"There are still nearly a thousand soldiers in Castel Sant'Angelo!" Archbishop Antonelli, the ever-hardline Grand Inquisitor of the Tribunal, forcefully swung his right fist. "Those rabble outside can forget about breaking in for the next month or two..."
Archbishop Consalvi cut him off without ceremony. "If the armies of other countries cannot arrive within a month, the Holy See will be plunged into disaster!"
The Cardinal Archbishop of French descent, Jean-Sifrein Maury, glanced at the conflicted Pope, made the sign of the cross over his chest, and said, "Holy Father, our temporary retreat is a merciful shepherd sheltering from the storm.
"And if we continue firing cannon at the people outside Castel Sant'Angelo, would that not be slaughtering God's lambs? That would make us traitors to Christ."
As if on cue, the roar of cannon fire came from outside, putting a footnote to his words.
Archbishop Consalvi said anxiously, "Holy Father, the rioters are still gathered to the north of Castel Sant'Angelo. Once they completely surround this place, it will be too late even if we want to leave."
Pius VI was persuaded by those words. Rising, he said to Archbishop Maury, "You are right. The Lord commands us to be merciful and forgiving. I have decided that we will go to Naples first."
Very quickly, all of Castel Sant'Angelo sprang into motion.
Great quantities of valuables were loaded onto carriages. At around four in the afternoon, the gates on the southern side of Castel Sant'Angelo opened, and dozens of carriages hurried out.
At this time, the northern side was full of insurgent citizens, Rome lay to the east, and while they could also go west to Florence, the current Duke of Florence clearly had no loyalty to the Holy See worth mentioning.
The best choice was to head south