Villa Pindemonte, 5 April 1848, Early Morning
"The best of the day to you, Monsignore. I trust you have recovered form your fatigue." Prince Ferdinand was a morning person, and had already managed to go through the correspondence of the night before, when Monsignor Corboli Bussi joined him for breakfast.
"Your Highness is very kind, and I thank you for your hospitality: I rested very well. "
"Count Cavour was supposed to join us, but he may have been delayed a little. Let us start to break our fast, and of course you may explain the reasons for your arduous trip to Isola della Scala."
"I will explain everything: my mission has to deal with a few different issues. The first, and the most significant, is that the Holy Father is becoming concerned with the behavior of General Durando. He was not supposed to cross on his own authority the border with Veneto, and his proclamation to the troops was not well received in Rome (1): crusades are a thing of the distant past, and moreover proclaiming a crusade against a Catholic monarch is completely unacceptable. Gen. Durando was instructed to defend the border of the Papal States, and to place himself and his troops under the command of your father."
Ferdinando kept his expression uncommitted, wondering if this was going to be a repeat of the Nuncio's tirade in Turin.(2)
"I do agree with you, Monsignore: the proclamation was a bit too harsh, although I understand it was well received by the troops. It is also true, however, that foreign oppression should be something belonging to a distant past, together with the crusades, but unfortunately... we live in a fallen world. I will let General Durando know of my displeasure with his words, since I am sure that the Holy Father has also equally reprimanded the officers in charge of the repressions in Rimini, barely three years ago. Christian sentiments must always be upheld, I am sure that no one would dispute that. (3)"
The Monsignore was about tot say something, but Ferdinand preceded him,
"My father is unfortunately confined to bed, and has given to me the authority of Lieutenant of the Realm and Commander of the army while he recovers" If he recovers, thought Ferdinand: the health of the king was not improving, unfortunately, in stark contrast with the King's apparent peace of mind, a feeling Ferdinand could not help but envy sometimes.
"I met with Gen. Durando in Venice a few days ago, and all the movements of his troops have been discussed in detail with me and with our allies in Venice. The General also assured me that he was in constant contact with the Minister for War in Rome, Prince Aldobrandini (4), and that he would keep him informed of any development. I was also shown the decrees ordering the formation of an expeditionary corps and authorizing the enrolment of volunteers under Gen. Ferrari. The mission was clearly defined: ensure the safety of the Papal States and join the other Italian forces in their operations. I also know that His Holiness blessed the papal troops and the volunteers on their departure from Rome, and invoked the blessings of God upon the Italian peoples, with very clear words: "Dio benedica l'Italia"(5). I assume that all these things are true, and therefore I feel compelled to ask you, Monsignore, to answer a very simple question: what has changed in Rome? "
The Monsignore looked embarrassed, and was saved for a moment by the arrival of Cavour: "Your Highness, Monsignore: my most heartfelt apologies for being late. It was a very long night."
"You are forgiven, my dear Count, and I trust that the Monsignore will be equally forgiving and refrain from imposing a penance."
"There is not even the need to be forgiven, Count Cavour. I am sure you have been working very hard and there are many demands on your time." The Monsignore had completely regained his composure " I will try to clarify as much as I can the issues in Rome, Your Highness. His Holiness the Pope is both the Monarch of the Papal States and the Spiritual Father of more than 200 million Catholics all over the world. The Pope is also under a fideicommissum to preserve the integrity of the Church, to hand it over intact to his successor, as it happened for 18 centuries. There is a growing concern in the Curia that the words and the actions of the Holy Father might be misinterpreted, and construed as indicating that he has a special preference for Italy and Italians, to the detriment of the Catholics who live in other countries. Before my departure, he spoke to me: "I love in equal way all the people who are faithful to the Catholic doctrine, and prosper in the Church. My blessing of the Italian people was a prayer to God to shower on them the blessing of the peace, and this prayer I have spoken for any other people, since they are equally dear to me, even if the Italian people are physically closer. (6)" I trust that these words answer your question, and may help you to appreciate the difficult position in which the Holy Father finds himself. I will add that the battles and the deaths in Northern Italy have perturbed the souls of many of the Cardinals, and that Cardinal Antonelli recently resigned from Secretary of State for this very reason (7) ."
Neither the prince nor the count expressed any dissatisfaction with what appeared to be an unsatisfactory answer.
There was just a single nugget of truth in all these mealy-mouthed words: the Pope had to take care of 200 millions of Catholics, not just 25 million Italians, and the integrity of the Church was the paramount concern.
"As a faithful Catholic , I look to His Holiness as my spiritual guide. As an Italian, I dearly hope to be able to look at him also as the President of an Italian Confederacy, based on criteria of freedom and justice for all." There was a spark of outright confusion in Corboli's eyes. "I am sure there will be the opportunity to further discuss these topics in the next few days. Is there anything else you would like to discuss with us right now, Monsignore?"
"Just something very prosaic, I am afraid. The Secretary of State had negotiated at the beginning of February a loan with a French bank: one million scudi, to cover the deficit in this year's budget. Unfortunately, due to recent ... events in France, it was not possible to finalize the loan. The Secretary of State has instructed me to enquire if the kingdom of Sardinia would be willing to lend such a sum to the Papal States (8)."
"I am afraid this issue will have to be discussed in Turin, Monsignore: the Minister for Finance and the Treasury will have to look at the budget. Please consider that keeping an army in the field is already straining Sardinian finances, though. However, I can promise you the Sardinian army will take care of supplies for the expeditionary corps in Veneto and the volunteers in Dalmatia. Besides, as a Lieutenant of the Realm we are bound by the Statute, and we cannot take any decision without discussing with our Ministry(9)" The last sentence had been pronounced with kingly gravity, with a particular stress on the plurale majestatis.
The Prince went on with cold politeness:
"If there is nothing else to discuss, may I ask for your indulgence, Monsignore? There are many other tasks which await me."
An outright and clear dismissal. Corboli Bussi could not even feel annoyed: after all, he was offering the Pope's remonstrances and asking for money at the same time, small wonder the Prince was displeased.
"Certainly, Your Highness. May God's blessings be with you."
"Thank you Monsignore. Please remember that there is a ceremonial event planned for noon today: I trust you'll be in attendance."
"I will, but only as a private person. The issue of the crown of Sicily is being debated in the Curia, and the Holy Father has not yet announced his position. I beg your indulgence, but I cannot do otherwise."
"Which means he is disapproving, while the King in Naples has lodged formal protests with Rome. Birds of a feather flock together", Ferdinand thought.
Footnotes
The Monsignore was not wrong. Durando's proclamation staeted with calling to "war against barbarism", went on asking for "the extermination of all God's foes" and ended up with a classic "God wills it"« Il santo Pontefice ha benedetto le vostre spade , che unite a quelle di Carlo Alberto debbono concordi muovere allo esterminio dei nemici di Dio . . . . . una tal guerra della civiltà contro la barbarie , è guerra non solo nazionale , ma altamente cristiana . Soldati ! è convenevole dunque , ed ho stabilito che ad essa tutti moviamo fregiati della croce di Cristo . Quanti appartengono al corpo di operazione la porteranno sul cuore , della forma di quella che vedranno sul mio . Con essa ed in essa saremo vincitori , come furono i nostri padri . Sia nostro grido di guerra : Iddio lo vuole »
See Narrative Interlude #5: A regular Prime Minister's Tuesday
Ferdinando refers to the aftermath of the 1845 Rimini riots, described by D'Azeglio in a notorious pamphlet. Pius IX was elected in June 1846, one month later he granted an amnesty for political crimes (which was largely publicized and turned him almost overnight in the poster boy of liberalism). Three days after granting the amnesty, he received in a solemn audience the officers who had been in charge of the very harsh repression of the riots the year before, to praise, decorate and promote them. This second fact was not publicized much.
Prince Aldobrandini was the Minister for War in the first Papal ministry which included lay persons. There were two ministerial decrees, one ordering the formation of the Expedition Corps, made up of four regiments of infantry and two regiments of cavalry, with usual complements of artillery and engineers, and one authorizing the formation of a Volunteer Corps
IOTL, Pius IX gave the public blessings on 30 March 1848
These words are taken from the "Non Semel" Papal allocution of 30 April 1848, when Pius IX pulled out of the war
See Narrative Interlude #5: A regular Prime Minister's Tuesday
The request of loan happened IOTL too. Monsignor Corboli Bussi was sent to Peschiera to meet Carlo Alberto, to ask the king to keep Durando under control, and also to ask for a loan of one million scudi, since the loan negotiated in France was derailed by the French revolution. The loan was not granted.
Charles Albert used similar words ("As a constitutional king..") IOTL to avoid giving a straight answer to the Sicilian envoys offering the Crown of Sicily to Ferdinand for the second time
