, I have a Congolese Ambassador on the line, should I put him through?)" The Nun asked not letting anything slip in regards to her feelings about the impertinent man. On the other end of the line the Monsignor Celestino Migliore took a quick look at his mantel clock noting the time. He had been in the middle of packing up some time sensitive documents that he'd have to work on even while his office was officially vacant. He sighed at the inconvenience but knew that the church came first no matter what.

"Molto bene, risponderò alla chiamata. (Very well, I will take the call.)" With that he heard a series of clicks, and then spoke in Italian.

"Sì, sono Monsignor Migliore, come posso aiutarla? (Yes, this is Monsignor Migliore, how may I help you?)." The Italian Monisgnor answered. For more then 5 minutes the Congelese Ambassador was waiting on the line while baroque era music played softly on the hold line till he heard the clicks and then the Italian voice answer him.

Kelly the Mad