Roman Question

The Roman questiom is political controversy relating to the role of Rome, seat of the Temporal power of the pope but such a capital of the Royaume of Italy.

The new Kingdom of Italy

The March 27th 1861, Rome is proclaimed capital Royaume of Italy at a meeting at the Parliament following a vibrating speech of Cavour: he points out the deep historical reasons of this decision and is trustful that, in the restitution of Rome in Italy and of the end of the Temporal power of the Église, the authority of the popes and the autonomy of their spiritual magistère would not have undergoes any reduction and even a more great prestige morals.

Rome is protected by Napoleon III which is, at the same time, the main ally and guard of the new kingdom of Italy. By the " Convention of September " signed in 1864, the Italian government guarantee the autonomy of the Papal States and to transfer the capital from Turin to Florence which becomes capital of 1865 with 1871. Garibaldi, for its part, carries out a military action which aims to the conquest of Rome and is concluded by the day from Aspromonte and the Bataille from Mentana between the free-pontifical troops and garibaldiennes (November 3rd 1867).

However, the Roman question is not limited to the only problem of the territorial annexation of Rome but refers to divergences between the Catholic church and the kingdom of Italy and in particular, as of 1849, because of the permanent opposition of the pope Pie IX to the Risorgimento.

The papal intransigence in the assertion of the autonomy and the independence of the Papal States has hard consequences:

In Italy, three negative consequences: a strong increase in the Anticlericalism, lack of catholic in the national political life and thus a laic tendency of the government; Italy is divided during thirty years into two, and on behalf of the Church a negative vision of all is accentuated that occurs out of the denominational field.
Abroad, all the life of the Church is conditioned at the 19th century by the Roman question and of the need for guaranteeing a full freedom with the pope, which prevails on all the other problems.

The annexation of Rome

In 1870, a few weeks after the fall of Napoleon III because of the Battle of Sedan, the Italian army, made up of: 50000 men, who is taken along by Raffaele Cadorna enters Rome by the Door Pia. The September 20th, Rome capitulates and the Royaume of Italy proceeds to the annexation of the Papal States. The pope Black and white IX, is constrained to take refuge in the Vatican and is considered as prisoner. The Eternal City becomes the capital of the new Italian State of Victor-Emmanuel II, king of the Piedmont.

The law of the Guarantees

In 1871, the Italian Parliament votes a “Loi of the Guarantees” to guarantee the prerogatives of the pope, to establish the statute of the Vatican and to regulate the relations between this one and the Italian State. The law offers to the pope a territory in freehold, made up of the sanctuaries, palates and convents, but on a purely residential basis only. Are also offered a free zone to Ostie, and summons it of two billion liras as compensations (this sum will be placed by the Italian State and will be transferred by Mussolini in Pie XI in 1929, with considerable interests).

The pope Black and white IX, by this law, becomes prone Italian State but continuous to profit from a series of privileges. The pope does not want to accept a unilateral law with his undemocratic feeling for this reason it uses an expression used in the Acts of the Apostles, not possumus (" we cannot pas").

As well Black and white IX as its successors leave the palates of the Vatican while launching a protest precisely said Quaestio romana - which will last almost 60 years, until the Accords of Lateran in 1929.

Pie IX in 1874 then Leon XIII require of the catholic Italians not to go to the ballot boxes and with the famous not expedit (" it is not appropriate pas") they prohibit to the Italian catholics, during more than thirty years, to take an active part in the political life of the country.

The slow resolution of the dissensions

Pontificates of Magpie X, Benoit XV and Pie XI (the first ten years of the 20th century) see a progressive inversion, in fact, the assertion of the Socialists causes alliance between the liberal catholics and the moderate (Giovanni Giolitti) in good number of elections, alliance called " clérico-modérée". The Encyclical of 1904 It fermo proposito , is the sign of its changes which, so in a certain manner preserves the not expedit , allows the participation in the elections in special circumstances recognized by the bishops, thus of many catholics enter to the Parliament but only to personal capacity.

Immediately after the end of the First World War, the first contacts between the saint sits and the kingdom of Italy are set up via Mgr Bonaventura Ceretti and it president of the council Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (1919). The same year, the catholics reinstate the political life with the foundation of the Popular party by gift Luigi Sturzo, priest sicilian. At died of Benoit XV, for the first time, in all Italy, the flags are put in Bern.

At the time of the rise of Fascism, the Church bets on the preserving components of Fascism and not on the workmen to find his domination. A decisive opening towards the Church occurs the shortly after the Marche on Rome (1922) with the introduction of the Catholic religion into the schools (1923) and the authorization to affix the crucifix in the rooms. This also results in the reform of the ecclesiastical laws of 1923 - 1925, favorable to the Church, and by the elimination of the catholic trade unions. Already in January 1923, of the secret negotiations open by a meeting between Benito Mussolini and the cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri. But it is the speech of Mussolini the January 3rd 1925 which marks the restoration of positive ratios between the Vatican and the Italian government.

The " romaine" question; is definitively concluded only in 1929 with the Accords from Lateran, signed the February 11th by Benito Mussolini and the pope Pie XI represented by the cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri.

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