Joint Declaration
Before the Pope's arrival, Napoleon had already learned by telegram that Joseph had invited him to France for a friendly visit, and that Joseph hoped to gradually bind the Holy See to his economic chariot through this contact with the Pope.
Napoleon then gave the Pope a very warm reception in Paris. They subsequently held friendly negotiations at the Consulate, where Napoleon expressed his agreement and appreciation for His Holiness the Pope's intention to vigorously promote charitable causes and indicated his willingness to cooperate to the best of his ability.
Following this, the Pope and Minister Lucien had a frank discussion on some specific matters, defining their respective responsibilities and obligations. Then, accompanied by Minister Lucien, the Pope visited various universities and hospitals in Paris. Finally, His Holiness the Pope and Napoleon jointly issued a declaration.
"His Holiness Vatican Pius Pope Pius VII and Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic, on behalf of the Holy See and the French Republic respectively, jointly issued the following statement:"
France believes that ensuring religious freedom, and ensuring that any nation, any country, and any person can freely choose to believe in or not believe in a religion, whether this religion or that religion, is an inherent human right and should not be interfered with by any secular force.
The Vatican believes that, according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." Secular governments should not interfere in matters of religious belief. In fact, throughout the history of the Church, the interference of secular governments in religion has led to schisms and the emergence of numerous heretical beliefs—a lesson from history. Therefore, the Vatican believes that any attempt to use state power to interfere in religion today violates the fundamental principles of religion.
The France believe that respecting the inherent human rights of everyone is an inescapable responsibility of the government, and even in the midst of a forced war, we have a responsibility to protect the basic human rights of combatants on the opposing side. To this end, the France government makes the following commitments:
If combatants from the opposing side are captured, their basic human rights will still be guaranteed by the French Republic government. The France government and its armed forces will not use violence or intimidation against captured personnel during interrogations.
The France government will provide medical treatment to the wounded and sick among the prisoners to the best of its ability, and will not allow any harm or violence to the lives or persons of the prisoners, especially murder, torture, use for biological experiments, or deliberate withholding of medical assistance and care.
The France government and military will also pledge not to deliberately attack enemy hospital facilities and to protect the safety of their medical personnel.
The France government believes that even in war, the personal rights of civilians should be guaranteed. The France government pledges that during the war, it will not deliberately attack civilian facilities, nor attack, loot, or otherwise harm hostile civilians.
The Holy See believes that all human beings are created by God and should be brothers and sisters. War between brothers and sisters is a great tragedy. Even if war cannot be completely eliminated in the short term, it is of great importance to avoid excessive violence in war.
The Holy See highly appreciates the France government's commitments and hopes that other countries will make similar commitments to reduce the harm that war causes to our brothers and sisters in all countries.
In support of the France government's goodwill, the Holy See has suggested that, from now on, protected medical personnel in warring nations may wear a red cross as a form of identification. Hospitals and other facilities should also display prominent red cross symbols for easy identification by all warring parties.
The Holy See will organize medical personnel to assist the wounded and sick on both sides of the war, an act that reflects Jesus' love for humanity. The Holy See demands that all warring parties protect the safety and dignity of the Holy See's medical personnel.
Through this joint declaration, both France and the Holy See placed themselves on a moral high ground. Now, any country that waged war without adhering to the joint declaration of France and the Holy See would almost automatically be regarded as a barbarian.
At the same time, the Holy See has taken a big step toward building a "charitable empire".
Meanwhile, in North America, the situation of the war was also beginning to change dramatically.
After France declared war on Britain, Louisiana quickly organized a Volunteer Army of up to 50,000 men and began its offensive into Canada. However, the French Army's performance in this series of offensives was less than satisfactory. General Arthur Wellesley's troops, relying on defense, repeatedly repelled French Army attacks.
However, tactical success did not change the strategic passivity. After these battles, the British Army was in dire need of supplies because the sea routes were blocked, and various vital supplies could not be transported in. As a result, General Arthur Wellesley's army was now severely lacking in ammunition.
At this very moment, something even more critical happened—the French-speaking people of Quebec suddenly declared independence, withdrew from the war, and pledged neutrality.
The Britain were actually prepared for the betrayal of these Quebec. However, being prepared did not equate to being able to effectively respond. Although the Quebec claimed they would remain neutral, the Britain simply did not believe them. More importantly, Quebec's control of the waterways and their change of attitude made the Britain logistical problems even more acute.
After Quebec declared neutrality, France merchant ships immediately sailed into the Saint Lawrence River, delivering large quantities of supplies to Quebec. This made the Britain worry that Quebec's neutrality was actually a pretext to stockpile enough supplies to launch an attack.
Meanwhile, the United States military began to regroup and launched a renewed offensive against Canada. They attacked from the east, and "neutral" Quebec provided the US military with various conveniences, including selling them various supplies.
General Arthur Wellesley realized that if he continued to fight the United States in the Great Lakes region, the Quebec and French Army would likely cut off his already weak supply lines, so he had to order a full retreat to Ottawa. But retreating in front of the enemy was no easy task. Especially since the French Volunteer Army in North America, almost every soldier had a horse, which made them far more effective in pursuit than in positional warfare. By the time Arthur Wellesley returned to Ottawa, his army had been reduced to half its original size.