Chapter 16: The Last Confession
Ella didn't expect the priest to show up at dawn. Let alone hand her a small wooden box.
Inside: flash drives, old journals, a rosary blackened at the edges, and a USB shaped like a crucifix.
“It’s everything,” Ely said. “The children, the victims, the cover-ups. Names. Dates. How much they were paid to disappear.”
Ella stared at him, trembling.
“They’ll kill you for this.”
“I was already dead the day I wore this collar knowing what I knew.”
She uploaded the files that night. The SacriLeaks archive exploded globally. A bishop in Mindoro resigned. Another in Pampanga fled the country. Former students started speaking—some tearfully, some violently.
And then, quietly, the unthinkable happened.
One of the priests named in the first batch of leaked documents was found dead.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFCZqhKwXe
A self-inflicted wound.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqEXCXSyju
A final note: “It was true. Forgive me. Or don’t.”
The public went feral.
Protests outside seminaries. Mothers screaming through church gates. Former altar boys burning their cassocks. Supporters of the Church blamed the victims, while others demanded that the Vatican act.
Ely disappeared again.
Not for cowardice.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFc94bOk1f
But because he knew his role was nearly over.
