relief to the Pope. The two men share a glass of wine before the execution is to take place. His last words, before he is shot, are Corpus domini nostri... Greene ends the story by reflecting on the General's concern that Christianity may be abandoned and its last believers persecuted, but that somehow the faith will survive. Even after performing the execution himself, the General is plagued by the doubt, "...is it possible that what this man believed may be true?" Even religion's greatest enemies, Greene is saying, still live with the question of what if they are wrong, and as long as the slightest doubt remains, Christianity will survive. Even though he is frustrated by the modern world's skepticism, he believes that that very skepticism may yet be what keeps Christianity alive. References See also Lord of the World Short stories by Graham Greene 1988 short stories Works originally published in British newspapers Catholic novels Dystopian novels World government