Holy Roman Empire
Chapter 481: Crisis of Faith

The showdown between Britain and Austria in South Africa is a source of amusement for the European countries. To prolong the war, the French are actively supporting the “Boer republics” with tangible actions.

In this Anglo-Boer War, nearly one-fifth of the strategic supplies came from the French. They also facilitated the transport of supplies from Austria through Egypt to the South African front lines.

The Anglo-Boer War is less about British-Austrian competition and more about France and Austria jointly causing trouble for Britain. Although Austria will ultimately occupy South Africa, France’s investment isn’t in vain.

Distracting the British in South Africa is better than letting them focus their efforts on the European continent.

The reason why the anti-French alliance remained on paper and had yet to become a reality was partly due to the “Anglo-Boer War.”

Logically, with the current Anglo-Austrian conflict, the situation is highly favorable for the French. The establishment of the Greater French Empire seems unstoppable, and Napoleon III should be pleased. However, while external threats have diminished, internal troubles have emerged.

The first to challenge him is the Pope. Unsatisfied with their losses, various Italian states are trying to support the Pope in opposing him.

As a Catholic country, the influence of the Vatican is still significant. Now, with the Emperor and the Pope coexisting in the same country, determining who is superior is a headache-inducing problem.

Napoleon III is beginning to regret it. Had he known it would be so troublesome, he would have expelled the Papal States earlier.

Having the Pope turn into a political rival is no trivial matter. The Pope has a strong foundation, with churches across the nation serving as his supporters, at least nominally.

At a recent parliamentary session, the Pope took the main seat, infuriating Napoleon III so much that he skipped the session entirely.

This clash between divinity and imperial authority has thrown all of France into turmoil. If not handled correctly, this nascent empire could collapse.

But neither Napoleon III nor Pope Pius IX can back down now. They represent not just their own interests, but those of the interest groups behind them.

The bourgeoisie, who were already discontented with Napoleon III, are now openly supporting the Pope. Politically, Napoleon III no longer holds an overwhelming advantage.

These individuals support Pius IX not out of devout faith or a genuine desire to see the church regain power but to incite conflict and create an opportunity for seizing power.

The ongoing struggle between the Emperor and the Pope is bound to stir public discontent. When the public’s anger reaches its peak, it will be the moment for Parliament to take over the reins of power.

It can be said that the establishment of Greater France has ignited internal contradictions. Everyone is eager to leverage this power struggle to gain more advantages.

At the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon III’s trusted Minister of Police, Ansochi, suggested, “Your Majesty, since Pius IX doesn’t know his place, why don’t we just…”

He stopped mid-sentence and made a throat-slitting gesture, implying that eliminating Pius IX would resolve the issue once and for all.

Napoleon III glared at him fiercely and said sternly, “No, that absolutely cannot happen. If anything were to happen to Pius IX, we would be the prime suspects, and the situation would spiral out of control.

We must not only refrain from harming him but also ensure his safety and prevent others from doing so! Besides, even if we replace the Pope, the situation won’t change. Whoever becomes the Pope will stand against us.

Those people will not relent. Without their behind-the-scenes meddling, Pius IX wouldn’t be opposing us now.”

Political struggles must avoid assassination at all costs. Now that Napoleon III had legitimized his rule, such methods were out of the question.

If word got out, it could lead to civil war in France, with the revolutionaries likely seizing the opportunity to rebel and possibly incite a coup within the government.

Italy was already unstable, merely suppressed by force. Even a spark could ignite the tensions, let alone the assassination of the Pope.

At this moment, Napoleon III’s mind was clear. He knew his real enemy wasn’t the Pope who was openly opposing him but the interest groups backing him.

Advisor Pélissier suggested, “Your Majesty, why not continue pushing for religious reform? Find an excuse to abolish the Papal States, establish provinces, and place them under the central government’s direct control. Separate the church from the state.”

This was a fundamental solution. Promoting religious reform and abolishing the Papal States would cut off the Pope’s political influence. The Pope would then only be a religious leader.

Napoleon III’s eyes lit up. If he could remove the Pope from the political arena, everything else would become much easier. Without this figurehead, the opposition would fragment.

“This is a good idea. It would be best if we could also limit the Pope’s powers, so he doesn’t cause us trouble later. Pélissier, I’ll leave this to you. Find a way to discredit the Vatican so thoroughly that they won’t have a chance to turn things around.”

As he spoke, there was a trace of resentment in Napoleon III’s eyes. The grudge between House Bonaparte and the Vatican goes back a long way. Their relationship has never been good.

Napoleon I initially did not receive recognition from the Holy See. He later invaded Italy by force and, during his coronation, snatched the crown from the Pope’s hands.

By the time of Napoleon III, the situation hadn’t improved much. The Catholic Church had always supported legitimacy, and Napoleon III was far from that.

After seizing power through a coup, he wanted to be crowned emperor, but the Vatican was uncooperative. When he invited Pius IX to officiate his coronation, the Pope simply ignored him.

Napoleon III was left with two choices: either go to Rome for his coronation or crown himself emperor and figure out a way to gain recognition later.

These were the options for European emperors who couldn’t get the Church’s endorsement. Going to Rome for a coronation usually meant invading with an army to force the Pope to comply.

With an unstable foundation, Napoleon III chose to endure. He did many thankless things to appease the Pope, earning himself the title of the “dutiful son” of Catholicism. This was in stark contrast to previous French monarchs, who often harmed the Church’s interests.

Despite his efforts, he didn’t get the results he wanted, which naturally left him resentful. Had he not annexed Italy, he doubted he would have ever gained the Pope’s recognition and become a legitimate emperor in his lifetime.

Now, standing against each other again due to conflicting interests, Napoleon III wanted to emulate his predecessor’s strategy as the “dutiful son” of Catholicism.

The term “dutiful son” was hardly flattering. The actions of the French had often been detrimental to the Church, such as the Avignon Papacy, the League of Cambrai, joining the Protestant alliance in the Thirty Years’ War, and eliminating the Knights Templar.

In short, the French had made significant contributions to the decline of Catholicism, even more than the Protestants had.

Of course, Napoleon III was not as extreme. With his predecessors’ significant achievements, he wasn’t aiming to surpass them. However, delivering the final blow to the declining Vatican was inevitable.

The struggle between imperial and religious power could not end in compromise. Even as both sides headed towards decline, a winner had to be declared.

On this issue, Napoleon III did not lack supporters. Monarchs across Europe were his potential allies.

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With Napoleon III’s command, the Vatican’s dark history suddenly increased. Not only were past grievances unearthed, but current clergy members were frequently exposed and criticized in newspapers.

These were real incidents, happening right around everyone, with no exaggeration. Overnight, the Vatican’s reputation became thoroughly tarnished.

Telegrams sped up the dissemination of news. Scandals involving the Vatican in France and Italy spread across the European continent in record time.

In this era, the Vatican no longer wielded the power to influence Europe. The continuous revelations of the Vatican’s dark history in newspapers illustrated many issues.

In this age of intellectual explosion, doubts about the existence of God arose among the populace, and religious fervor dwindled.

In the wake of these shocks, anti-Vatican movements sprang up in many places, with some regions even seeing mobs assaulting churches.

It was then that Napoleon III realized he had gone too far, but the situation was already out of his control.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he successfully eliminated political opponents but triggered a crisis of faith in Europe, plunging the country into ideological chaos.

The impact was not limited to France; Austria also could not escape unscathed. After the religious crisis erupted, Austrian clergy members couldn’t avoid being implicated.

Many clergy members with questionable personal lives and lacking moral rectitude were exposed in newspapers.

These were real incidents with solid evidence. The intellectual shock these news reports brought to the public was immense. Even in conservative strongholds like Austria, a crisis of faith erupted.

Intense debates erupted among the populace, with atheistic ideas spreading rapidly. Various experts and scholars emerged on the newspaper battlefield, engaging in fierce intellectual battles, causing widespread confusion.

Watching the escalating chaos in the intellectual realm, Franz could no longer sit still. If this continues, who knows how many bizarre ideologies will be born?

“Prime Minister, how is the Cabinet preparing to quell this storm?”

As a successful leader, Franz always had full confidence in the abilities of his subordinates. When faced with issues, it was wise to consult the Cabinet first.

After a moment of contemplation, Prime Minister Felix replied, “Your Majesty, I’m afraid you’ll need to personally step in to appease the public. The consequences of a collapse in faith are severe. If not handled promptly, allowing various absurd ideas to spread could lead to serious consequences.”

Well, this means standing up for Catholicism. This crisis of faith started off targeting the Roman Catholic Church, so naturally, Catholicism suffered the most.

After hesitating for a moment, Franz spoke up, “Hmm, the moral lapses of clergy members stem from their lack of devoutness, and also from inadequate oversight by the Vatican.

We can assist in this regard. The government can legislate to regulate the behavior of clergy members and help administer God’s punishment to these sinners.”

There was no issue in calming the public, but suppressing the Church’s authority was also necessary. Since the French took the lead, Franz didn’t mind adding fuel to the fire.

If the Church couldn’t regulate its own clergy members, then let the government handle it. Institutions like the Inquisition should cease to exist for the better.