While the war in Austria raged on, the Byzantines were not the only ones paying close attention to the conflict. The Catholic Church and the new Pope were watching the events with keen interest. The successor to Simeon and Avillius was a wise and intelligent man who now went by the name Lucius who completely disagreed with his predecessors' approach when dealing with the so-called Berengar Heresy.
However, the German Reformation had already declared its separation from the Catholic Church, and there was not much more he could do now other than an attempt to squash it through military force. Negotiations would have been a significant first step, but the time for talking was already too far gone.
