Catholic Church

The Church elected a new pope, Paul VII.

Paul VII decided to carry on with the work of John Paul II and look into the activities of the Church relative to the Holocaust. This brought him into conflict with Crux Vera, a secret body within the Church. Cardinal Marco Brindisi, the secretary of state and the spiritual head of Crux Vera ordered several murders, including that of Benjamin Stern, to protect the secrets of the Church.

Gabriel Allon investigated Stern's murder and learned the a professional killer name Eric Lange had been hired to do most of the killing. The pope's secretary, Luigi Donati, had planted seeds of doubt in the minds of the leaders of Crux Vera. Eventually, Brindisi ordered the assassination of the pope. Carlo Casagrande hired Lange to kill Brindisi instead. The was so much carnage as a result of Lange's attack that Casagrande committed suicide.