There are incredible stories. that of Pierre Jean Smet is one of them.
Still discussing with the same joy with my friend JB du C. the other evening, I talk to him about my idea of a priest arriving in Japan in the 1830s, something impossible or almost. Japan is totally closed to the outside world, the Meiji era is quietly preparing behind the scenes, and especially the religious orders, like the Western world, have fallen swooning over the New World. Yes, but here we must always hope for a great figure of an independent Catholic.
Pierre Jean de Smet is one. This priest nicknamed “black cassock” by the Indians, negotiated with Sitting Bull while Lincoln asked his advice. Not having a forked tongue, he very often achieves miracles (reading his life shows how much this word can still have a meaning). Incredible route in the Rocky Mountains and formidable source of inspiration, Father de Smet put ethics where politicians already put only cynicism and pragmatism.
