"Do you know why the Holy See has fallen into difficulty again at this moment?
"It is because the Holy See has lost every power it could rely on. You may wish to say that France, Austria, Spain, even Poland and the states of Italy are all swords in the Holy See's hand.
"Yet while every country appears to hold the Holy See in great respect, none truly wishes to serve it."
Joseph's words stunned Pius VI for a moment, but he soon seemed to make up his mind. He rose shakily to his feet and said solemnly, "Your Highness, I hope... no, I beg the great Kingdom of France to protect the Holy See once more and retake Rome. From this day forward, the Holy See will stand or fall with your crown!"
Joseph smiled. "I'm afraid you have it wrong. The French crown does not depend on the Holy See to uphold it. Nor do I intend to send troops to Rome. I can tell you this: even if I paid an enormous price to help you return to Rome, within twenty years at most, the Holy See's rule there would be overthrown again. In the end, the Holy See might be left with nothing but a palace, living out its days trembling under the threat of rebels."
The palace he meant was, of course, the Vatican. But the Romans of today were far fiercer than their counterparts in history. After all, with the support of a certain foolish young man, they had once driven the Holy See into the sea. If the unrest continued, they might not even leave the Vatican to the Holy See.
Pius VI flushed with anxiety and tried desperately to sound firm. "Your Highness, I will never give up Rome. Only in Rome