The man sent by the pope was a young assistant deacon, in his 30s, an Italian...... The Savoy people should be considered French by now.

Before Pius XI,

The Catholic hierarchy is divided into priests and deacons, and the priest rank can be promoted to positions above bishops and bishops.

The highest rank of deacon is to be promoted to the rank of prime minister deacon, not bishop.

Although they are all people who have to serve God all their lives, the upper limit of a deacon is much lower than that of a priest.

When you join the company, half of the promotion channel is blocked out of thin air, and in such a cruel workplace, the people below will naturally not be less careful.

The junior deacons are more secure because they still have a long way to go.

The deacons and above are also more peaceful, because they are of higher status than some bishops.

It was the assistant deacon in the middle who had the most ideas, and Andrew, who came to Paris this time, was one of them.

It is said that during his time in Rome, he often corresponded with merchants, collected a lot of donations for the church, and also established his own social network, which belongs to the courtesan type.

He was not only a young and promising assistant deacon, but also a professionally trained theologian and poet, who would have accomplished much more than that, if not bound by his commoner origins.

But Andrew is doing well now, and the Pope has two capacities, one is the religious leader of the Roman Church and the other is the secular ruler of the Papal States.

Although only a third of the territory of the Papal States was left due to the invasion of Italy during the unification of Italy, there were still many mundane tasks to be taken care of, and Andrew often helped him with chores, which he was very trusted by Pius IX.

"So the Pope means to keep you with me from now on?" Alfonso flipped through his personal file.

This Andrew is a wonderful man, and he does not regard himself as a high priest at all, and he came to see him and prepared a resume.

"Yes, the Spanish crown prince does not have a priest by his side, and I can help you understand the teachings of the Catholic Church.

If my religious level is not enough, I also have some experience in handling chores. Andrew said respectfully.

Alfonso smiled: "Leaving Rome, the networks you used to run are useless, are you willing?" ”

"Those things are not worth mentioning compared to helping His Highness practice." Andrew was very calm: "And to say that it is completely useless? It's not completely useless......"

Interrupting Andrew, who still wanted to explain his ability, Alfonso said lightly: "Then you will follow me in the future, and I heard that the Pope asked me to go to Rome?" ”

He really needed a Catholic teacher, and the priests invited by the Bonaparte royal family would not be as high as Andrew.

Moreover, the assistant deacon will definitely rise in the future, and it will be more beautiful to be a teacher, which shows that he is a devout Catholic.

Andrew nodded happily: "The Pope is very worried about the current situation. ”

In the future, he will be Alfonso's man, and he will not hesitate to sell the Pope: "The Kingdom of Italy has always wanted to unify Rome, and the republican voice in Rome is also very strong, and the Papal States is already suffering from internal and external troubles."

The situation has been very serious lately, and the Pope fears that His Majesty Napoleon will withdraw his troops from Rome, and that the situation will be very dangerous. ”

Ever since the conquest of the Papal States by the Sardinian army in 1860, it has been known that the nascent Kingdom of Italy had ideas for Rome and would absolutely resort to force if necessary.

Especially after Italy was made to Rome, the Pope even went to bed worrying about it.

Fortunately, Nasan was an outstanding two-faced man, helping to unify Italy while supporting and protecting the Papal States.

Italy naturally did not dare to touch the French Empire in normal times, but the eldest brother suddenly withdrew his troops, leaving the younger brother alone to face the enemy, what will happen to him, you can refer to Afghanistan in later generations.

And Pius IX is the longest-reigning pope in history, with 23 years of work experience to this day, as long as he is not as dull as Queen Isabella, he knows something.

He had a keen insight that in the future Franco-Prussian War, it was very likely that the Papal States would lose protection.

A younger brother lost his eldest brother, and his first reaction was naturally to find another eldest brother.

"I suspect that the Pope asked you to go to Rome to discuss the garrison, and he may ask Catalonia to send a part of the army to Rome." Andrew said calmly.

It was not difficult to come to that conclusion, and he wondered what Alfonso would choose.

Alfonso was silent for a while, instead of the French garrison in Rome?

But now Catalonia does not represent the whole of Spain, and Italy is not necessarily afraid.

And even if it represents the whole of Spain.

There are now 16 million people in Spain and nearly 28 million in Italy.

And Italy's industrial level is also quite okay, although it is lower than that of Spain, and the resources are relatively small, but it is enough to arm its own people.

Don't pretend that you can't be forced by the time, and you will be burned by the three fires of the new Italian official.

In all fairness, he wants to be the protector of the Catholic Church, but it also depends on his strength......

"Don't speculate about the Pope's intentions." Alfonso said solemnly: "I will talk to him when the time comes, you just do what you have to do." ”

Andrew bowed his head in obedience: "Recently I will contact Mr. Henry to help him set up the Red Cross, which is the main thing that the Pope has arranged when I come to Paris."

What the Pope means is that after a while Monsieur Henry can go to Rome with you. ”

The content of the work of the Red Cross is indeed very much in line with that of Catholicism, and it is normal for the Pope to focus on this and use it to strengthen the momentum.

It also shows that the Pope is already trying to expand his strength by all means in order to protect himself in the face of Italy's blade.

At such a time, to negotiate terms with the Pope should have unexpected results.

"I see." Alfonso was noncommittal.