A hush fell upon the multitude of the faithful as they assembled in the nave of the great Basilica of Saint Peter. Even on the great feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, many were troubled by the dark rumors out of the East. Messengers from the city of Constantine had brought tidings of the murder of the Roman Emperor and the vacancy of the throne, while both in the eastern and western borders of the Empire were falling to the war-loving tribes of the desert. A council had been convoked, and the wise men of Rome gathered about the Holy Father, for it was clear that something must be done.
The War for Christendom 