presided over a synod in 1533. He was absent, however, during most of the sixteen years of his episcopate, and therefore the duties of his office were performed by his brother Teodoro and by Segicellus of Faventia. Carpi's first mission to France took place between 26 July and 28 November 1530. He was back in France as a special envoy in the summer of 1533, charged with arranging a personal meeting between Francis I and Pope Clement VII. He was received by Francis at Lyon on 11 June. The pope wanted to meet at Nice, but eventually the meeting took place in Marseille, where the marriage of Henry II and Catherine de' Medici was solemnized, and where Pope Clement was able to engage in negotiations with both Francis I and Charles V. Carpi attracted further notice in papal diplomacy when he was established as papal nuncio at the court of Francis I (1535–1537). His commission was dated 9 January 1535; he joined the Court at Saint-Germain on 17 February. There he negotiated a peace between King Francis and the Emperor Charles V, who was pleased enough to appoint him "protector of the Holy Roman Empire". While Carpi was in France in 1533, there were rumors being spread around Rome, suggesting that Carpi was furnishing information to the Imperialists. Carpi was advised about these rumors by Pope Paul's secretary, Ambrogio Ricalcato, who also indicated that they were being circulated by agents of the Cardinal de Lorraine. Evidently King Francis heard about these rumors as well, since, in the middle of the night of 26 January 1536 he summoned Carpi to tell him that he deplored these rumors and considered Carpi a good servant. The king wrote to the pope, asking for a red hat for Carpi; the pope replied that it would be a subject for the next consistory for the creation of cardinals. Carpi also initiated discussions about having a general council of the Church to address the problems of heresy and church reform, though it became clear immediately that the king and the emperor had entirely different views as to how, and where, and what. He left France in July 1537, having already been appointed Cardinal. Cardinalate Pope Paul III created Rodolfo Pio da Carpi a cardinal in the Consistory of 22 December 1536, and on 23 July 1537 he was given his cardinal's ring and the titulus of