"There are still nearly a thousand soldiers inside Castel Sant'Angelo!" The always tough Grand Judge of the Judicial Court, Archbishop Antonelli, vigorously waved his right fist, "Those ragtag forces outside can forget about breaking in for at least one or two months..."
Archbishop Consalvi interrupted him bluntly: "If the armies of other countries don't arrive within a month, the Holy See will be in disaster!"
The French Cardinal Archbishop Sifran Morri glanced at the Pope, whose expression was conflicted, made a sign of the cross on his chest, and said: "Holy Father, we temporarily retreat, like a merciful shepherd avoiding a storm."
"And continuing to fire at the people outside Castel Sant'Angelo, isn't it slaughtering the lambs of Jesus? That would be a betrayal of Christ."
Outside, the timely booming of cannons seemed to punctuate his words.
