Ubi nos

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With the encyclical Ubi nos (When we ... from our enemies), of May 15, 1871, Pope Pius IX protested . against the annexation of the Papal States .

prehistory

See also : Lateran Treaty , History of Italy, and Roman Question

After the Papal States finally fell victim to the unification of Italy in September 1870, Pius IX considered. (1846–78) declared himself a "prisoner in the Vatican" and rejected any compromise proposal for an agreement. In the so-called Guarantee Act of May 13, 1871, the Italian government assured him freedom and inviolability in the management of the Church, honors and privileges of a sovereign, use of the Vatican palaces and gardens and some other buildings to the exclusion of property rights and otherwise promised appropriate compensation . The Pope protested with the encyclical Ubi nos of May 15, 1871 and imposed excommunication on the "usurpers". In 1874 he prohibited Italian Catholics from participating in Italian parliamentary elections. This ban was tightened in 1886 and not lifted until 1905 under Pius X.

The "usurpers"

In his encyclical he condemned the annexation of the Papal States and called the new government "usurpers". " Usurper " stands for someone who illegally usurps power, the term goes back to the Latin verb usurpare ("to claim", "to take possession", "to (illegally) appropriate"). These new rulers, he explains, acted against the commandments of God and damaged the freedom of the church.

Defense of the Church

  • In this Apostolic Circular, the Pope calls to prayer and declares, as it were, that prayer will awaken the Spirit of Christ and intensify the fight against injustice.
  • He goes to court with what he calls the “northern government” and describes it as a “Piedmont government” that shamelessly despises the papal rank. He cites the natural connection between the Italian people and Rome and warns against these fraudsters, whose assurances he rejects as false guarantees.
  • The guarantees that are to be granted to the Vatican State and the Pope are, from the Pope's point of view, directed against the rights granted by God alone.
  • The Pope calls for prayer for the end of the struggle, at the same time he calls for the unification of church and state teaching. In the final exhortation he encourages Catholic Christians to resist the occupiers and exhorts the latter not to violate God's teachings.

literature

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