PIUS IX., GIOVANNI MARIA MASTAI FERRETTI, occupant of the papal chair during one of the most eventful peridds in the history of the papacy, was born at Sinigaglia, May 13, 1792. lie was originally destined for the military profession—the noble guard; but symptoms of an epileptic tendency led to his abandoning his intended profession. lie received holy orders, and after exercising his ministry for a time in Rome, was sent as auditor" of the vica•-apostolic to Chili. Having been successively archbishop of Spoleto and of Imola, nuncio, and cardinal, he was, on the death of Gregory XVI. in 184G, elected " by acclamation" to succeed him. He took the name of Pius IX., and entered at once on a course of reforms, by which lie hoped to establish the papal govern ment on a popular, but yet on a firm basis. He resolved to extirpate all abuses of administration, to withdraw the restrictions of personal liberty, to secularize the local administration, and to extend the rights of self-government. his first step to this end was to grant an amnesty; and this measure, however humane and necessary, had the result of drawing together into the Roman states a body of men whom an unhappy experience of foreign exile had imbittered against the existing order of things. For a thne, the reforming policy of Pius carried with it the affections of the people; but he soon fell short of the expectations which lie had created. The outbreak of the French revolution of Feb., 1848, precipitated the crisis of popular discontent. In November of that year, count Rossi. whom the pope had appointed his minister, was assassinated; and violent demonstrations were daily employed to compel the pope's assent to measures which he repudiated. Having at first confined himself to the Quirinal, he at length fled secretly from Rome to Gaeta, a Neapolitan sea-port near the Roman frontier. A repub lic was proclaimed in Rome, the provisional heads of which proceeded to a complete and radical remodeling of the civil government of the state. Pius from his exile addressed :1 remonstrance to the various sovereigns. In April, 1849, a French expedition was sent to Civita Vecchia, which eventually advanced upon Rome, and, after a siege of about thirty days, took possession of the city, and established a French army of occupation within the Roman state. The pope's government was re-established, but he himself did not return till 18:i0, when he again entered upon the administration. In consequence of the unsettled condition of Italy and the failure of many of his early measures of improve ment, he declared himself unable to proceed with the reformations which he had con templated. After that time his authority was maintained without interruption, but the discontent continued. After the war for the unification of Italy, the Legations, Ancona, and a considerable part of the papal territory southward in the direction of Rome, were annexed to the kingdom of Italy, but Pius persistently refused to cede any portion or to cuter into any compromise. His ecclesiastical administration continued very active, and
proceeded upon the strongest assumption of the right of independent action on the part of the church. In this view he re-established the hierarchy in England, lie sanctioned the establishment in Ireland of a Catholic university, and condemned the principles upon which the queen's colleges in that country were constituted. He concluded with Austria :1 concordat much more favorable to church authority than the existing ecclesiastical laws had permitted. See CONCORDAT. In 1854 he issued a decree propounding as a doctrine of the church the faith of the Immaculate Conception of the blessed virgin Mary (q.v.). In the internal administration of his states, notwithstanding the embar rassed condition of finances produced by the curtailment of his territory, lie introduced many ameliorations, and did much for the advancement and improvement of the city of Rome and of its institutions. In this he was aided by the voluntary contributions of the several churches, as well in special gifts as in the organization of the permanent tri!aite called Peter-pence (q.v.). In 1804, on occasion of the centenary of the martyr dom of St. Peter, lie brought together at Rome a large assemblage of bishops, and subse quently, on occasion of the canonization of the Jesuit martyrs of Japan. But the most important event of his pontificate was the convocation of the Vatican council (see ('ousen.). at which bishops from all parts of the Catholic world assembled in Dec., 1809. For the discussions of this council, see POPE. It was adjourned in July, 1870, after it had proclaimed the celebrated decree of the infallibility of the pope, when on a subject of faith or morals lie issues a decree ex cathedra to the universal church. Soon after time adjournment, the Italian army occupied Rome, and declared it the capital of the kingdom of Italy. Pius renewed with all solemnity his oft-repeated protest, and refusing an offered donation, and all other proposals of accommodation, from that date declared him self a captive in the Vatican, to which he strictly confined himself. In June, 1871, he completed the 25th year of his pontificate, thus exceeding the term of all previous pon tificates except that assigned to St. Peter, and falsifying in his own person the tradi tional prediction that no pontiff would ever " see the days of Peter." His health was for sonic years precarious; but, with the exception of occasional interruptions, he continued to attend personally to all the public affairs, civil as well as ecclesiastical, of his office. lie died Feb. 7, 1878.