Agreements of Lateran

The agreements of Lateran are signed with the Palais of Lateran the February 11th 1929 between the State Italian, represented by Mussolini, and the the Holy See, represented by the cardinal Gasparri, Secretary of State of the pope Pie XI. They put an end to the “Roman question”, hanging since 1870. They only reduce the claims of sovereignty of the pope to the State of the Vatican City. N the other hand, the Catholicisme becomes religion of State in Italy.

Context

Agreements of Lateran

The negotiations which will lead to the agreements of Lateran start in 1926. They lead to the signature by the cardinal Gasparri (Secretary of State) and by Mussolini of protocols to the palate of Lateran, the February 11th 1929. Pie XI sees in these agreements the restoration of Italy with God, and God in Italy.

The agreements include/understand three distinct conventions:

a political treaty which settles the “Roman question”;
a financial convention which compensates the Holy See;
a legal settlement which rules on the position of the Church in Italy.

The political treaty

The Pope accepts the State of the Vatican City, whose Italian State recognizes the freehold and the sovereign authority in the Holy See. Any form of Italian interference is abandoned. In compensation, the Holy See gives up any claim on the old Papal States. He recognizes the Kingdom of Italy under the house of Savoy, and Rome like capital of the Italian State. However, Italy recognizes in Rome a “ città crowned ”. Concretely, that means that Italy takes the Vatican under its protection. Thus, in the event of incident places Saint-Pierre, it is the Italian police force which intervenes.

One recognizes in the new State of the public services: the Vatican will have a station, postal services, a currency (the Lire vaticane), a press, a radio and a television with the right to emit, etc the Vatican becomes the instrument of the Holy See, nobody of international law, definite like the whole of the catholic higher institutions. The preamble to the pact lays out as follows:

Since, to ensure the Holy See absolute and visible independence, should be guaranteed to him an indisputable sovereignty, even in the international field, one realized that it was necessary to constitute, with particular methods, the Vatican City, recognizing in the Holy See, on this same City, the freehold, the exclusive and absolute power and the sovereign jurisdiction.

The pope is recognized like the temporal of the Vatican, with all the capacities, legislature, executive and legal chief - the effective government of the Vatican being however delegated to a general governor. In the event of vacancy, the capacity passes to the Sacré College of the cardinals.

The new pontifical territory is made of 44 hectares, which gives of the Vatican the smallest A report on the world. Essentially, it is of the Saint-Pierre place, the homonymous basilica, the palate of the Vatican and the contiguous gardens. The unit is surrounded by walls, with 5 access points. Only the Saint-Pierre place and the basilica are freely accessible. Mussolini had proposed to include other buildings in the new State, but Pie XI had refused, affirming:

It will be clear for all, we hope it, that Sovereign pontiff has really only this portion of essential material territory for the exercise of a spiritual power entrusted to men for the benefit of the men.

Financial convention

After the loss of the Papal States, the Holy See was in a difficult financial position. In 1871, the “Loi of the Guarantees” offered the sum of 2 billion liras as compensation for the loss of the States and the ecclesiastical goods. The Guarantees were refused by all the popes, of 1871 with the agreements of Lateran. At the time of the latter, Mussolini proposes this same increased sum of its interests, carrying the entire amount to 4 billion liras.

This sum is not directly versed in the Vatican. The Holy See cash receives in fact 750 million liras money and titles with 5% of a face value of a billion liras, entrusted by Pie XI to the special Administration of the goods of the Holy See.

The legal settlement

The legal settlement makes Catholicism the official religion of the Italian State. The catholic marriages and the judgments of the matrimonial matter Church take civil effect. The ecclesiastical jurisdictions are recognized out of spiritual and disciplinary matter, a priest Apostat thus who can see itself refusing a public employment. Catholic religious teaching becomes obligatory on all the school levels.

On its side, the Italian State is seen recognizing a right of nomination of the bishop S, which must swear fidelity with the king. Any political activity is prohibited with the catholic Action. The monks and the priests see themselves prohibiting to militate in a party. The goal of Mussolini is to prevent the re-creation of a catholic party.

Mussolini will add to the legal settlement of the single-sided arrangements regulating the fate of the other confessions, which from now on are recognized. A legal ditch settles then between Catholicism and the other religions. These measurements will be supplemented in 1938 by “measurements for the defense of the Italian race” and others aiming at oppressing the Juif S.

After the agreements

Four days before the formal signature of the agreements, on February 7th, the contents of the latter are revealed with the whole of the diplomatic representations close the Holy See. The French government, then directed by Aristide Briand, is the first to present its congratulations to the pope. The February 9th, at the time of a special official audience, the various States concerned take note of the new statute of the Vatican.

The harmony

The goal of Mussolini with these agreements is of fasciser the Church. That of the Church is to restore a catholic State. Both fail, but the relations remain good between the Church and the fascistic government until in 1945. Thus, in 1931, the Church concedes new guarantees concerning the catholic Action, which one reaffirms the religious character and diocesan.

The only crisis of scale once again relates to the laic catholic organizations, perceived by the fascistic government like a threat. Mussolini, being repugnant to attack the Church of face, like does it Hitler at the same time, prefers actions of intimidation of the catholic militants. In January 1938, Pie XI threatens in reprisals to excommunicate Fascism and the government mussolinien. Finally, in 1939, Mussolini obtain a reform of the statutes of the catholic Action.

After the Second world war

One could have feared the end of the agreements of Lateran with the collapse of the fascistic government, however a part will be confirmed by the new Italian State. The new Italian republic recognizes the part of the agreements of Lateran settling the Roman question. However, article 7 of the new Italian constitution will affirm the separation of the Church and the State (as in France in 1905). The Church does not have thus any more the temporal power to apply the Christian doctrines within the civil society. The Republic Italian specifies that the modifications which were made to the agreements do not require a constitutional revision. The new Italian State recognizes the Catholic church and the State of the Vatican but does not accept any more the catholic laws. The Italian peninsula is not any more for the first time since the Romain Empire under the Spirituelle authority of the Holy See.

See too

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