Conversation so far:
What was the Consulate?
Chateaubriand took advantage of the amnesty issued to emigres to return to France in May 1800 (under the French Consulate).
Why did he do this?
In 1802, he won fame with Genie du christianisme ("The Genius of Christianity"), an apology for the Catholic Christian faith.
What happened to the empire?
Appointed secretary of the legation to the Holy See by Napoleon, he accompanied Cardinal Fesch to Rome.

Question: What did they do when they arrived in rome?
Self-contained rewrite: What did Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand's French Legation to the Holy See do when they arrived in Rome?