In Switzerland, there lived an old man who had only one son. The son was not very smart and couldn't learn anything. His father said, "I cannot teach you anything here. You must go to a famous teacher in another town."
The son stayed with the teacher for a year. When he returned, his father asked, "What have you learned?"
"Father, I have learned what dogs say when they bark."
"Is that all?" the father cried. "I will send you to a different teacher."
After another year, the son came home. "What have you learned now?"
"I have learned what the birds say," the son replied.
The father was very angry. "You are wasting time! Go to a third teacher. If you learn nothing this time, I will not be your father anymore."
After the third year, the son returned and said, "I have learned what the frogs say when they croak."
The father was furious. He told his servants, "This man is not my son. Take him into the forest and kill him." However, the servants felt sorry for the young man. They let him go and took the eyes and tongue of a deer to the father to prove he was dead.
The young man wandered until he reached a castle. The lord of the castle said, "You can stay in the old tower, but it is very dangerous. There are wild dogs there that bark all night. Every few hours, they must eat a man, or they will never stop."
The young man wasn't afraid. "Give me some food for the dogs," he said. "They won't hurt me."
He went into the tower. The dogs didn't bark; they wagged their tails and ate the food he gave them. The next morning, he came out safely.
"The dogs told me their secret," he said. "They are protecting a treasure under the tower. They cannot rest until it is taken away."
The young man went down, found a chest of gold, and brought it out. After that, the dogs disappeared and the land was peaceful.
Later, he decided to travel to Rome. On the way, he passed a swamp where frogs were croaking. He listened to them and became very quiet. When he arrived in Rome, the Pope had just died. The leaders of the church were looking for a sign from God to choose a new Pope.
As the young man entered the church, two white doves flew down and sat on his shoulders. The priests saw this as a sign and asked him to be the Pope. He wasn't sure if he was good enough, but the doves told him to accept.
He became the Pope, just as the frogs had predicted on his journey. When he had to lead the church service, he didn't know the words, but the two doves sat on his shoulders and whispered everything into his ear.