Anselmo - Pope Alexander II

Syres meets this young Bishop when he travels south with the Holy Roman Emperor to handle the rebellion of the popes and anit-popes. The Emperor believed he had the final say over church appointments but the Pope disagreed. So, he appoints friendly Popes to his cause, and Anselmo, a secret Papist, eventually founds and fights for the election of popes via the College of Cardinals. He believes the cardinals, or princes of the church, do not need permission from an earthly king/emperor.
Anselmo is elected after a tumultuous decade of Popes and reigns for over ten years (1061-1073). His pontificate is plagued by antipopes, norman wars in southern Italy, and maneuvering Dukes and Lords in Italy and Germany. This pope was well thought of and victorious a lot of the time because he was wise. Syres knew this when he met him years before he got elected. He and Syres would discuss scripture and the similarities between east and west. Syres also enjoyed discussing the occult with Anselmo.
Anselmo's dark past is his dabbling in the occult, offering blood sacrifices to God in ancient, now banned, rituals. If it were found out, he would be deposed and abandoned. These unholy deeds make Syres uneasy as Anselmo seems to know about ancient Christian magics that were long forgotten. Syres and he actually do research in a secret archive kept within the Vatican. They have a close friendship but Syres knows, on instinct, that there was more to it. Anselmo was not a man who used whores or coveted money but hid his homosexuality. He eventually admits to Syres that he loves him and this drives them apart. They part on neutral terms but Syres feels that getting close to anyone else, even someone he only sees as a friend.