Challenge: The Pope is back in town

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to have at least Rome brought back under the sovereignty of the Pope by 1900 with a POD after the OTL Italian conquest of the rump Papal States.
 
Possibility: During the period of the Three Emperor's Alliance (started 1881), Austria (relying on their support) decides to invade Italy. The Russians refuse to support the war, but Bismark is for it. France opposes the measure, but the British are persuaded to be neutral by appeals to the balance of power.

The Italians fight a war and lose, and the Papal States are restored in the peace treaty.


If this idea is implausible, could somebody tear it apart please?
 
This is my first post here, Found the site through searching for German railroad lines during WWI on google.

Anyway...

Idea wouldn't work because Austria-Hungary is already in a state of deterioration by the 1880's. It doesn't have the leadership, will, or reasons to start an attack on Italy. Besides, why would it when it has enough trouble keeping peace within its own borders? (Balkans)

Another note: Austria Hungary was on somewhat good terms with Italy, evidenced by their formation of the Triple Alliance along with Germany in 1882.

Another complication: Germans and Austria Hungary are not Catholic. The Pope is. Why would they push for his interests?

Bismarck would also not support the war as it goes against his ideologies. The same ideologies that opposed the inclusion of Alsace and Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. He believed that in order to keep the nation strong, the people must be Germans. Alsace and Lorraine were French. It was Wilhelm I who wanted those territories. Now, If Austria Hungary takes over Italy, they'll have Italians in their territory, and according to Bismarck, that would theoretically make them a more unstable nation. Would Bismarck want his ally to become more unstable than it was?
 
I'm quite curious as to when Austria-Hungary stopped being Catholic.

The problem is post-1900 any Papal States will have to be imposed from outside, and that's not going to be popular... hm, I suppose that would have interesting implications for Italian Catholicism.
 
Possibility: During the period of the Three Emperor's Alliance (started 1881), Austria (relying on their support) decides to invade Italy. The Russians refuse to support the war, but Bismark is for it. France opposes the measure, but the British are persuaded to be neutral by appeals to the balance of power.

Since Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance because it was angry about the French conquest of Tunisia it would be idiotic for Bismarck to throw away its friendship.
 
1- The Three Emperor's Alliance was pre-Triple Alliance.
2- If this happened, Austria's goals would be Venetia and possibly Lombardy. The idea was that after a major victory the Papal States are restored as well.
3- Franz Joseph earlier in his career restored rights to the Church that had been confiscated earlier, only seizing them back at the formation of Austria-Hungary (as opposd to Austria). He made a lot of concessions at that point, so a desire to restore the Papal States would be consistent with his past actions.

The other points are probably valid.

EDIT: As for point 1, I see it doesn't entirely adress the issues it may seem to. However, it is worth pointing out that a desire to reclaim old land could easily override somewhat good feelings, especially in a state ruled by a conservative ideology.
 
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