Quum memoranda

Quum memoranda Encyclical letter of Pope Pius VII
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Quum memoranda was a papal bull issued by Pope Pius VII in 1809. It was a response to a decree issued by Emperor Napoleon, on 17 May 1809, which incorporated the remnants of the Papal States into the French Empire, during the Napoleonic Wars. The bull was published on 10 June, the day of the decree's proclamation in Rome, capital of the Papal States, with an excommunication of Napoleon (though not by name) and all those who had contributed to what the Holy See saw as a violation of its temporal power.

French troops had already occupied Rome in February 1808, followed by the Marches, and in April of that year a decree by Napoleon announced the annexation of the Church States, although without affecting the pope's power in the capital. In May 1809, however, two more decrees were published, with the first declaring that the "temporal pretensions of the Pope were irreconcilable with the safety, tranquility, and prosperity of the Empire". This was proclaimed by the French authorities in Rome, on 10 June 1809, thus ending the secular power of the already weakened Holy See. Pius, after some hesitancy, released the excommunication bull later in the same day, thanks to the insistence of his advisor Cardinal Pacca. By the following morning, issues were already posted on the walls of the three major churches of Rome, Saint Mary Major, Saint John Lateran and Saint Peter.

Excerpt

"The time for clemency is over. No man, unless he shuts his eyes to the light, can doubt the point to which such assaults tend and what the consequences will be, if preventive means are not used in time. Moreover, it is quite clear to all that We have no hope whatever of touching by our admonitions and counsels the authors of so much evil, or of inspiring them with more favourable sentiments towards the Church, by our prayers or by our demands. In other times, many Sovereign Pontiffs, whom holiness and learning rendered illustrious, were obliged, because the cause of the Church required it, to resort to similar extreme measures against rebellious kings and princes who had been guilty of only one or two of the crimes which the canons condemn with anathema; shall We then fear to follow their example after witnessing so many evil deeds, and sacrileges so heinous and so universally known? May We not, on the contrary, rather fear to be justly accused of weakness and procrastination, than of rashness or temerity, especially now that a recent outrage, more audacious than all the rest as far as our temporal authority is concerned, warns Us that henceforth We shall no longer be at liberty to exercise the most im portant and necessary duty of our Apostolic ministry.
For these reasons, by the authority of Almighty God, and that of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own, We declare that all those, who, after the invasion of Rome and the ecclesiastical territory, and the sacrilegious violation of St. Peter's Patrimony by French troops, have committed either at Rome or in the States of the Church, against ecclesiastical immunities, and against the simple temporal rights of the Church and Holy See, either all or any of the outrages which have provoked our complaints; all authors, promoters, counsellors, or adherents of similar doings; all those, finally, who have contributed to facilitate the realization of these violent acts or have accomplished them; We declare that all such have in curred the canonical excommunication, censure, and punishment, as decreed by the holy canons and by the Apostolical constitutions, by the decrees of General Councils, and nominally, by the Holy Council of Trent, and if need be, We excommunicate and anathematize them again, declaring them by the very fact, deprived of any privileges or indults which may have been granted either by ourself or by our predecessors."

Aftermath

The relationship between the Empire and the Holy See only deteriorated further. Soon French military authorities decided for an abduction of the pope, with the intention of better securing control of Rome. After initial hesitation General Sextius Miollis, commander of the French garrison in the city, allowed the operation to proceed, as Colonel Étienne Radet argued that Rome could no longer be governed unless a display of strength was made. In the early hours of 6 July, less than a month after the issuing of the Quum memoranda, a French unit led by Radet stormed the Quirinal Palace and arrested Pius, who was then taken to a carriage and departed the city. After short stays in Genoa and Grenoble, a large house in Savona was chosen as a suitable place for Pius to settle in his exile, while still being allowed to conduct ceremonies and receive visits from the local population.

Napoleon's reconciliation

As he later reconciled with the Catholic Church, Napoleon's excommunication was lifted. During the exile in Saint Helena, he spoke to General Montholon of Pope Pius VII as "an old man full of tolerance and light", adding that "fatal circumstences embroiled our cabinets. I regret it exceedingly". After the former emperor asked for a chaplain, saying "it would rest my soul to hear Mass", Pius successfully petitioned Britain to accept his request and sent the Abbé Vignali to Saint Helena. Napoleon died on 5 May 1821, in Longwood House, having received in his final days the Eucharist and the last rites.

See also

• Napoleon and the Catholic Church
• List of people excommunicated by the Catholic Church

External links

• Full text (in Italian) in the website of the Holy See