Upon hearing Pri Minister Prim’s questioning, Archbishop Pedro couldn’t help but swallow.
The oppressive feeling brought by Pri Minister Prim was still quite strong, especially considering he had just recently quelled the rebellion of the Carlos Faction.
Of course, Archbishop Pedro did not want to be at the rcy of others, but was there any good way to resist the Primor Governnt at the mont?
With the precedent of the Carlos Faction, Archbishop Pedro had no confidence in the Church’s resistance.
"No, it’s not like that," Archbishop Pedro quickly said, "I certainly won’t resist the governnt. I’m just expressing so views on the arrest of Church mbers."
"Archbishop Pedro, I already know your views. But the assassination incident is of great importance, and it needs to be thoroughly investigated to determine if there is any suspicion," Pri Minister Prim said.
"Please be patient. If those who were arrested have no suspicion, they will naturally return safely."
Needs to be thoroughly investigated to determine if there is any suspicion? Upon hearing Pri Minister Prim say this, Archbishop Pedro almost wanted to laugh.
If the arrests were truly carried out so diligently and responsibly, how could so many Church mbers have been arrested?
There wasn’t much evidence when arresting, but releasing requires complete evidence to prove innocence? Isn’t this just fooling people?
Moreover, even if people are finally released after thorough investigation, the police will still continuously arrest other Church personnel.
Release one, arrest two, Archbishop Pedro did not think Prim was incapable of doing this.
"Pri Minister Prim, what exactly needs to be done to prove the Church’s innocence? I swear to God, the Spanish Church was absolutely not involved in the plan to assassinate you, those bishops who were arrested are innocent," Archbishop Pedro said rather helplessly.
In the current situation, he had no choice; having the governnt cease its arrests of Church mbers was the most important thing.
As for whether to retaliate against the governnt’s actions, relying solely on the Church’s power was not enough, and help from other forces was needed.
And before that, temporarily reaching a compromise with the governnt, to ensure the Church could safely get through this assassination incident, had beco Archbishop Pedro’s only thought.
"You know, Pedro. Because of this assassination, a lot of governnt work has been delayed for a long ti. I originally planned to issue the second batch of industrial bonds, but after the assassination incident, how can you expect the citizens to confidently purchase governnt bonds?" Pri Minister Prim suddenly ntioned.
Upon hearing this, Archbishop Pedro imdiately understood what Prim wanted.
To ensure the Church’s temporary safety, Archbishop Pedro had no choice but to painfully sacrifice the Church’s interests: "Although I am certain the Church has nothing to do with the assassination incident, as a Spaniard, how can I turn a blind eye to the country’s developnt?
I believe God would not want to see this situation either. I am willing to represent the Spanish Church to purchase the governnt-issued industrial bonds, and donate 2 million Pesseta to the governnt."
Archbishop Pedro’s tact greatly satisfied Pri Minister Prim, but the Pri Minister’s goal was not rely the few million Pesseta.
The wealth accumulated by the Spanish Church over a long period may be even more astonishing than that of the Bourbon family, and a few million Pesseta was likely just a drop in the bucket for the Church.
Moreover, compared to this relatively small amount of money, Prim was more interested in the Church’s lands.
Frankly, what use did the Church have for holding so much land? They exploited the governnt’s low taxation on Church land to excessively accumulate wealth, then used that wealth to buy more land.
In the areas surrounding Madrid alone, large tracts of land were occupied by nobles and the Church, while land in the hands of commoners beca the minority.
This was extrely detrintal to the developnt of Spain. If these lands could not be reclaid, it would severely impact Spain’s future developnt.
"Alright, Archbishop Pedro. For God’s sake, I’m willing to believe in your sincerity. I’ll instruct the Madrid police departnt to conduct more detailed screenings when making arrests to avoid harming innocent people.
Of course, I’ll also have them carefully screen the arrested Church mbers, and if there’s no issue, they will be released.
Soone will contact you at the ti. I deeply apologize for the troubles caused to the Church, and I believe things will be resolved satisfactorily in the near future, without wronging a single Church mber," Prim said with a smile.
Once it was confird that Archbishop Pedro was willing to sacrifice the Church’s interests for those bishops, Prim had achieved his objective.
As for the more detailed negotiations with the Church on how to use money and land to bail out those Church mbers, that was not sothing Prim should be doing.
As the Pri Minister of Spain, Prim had more important things to attend to, and naturally wouldn’t abandon other matters for so Church lands.
Anyway, the officials in the financial departnt were professionals at negotiating, and they certainly wouldn’t let the governnt suffer losses.
Upon hearing Prim’s concession, Archbishop Pedro finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If Prim insisted on arresting Church mbers, Archbishop Pedro truly didn’t know what he would do.
To talk of resistance, the current Church had no good ans against the governnt. Perhaps they could incite so brainwashed believers to organize a protest, but such a protest would quickly be suppressed by the governnt.
Rebellion was even less likely. A protest might still attract people through brainwashing and deception, but a rebellion could not deceive the commoners into joining.
With Prim’s reforms, the living standards of farrs and workers were gradually improving. Under such circumstances, farrs and workers were not foolish enough to stand against the Primor Governnt.
"Pri Minister Prim, can we also join in the investigation of this assassination incident?" Archbishop Pedro inquired.
Archbishop Pedro was well aware that the Church’s considerable concession was unavoidable, which made him very angry at the real mastermind behind the assassination.
If it was just an assassination, fine, but why drag the fire onto the Church?
No matter which force the mastermind belonged to, Archbishop Pedro had only one thought: to make the mastermind or force pay a greater price.
"Of course, Archbishop Pedro," Prim nodded with a smile, looking as if it were only natural: "Catching the mastermind as soon as possible would be best; it’s advantageous for both the governnt and the Church."
It’s undeniable that the Church at this ti still remained a rather large force in Spain.
To talk of resisting the governnt, the current Church was certainly incapable. But if it ca to investigating the assassination case, the Church could still play a role, at least being able to assist the governnt in investigating the assassination’s mastermind more quickly.
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