Chapter 1May 2, 1968

Your P.L. is coming back!

What an avalanche of telegrams! And it’s not over: here’s one more [Satprem reads Mother a telegram in which P. L. announces a mysterious "new fact" and implores to be allowed to stay with his friend J. for "grave reasons"].

Then let him stay with her!

He suddenly got scared stiff over there. It’s true that their occult power is very great and one has to be very strong to resist it. And he got scared stiff. That’s what made him sick.

My own feeling is that the other fellow, this Monsignor R., wanted to get rid of him.... Seriously, I think he smelled something fishy and said, "He’d better leave."

He doesn’t have the strength, obviously.

No, he doesn’t.

But you know, he’s really a victim: when he was seven, his mother sent him to a friars’ convert in Spain... till the age of eighteen!

Poor man!

In Spain! You know, that inexorable Christianity... From seven to eighteen – it’s dreadful!

No, he’s a very nice man, but vitally not strong enough. But if he lived in a convent for so many years, then I understand....

(Mother remains concentrated

for a long time)

I don’t think it’s the end of this affair.

(long silence)

J. is troubled because he demands a lot of attention.

Who had thought of him for the post of cardinal?

I don’t know, but it was expected.

It was expected.... It must have been a political affair, because... In fact, I think it’s generally a political