Editor(s): Francesco Anghelone, Pierantonio Piatti, Emilio Tirone
Presentation: Bernard Ardura
Synopsis: After 150 years since the so-called “Breach of Porta Pia” and just over 90 years since the signing of the Lateran Pacts, this multidisciplinary collection of studies explores the various aspects and numerous consequences of an event that forever changed the relationship between the Pope and the world. More than ever before, the figure of the Roman Pontiff came to be recognized globally as a universal father, free from any particular interests tied to a territorial state and fully devoted to all of humanity. At the same time, the Church maintained an unwavering awareness of its status as an international legal entity. This self-conception of the Holy See was not rooted in the idea of temporal power, but rather in the very nature of the Church, in its sovereign spiritual authority, reaffirmed by
international recognition. Even after 1870, numerous states continued to maintain diplomatic representation at the Holy See, which remained an active subject in the international community, despite lacking its territory.
Publisher: Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Year: 2022
