The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-02-07
BRIEF HISTORY OF ITS ORIGIN
AND DEVELOPMENT FROM THE
BEGINNING TO THE CAPTURE
OF ROME IN 1870.
Written for The Catholic Bulletin by
Rev. o. r. BaIducci.)

European newspapers are now dis
cussing the possibility of change in
the relations between the Pope and
the Italian government after a con-
flict lasting since the destruction OF
the temporal power in 1870. AS many
people are not very familiar with the
history of the temporal power of the
Popes, it may not be uninteresting to
give a brief summary Of it's origin and
development.
In order to make clear to our mind
the possibility and the fact OF the or
igin and development of the temporal
power, we ought to know how great
and exalted the authority of the Popes
was in the past. In the middle ages
the Apostolic See enjoyed a power
almost unlimited. The voice of the
Popes was needed even in civil af-
fairs. They crowned the Emperors,
decided the rights of royal success
sion and judged between princes and
their subjects. On several occasions
when a sovereign persisted in oppos-
ing the Church, the Pope freed the
nation from the obligation of obedl-
ence, and the people abandoned their
ruler.
Many instances could be cited
from ancient ecclesiastical history to
show the immense power welded by
the Popes during the tempestuous
times when the religious and temporal
fields we're not so clearly separated as
thew are today. Let us recall the SOL
emn recognition of their supreme
authority, even in political matters,
by two famous monarchs, Pepin and
Otto ". In ISL Pepin, king of the
Franks, sent Bishop Burgard to Rome
to petition Pope Zachary to acknoWl-
edge his accession to the throne; and
in 1908 the Emperor Otto w, who re-
ceived the crown from the hands OF
Innocent I'LL, proclaimed himself king
of the Romans "by the grace of God
and the will of the Pontiff." By this
use of a formula which is today en-
ployed only by the bishops in their
official letters, Otto w. recognized the
supremacy of the Papacy over Kings
and Emperors This supremacy was
resisted later by other potentates, for
instance, by Henry w. and Philip the
Fair. but it was strenuOusly maintained
by such illustrious Popes as Gregory
VII. and Boniface VIII, and it was
defended according to the principles
of his time, by the most celebrated
theologian of the Catholic Church, st.
Thomas Aquinas. The exercise of
such tremendous power on the part of
&hoir Of n fn
vindicate it against the hostile moves
of jealous rulers do not prove, as par
tisan historians assert, that the pol
icy of the Popes was to put all the
nations of the earth under their feet,
and to create, gradually, sort OF
monstrous theocratic empire. In &C
cepting and defending these high
prerogatives, consecrated by vener-
able traditions, the Popes had but one
object in view, namely, the moral
prestige of the great institution of
which they were the supreme chief
tains.
Though it would be mistake to
believe that the dream of the Popes
was to become the rulers of world
that they claimed, even down to our
own time, the right of governing GER
tain small territories situated in the
center of Italy, called the Pontifical
States, and comprising Rome and a
few provinces near the Eternal City
These possessions continued to con
stitute an Independent State up to
1870, that is, until the soldiers of Vic
tor Emanuel II. entered the Romu
lean walls and Rome was annexed to
United Italy.
Legend of constantine's Donation.
1t has been held for a long time
that, when Constantine built the city
which still bears his name and tt
which he moved the capital of the
Empire, he donated Rome and the
neighboring lands to the successors
of ST. Peter According to medieva
legend Constantine, as soon as he was
healed of his leprosy, went to Byzan
tium in order to leave Pope Sylvester
master of the West and to free the
Apostolic See from the proclamation
of secular interference. Even Dante
in his Divine Comedy" committed
the blunder of attributing to the first
Christian Emperor the origin of the
temporal power of the Pontiffs.
How did such story originate!
Anti-clericals and Protestant polem
ical writer's would answer: it was
forged by priests. The historical
truth is quite different Constantine
by the Edict of Milan promulgated in
313, granted to the Christians of the
Empire freedom to practice their re
ligion. From that very moment the
Church of Rome began to possess
large estates bestowed upon her
through donations and inheritance, by
wealthy Roman and foreign families
This gave rise to St Peters patri
mony, which, at the downfall of the
western Empire in 476, included vast
properties in Italy, France, Dalmatia
Africa and Asia. The Popes admin
istered the properties of the Apostolic
See and their agents collected the an
nual revenues which were devoted
mostly to religious and charitabl,