Albion," and explain to the faithful the persecutions to which the
English subject the Irish Catholics. When Russia is the enemy, the
pastoral letter must dwell on her being schismatic; also on the
Russian misunderstanding of the supremacy of the Pope. Inasmuch as
bishops are functionaries of the empire, their utterances and their
acts belong to the Emperor. Consequently he makes use of them against
all enemies, against each rival, rebel or adversary, against the
Bourbons, against the English and the Russians, and, finally, against
the Pope.



X. The Council of 1811. - The Concordat of 1813.

Similar to the Russian expedition, this is the great and last throw of
the dice, the decisive and most important of his ecclesiastical
undertakings, as the other is in political and military affairs. Just
as, under his leadership, he forces by constraint and, under his lead,
a coalition of the political and military powers of his Europe against
the Czar, - Austria, Prussia, the Confederation of the Rhine, Holland,
Switzerland, the kingdom of Italy, Naples, and even Spain, - so does
he by constraint and under his lead coalesce all the spiritual
authorities of his empire against the Pope. He summons a council,
consisting of eighty-four bishops that are available in Italy and in
France. He takes it upon himself to drill them, and he makes them
march. To state what influences he uses would require a volume[110] -
theological and canonical arguments, appeals to Gallican souvenirs and
Jansenist rancors, eloquence and sophisms, preparatory maneuvers,
secret intrigues, public acting, private solicitations, steady
intimidation, successful pressures, thirteen cardinals exiled and