The story
A dead pope. A living secret.
Rome, January 897. On the orders of Pope Stephen, the body of Pope Formosus is dug up, dressed in papal vestments and set on a throne before the clergy and people of Rome. A dead man cannot speak in his own defence, so someone must answer for him.
That someone is Paschalis, a deacon of the Lateran — the man whose secret Formosus kept. The night before the synod he vests the corpse with his own hands. In the morning he stands beside it while the city watches, holding the one word that could end everything.
Eighteen years later, on the night before his son's ordination, Paschalis finally tells the whole story to the one person who has never been allowed to hear it.
Why read it
Why read it
I
It's free
The whole novel, online. Nothing to buy.
II
It's short
21 short chapters, about three and a half hours. Most chapters take about ten minutes.
III
It happened
Built on the Cadaver Synod of 897, when Rome put a dead pope on trial.
IV
It stays with you
It asks a question you'll want to argue about: would you answer for a man who can no longer answer for himself?
From the book
Lines from the novel
“You’ve stood up in front of a whole church and answered for a man who couldn’t answer for himself.”
“I think I knew already that saying nothing was the thing I was going to be best at.”
“A man should be asked. It’s the asking that’s owed, not the answer.”
The real history
It happened.
April 896
Pope Formosus dies after almost five years as pope. His successor lasts fifteen days.
January 897
The Cadaver Synod. Pope Stephen VI has the body dug up and tried in the Lateran. It is condemned, its blessing fingers are cut off, and it is thrown into the Tiber.
August 897
Rome rises against Stephen. He is stripped of his office, imprisoned, and strangled in his cell.
December 897
Pope Theodore II annuls the synod and has Formosus reburied in St Peter's.
Paschalis, his family and the people of Trastevere are invented. The trial, the verdict and the fall of Pope Stephen are history.
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Would you answer for a man who can no longer answer for himself?
“You’ve stood up in front of a whole church and answered for a man who couldn’t answer for himself.” — Chapter I
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Write to francisj2nd@gmail.com. The site fills in the email for you. Once your entry is checked, you're paid by bank transfer.
What you get
₦10,000
By bank transfer, for every reader who finishes the book and reviews it. Not a draw, not a contest: everyone who qualifies is paid.
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Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. The whole novel is free to read here. No payment, no trial, nothing to buy.
Do I need to sign up?
You sign in once with Google or your email address, so the site can save your place and you can continue on any phone or computer. There is no password, and we never post anything for you.
Can I download it?
No. You read it online, in your browser.
How long is it?
21 short chapters, about 3.5 hours in total. Most chapters take about ten minutes.
Is it a religious book?
No. It is a historical novel about a real event: the trial of a dead pope in Rome in 897, told by the deacon who had to answer for him. It is about loyalty, silence and what one answer costs, not about doctrine.
How do I get the ₦10,000?
Read the whole book here (signed in, so the site records that you finished), post an honest review on your public TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or X with #Respondeo, save the link on the page you reach at the end, and email the author. Once your entry is checked, you're paid by bank transfer. One reward per person for each book, with no closing date.
About the author
Francis Jeremiah Sharon
Francis Jeremiah Sharon is an author and copywriter based in Nigeria. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike — a training in precision, evidence, and the careful reading of complex systems that has shaped his approach to both fiction and nonfiction.
His debut book, The Illusion of Peace in Social Hierarchy, established his interest in the structures of power — how hierarchies form, how they sustain themselves, and what they cost the people inside them. The Hundredth, his first work of fiction, opened a series with sequels to come. Le Greffier, a novel of the Disputation of Paris in 1240, followed. Respondeo is his fourth book.
