Neville tells his audience that a couple of days earlier he had read a statement by the reigning pope, declaring that the Roman pontifices, from the beginning of their line, are the custodians and interpreters of divine revelation. He recalls that this same pope had, some years before on Passion Sunday, stated that the Jews crucified Jesus, and Neville answers this by citing the tenth chapter of John, where Jesus says no one takes his life, he lays it down himself.