Okay, I'm in CH 5, The mission is to save the pope from the imperial army. However I found out that no villagers/priests would talk to me becasue I carry a sign of Devil. With a couple of tries I found out that the evil item is the Skull Stone I got around the time I saved Yggdra. After I ditched it the people would talk to me normally. However the question is: Does the skull stone play any important role in the last missions?