Pius VI

Roman Catholic pope (1775-1799)

• Born: December 27, 1717
• Birthplace: Cesena, Papal States (now in Italy)
• Died: August 29, 1799
• Place of death: Valence, France

In an era when popes were secular rulers and often imitated worldly princes in their lifestyles, the adversity forced upon Pius VI by world events made him a respected spiritual leader by the end of his life. Thought by some to be the last pope, his example in suffering and humiliation strengthened the Papacy, giving it renewed vigor and setting a new direction for his successors.

Early Life

The future Pius VI, Giovanni Angelo Braschi, was born in Cesena, about 60 miles northeast of Florence. He was the eldest of the eight children of Count Marcantonio Braschi and Anna Teresa Bandi. The family was noble but not rich. His early schooling was by the Jesuits at Cesena, and at the age of seventeen he received a law degree from the university at Ferrara.

Engaged to be married, he changed his mind and decided on the priesthood. Whether the breaking of the engagement was entirely his decision or was by mutual agreement is not clear, but in any event, he entered the priesthood and his former fiancée became a nun. He was ordained in 1758, when he was forty years of age.

Braschi’s contemporaries describe him as having an imposing presence and great charisma. He was tall and handsome, vain, and not a man of great spirituality. He became the private secretary of Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo and after a diplomatic mission to Naples was appointed papal secretary.

Life’s Work

On July 21, 1773, Clement XIV published his famous brief Dominusac Redemptor, suppressing the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). This was done in response to intense political pressure on the part of Catholic monarchs, who resented the power, wealth, and influence of the Jesuits in their lands. While the suppression was supposed to bring healing to the Church, it in effect was a victory for the forces that sought supremacy and control of the Church by the state in each of these Catholic countries. The pope therefore deprived himself of a powerful arm in fighting state control of religion.

In the following year, 1774, Clement XIV died. The conclave to elect a new pope lasted more than four months. At issue was the ban on the Jesuit order. Some cardinals were concerned that the ban would be softened by a new pope; others were hoping for a reversal. The conclave finally chose Braschi, who had been the late pope’s treasurer at the time of his death. Braschi took the name Pius VI. While he was well disposed toward the Jesuits, he overcame the opposition of the monarchs by letting it be known that he would not lift the ban on the order.

Since he was not a bishop when he was elected pope, Braschi could not immediately assume the Papacy: He had to be consecrated as a bishop before he could become bishop of Rome. The consecration ceremony took place on February 22, 1774, a week after his election. At the beginning of his pontificate, Pius VI was quite popular because of his programs of public works and beautification of the city of Rome. His popularity waned, however, when a nephew, Luigi Braschi, became a duke through papal money and influence and another nephew was made a cardinal. Allegations of financial irregularities were also made against the former treasurer.

In 1780, Emperor Joseph II became sole ruler fo the Habsburg monarchy. He pursued a policy toward the Church that became known as Josephism. It put the state in almost total control of the Church in Austria. More than six thousand edicts were issued regulating religious practices. All bishops were to be chosen by the state. All religious bodies, monasteries, and seminaries were placed under governmental supervision. Pius VI, thinking that the emperor, a devout Catholic, could be persuaded to soften his policy toward the Church, made a rare journey outside Italy to visit him in Vienna. This was the first trip out of Italy made by a pope since Clement VII traveled to France in 1533. In Vienna, the pope was received cordially by the emperor, but there was no resolution of their differences despite a month of talks.

In 1789, the French Revolution began. It soon produced legislation and decrees aimed at the Church. The Church was deprived of tithes, which amounted to 40 percent of its income. Church lands were nationalized and sold, and religious orders were suppressed. In July of 1790, the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was enacted. This legislation reorganized the Church structure in France and provided that bishops were to be elected by the laity. The pope was merely to be notified of their election. The clergy were to become state employees. The obvious intent of this legislation was to nationalize the Church in France and to diminish papal authority to such an extent that the pope would be nothing more than a figurehead. The French clergy were required to take an oath supporting the Civil Constitution. About one-third took the oath, and they were suspended by the pope. Many of the priests who refused the oath emigrated to other countries.

In 1796, Napoleon I, who was then a young officer in the revolutionary army, was dispatched to northern Italy. After Milan was occupied by Napoleon, he announced that he would install a republic in the Papal States. The pope attempted to resist, but his forces were easily defeated. By the Treaty of Tolentino, the Papacy was required to pay a huge indemnity and deliver priceless works of art and valuable manuscripts to the French. Substantial portions of the Papal States’ territory were also ceded. Shortly thereafter, a French general was killed in Rome during a riot in December, 1797. This gave the French a pretext to invade and occupy Rome, depose the pope as head of state, and proclaim a republic.

When the French arrived in Rome, the pope was told that he had three days to prepare for his departure from the city. Before dawn on February 20, 1797, the half-paralyzed octogenarian was hurried into a carriage and sent to Sienna. After a short stay in Sienna, he was removed to Florence.

The French government, concerned that a rescue attempt might be made and that his continued presence in Italy would rally anti-French forces, ordered that Pius be brought to France. Semiconscious, he was carried by bearers through the snow over the Alps. He eventually arrived at Valence in France, and being too ill to be moved further, died there on August 29, 1799.

Significance

The pontificate of Pius VI was quite eventful, but there were few achievements attributable to papal leadership. For the most part, Pius was indecisive. His few initiatives, such as the journey to Vienna to resolve differences with the emperor, met with little success. Pius VI, however, was a good administrator, having risen through the ranks of the bureaucracy. Artistic activities flourished in Rome during his papacy, obelisks were erected, and an opulent sacristy was built at St. Peter’s. The Vatican museum was completed, and work started on draining the Pontine marshes.

Following the independence of the United States, it was appropriate that an American diocese be established. Pius VI named John Carroll as bishop of the new diocese of Baltimore. This appointment was quite popular in America, as members of the Carroll family were patriots who advanced the cause of American independence. Carroll’s bishopric laid the foundation for a flourishing Catholic Church in the United States in years to come.

Pius’s enemies gave him his greatest triumph. The treatment accorded to the pope by the French made him a martyr to his faith. Henceforth, the perception of the popes as monarchs was diminished and their spiritual leadership advanced.

Bibliography

Dully, Eamon. Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1997. A beautifully illustrated book with a critical account of the Papacy.

Goodwin, Sister Mary Clare. The Papal Conflict with Josephinism. New York: Fordham University Press, 1938. A detailed and definitive account of the controversy between Pius VI and Emperor Joseph II.

Hales, E. E. Y. Revolution and Papacy, 1769-1846. New York: Hanover House, 1960. An excellent source for matter regarding the relationship between Pius VI and Napoleon.

Von Pastor, Ludwig Freihan. The History of the Popes: From the Close of the Middle Ages, translated by E. F. Peeler. Vols. 39-40. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1952. The classic, standard reference for papal history translated from the original German work.

Wright, A. D. The Early Modern Papacy: From the Council of Trent to the French Revolution, 1564-1789. Essex, England: Pearson Education, 2000. An excellent source on the pontificate from the Renaissance through the French Revolution.