The Pope's announcement of his personal visit to Venice naturally caused a stir that was not limited to the Papal States.
As the news gradually spread to various countries, from the highest levels of government to the smallest alleys, there was a flurry of discussion and diverse opinions.
As the country directly involved, Venice naturally attached great importance to this matter. The current Governor of Venice, Leonardo Donato, immediately organized a meeting to discuss countermeasures upon receiving the news.
Nearly a hundred members, including representatives from the Council, Cabinet, Council of Ten, Council of Forty, Senate, Grand Council, and Citizen's Assembly of the Venice Republic, gathered in the meeting hall of the Doge's Palace, a truly impressive sight.
Before the meeting even began, those who had arrived early could not hold back, engaging in frank discussions, fully exchanging opinions, and enhancing mutual understanding on different viewpoints.
"The Pope's visit to Venice is like a weasel paying respects to a chicken; he must have ill intentions, and we absolutely must not fall into his trap! We must also constantly guard against forces within us influenced by the Pope to ensure the interests of the Venice Republic," a pot-bellied middle-aged man said arrogantly, stroking his stomach, in an unquestionable tone.
A thin-faced old man with white beard and eyebrows rose indignantly and cursed, "Nonsense! The Pope is the leader of the Catholic Church and all Catholic countries. His condescending visit to Venice shows his great respect and understanding for us. You heretic, stop spreading rumors here! Don't think no one knows your ambition to subvert the country!"
The middle-aged man did not back down, retorting, "Nonsense! What evidence do you have? You are making groundless accusations without any basis; I can completely sue you for defamation! As for you, I haven't even said anything, and you're already jumping out impatiently? Anyone with eyes can see who is anxious and who has a problem!"
"Venice is inherently a Catholic country! It is only right to nominally respect the Pope. You scoundrels have repeatedly damaged the relationship between the Republic and the Holy See. If this continues, the Republic will fall into an abyss!" the old man said with wide, angry eyes.
"Stop being an alarmist," the middle-aged man sneered, "Without the Pope, Venice would still be this prosperous and strong Venice, and it would have even broader development prospects by getting rid of the Holy See's restrictions. It would be like losing an arm for the Holy See to completely lose control over Venice. You know in your heart whether you are considering Venice or working for the Holy See!"
"What did you say? Do you dare to say it again!"
Those around them were watching the show, breaking up fights, or starting new ones, making for a lively scene...
"Silence!"
As a loud voice rang out, the noise in the meeting hall gradually quieted down, eventually returning to peace.
Seeing everyone in the meeting hall poised for action, Donato waited until the hall was completely silent before getting straight to the point: "Gentlemen, I will not waste words. I believe everyone knows why we are holding this meeting today. His Holiness the Pope will visit Venice next week. How should we respond? Please speak freely!"
"Naturally, we should treat him with courtesy and adapt to the situation!" A young man from the Grand Council was the first to speak eloquently, "Regardless of the Pope's intentions for this personal visit to Venice, the fact that he is willing to humble himself and come in person suggests he intends to ease relations between the Papal States and Venice.
This not only demonstrates the increasingly important role our Venice Republic is playing internationally but also shows that this Pope is not as stubborn as some previous Popes and can be communicated with. In such a situation, we must also show due tolerance and generosity, and by no means lose our etiquette or give others a handle."
Donato was about to express his approval and encourage everyone to speak up, but he was interrupted by a loud roar, forcing him to swallow the words he was about to say.
"Nonsense! What adapting to the situation, it's all rubbish, useless talk! Who doesn't know to adapt, but how do we adapt?" The voice came from the Council of Ten's seats.
"The Pope's personal visit to Venice must be a conspiracy, a test of our attitude. If we are deferential to him as soon as he arrives, then our previous secularization reforms will be for naught, and instead, we will embolden the Holy See and attract the covetous gaze of the Holy See and surrounding countries towards the Venice Republic.
Therefore, no matter what he comes for, we must deal with the Pope with the strongest attitude, and we must force him to acknowledge the legitimacy of the reforms we have already implemented. Let's push for reform and uphold our national prestige."
"That's far from enough! According to you, we should take advantage of the Pope's visit to Venice to detain him, and then use the opportunity to declare war on the Papal States!" A representative from the Council of Forty retorted sarcastically.
"If the Pope shows ill intentions towards the Venice Republic, doing as you say is not impossible!"
"Nonsense! Are you speaking without a brain? What do you think the Papal States is, made of mud? You say be tough on it and be tough, you say go to war and go to war?" Seeing him speak more and more outlandishly, an elder from the Council could no longer bear it and angrily rebuked him.
"You also don't think, can we win? The military strength of the Papal States is not weaker than Venice, and after this Pope came to power, he drastically reorganized the army and prepared for war, looking like he's ready to fight. Venice would struggle to deal with the Papal States alone, and the Holy See's influence is ten times greater. Fight, with what?
Let alone being tough on the Pope, even a slight lack of hospitality, if the Pope uses it as an excuse to send troops to Venice, can we resist? If a war really breaks out, it will be the tax money of Venetian citizens that is wasted, and thousands of citizens of the Venice Republic who bleed and die! If it comes to that, we will be the eternal sinners of Venice!"
"If it comes to war, I will be the first to go to the battlefield, you don't need to say more! A kneeling leader cannot govern a standing country! The gap between Venice and the Papal States is not as great as imagined!
Venice's influence may not compare to the Holy See, but if the Pope acts against us, our allies will not stand idly by! Even if Venice does not have the strength to completely defeat the Papal States, dragging it on for three to five years is no problem, and by then, all the problems in our way will be resolved."
A representative from the Citizen's Assembly retorted, "The Pope's personal visit to Venice is clearly a symbol of friendship, yet to you, it sounds as if war is inevitable? What is your true intention in wishing for Venice and the Papal States to go to war?"
"The Papal States is Venice's greatest enemy, the biggest obstacle to Venice's progress," a cabinet member answered for him, "Have you all forgotten the Papal States' past atrocities against Venice? Successive Popes have repeatedly used Venice, and after using it, they gathered multiple countries to infringe upon Venice. Have you forgotten all of this!"
"What previous Popes did, what does it have to do with the current Pope! In my opinion, the current Pope is very good."
"You are simply hopelessly naive!"
...
After several hours of heated discussion, Donato found no clarity and instead had a splitting headache from the noise. Looking at the setting sun outside the window, Donato shook his head helplessly.
"Alright, everyone. It's getting late. Let's end today's discussion here. Please prepare further tonight, and we will reconvene tomorrow."