A Question of Trust

By 2045 the United States had ceased to exist, but the political and economic repercussions of this cataclysmic disaster was still violently reverberating across the entire world. As for former President Jeremiah Abrahams on who's watch this happened, he had to flee to Africa after seeing his family being murdered in front of him. It was there in South Africa that Jeremiah entered the religious life and was made Archbishop John of Johannesburg by an ageing Pope James. But if John thought he would escape the world of politics being so far away from his former homeland, His Grace would be greatly mistaken especially after a new bishop, Joseph Christopher, was sent to be his assistant. But as the Pope became increasingly ill, it was Joseph, who began to rise rapidly through the ranks of the Church, and after he had been ordained as a Cardinal Archbishop, he then became the Holy Father's most loyal and chief advisor as well. Meanwhile Archbishop John was watching this from a distance and became increasingly worried because of what Joseph had suggested when he was John's assistant. As Pope James got increasingly ill rumours began to circulate that Cardinal Joseph could very well be elected as the next Pope. What worried Archbishop John above all that this prelate could then lead the Church down a different road and possibly start to worship someone who clearly was not Jesus Christ!