With Pius IX's cooperation, the Austrian government successfully persuaded the bishops. After that, it was naturally a matter of pressure rolling down from one level to the next.
The law did not punish the masses?
Nothing of the sort. There were plenty of clergymen eager to become bishops.
Even after losing most of its property, the Church remained a wealthy institution, with vast public funds for them to spend and no one to supervise them.
Franz had always believed in convincing people with reason. This deal with the Church was likewise a fair transaction, something Pope Pius IX had personally confirmed.
Naturally, clergymen who failed to understand had to be persuaded with kind words. If that did not work, ideological work would continue. The stubborn ones would be criticized and educated, and in the end helped to mend their bad habits.
After one archbishop insufficiently devout in faith, eighteen local and auxiliary bishops, and more than a hundred priests had been dismissed, everyone became exceedingly proactive in cooperating with the government to complete the handover.
Under normal circumstances, once clergymen were judged insufficiently devout, their fate was bound to be tragic.
This time, however, was an exception. Franz pleaded for them. All they had to do was prove themselves devout believers in the upcoming battle to retake the Papal States.
Solving the Church problem without bloodshed made the Austrian government realize the importance of the Papal States. Having a pope friendly to Austria would help the Austrian government keep the clergy under control.
Simply put, if they disliked a bishop, they could throw him into the Papal States to serve God. Guarding holy sites, for instance, was a highly promising career.
Having taken the benefits, Pius IX naturally had to do the work. The Pope had done everything expected of