The Vatican Decrees in Their Bearing on Civil Allegiance facts for kids

The Vatican Decrees in their Bearing on Civil Allegiance was a short book, also called a pamphlet, written by British politician William Ewart Gladstone in November 1874. This pamphlet was against the Catholic Church and its influence.

Why Gladstone Wrote the Pamphlet

Gladstone was very upset about a decision made by the First Vatican Council. This council declared that the Pope was "infallible." This means that when the Pope speaks officially on matters of faith and morals, he cannot be wrong. Gladstone strongly disagreed with this idea. He quickly wrote his pamphlet to explain why he thought this was a problem. The pamphlet became very popular, selling 150,000 copies by the end of 1874.

Loyalty to Country or Pope?

Gladstone believed that the Pope's new power put British Catholics in a difficult spot. He thought they would have to choose between being loyal to the British Crown (their country) and being loyal to the Pope. He encouraged British Catholics to reject the idea of papal infallibility. He reminded them how their ancestors had stood against the Spanish Armada in 1588, showing loyalty to England.

Concerns About Power

Gladstone described the Catholic Church as being like "an Asian monarchy." He felt it was a system where one person, the Pope, had all the power, and everyone else just had to obey. He also claimed that the Pope wanted to get rid of the rule of law (fair and clear laws for everyone) and replace it with his own absolute power. Gladstone believed the Pope would hide these actions "beneath a suffocating cloud of incense."

Gladstone's Second Pamphlet

In February 1875, Gladstone published another pamphlet. This one was called Vaticanism: an Answer to Reproofs and Replies. He wrote it to defend his first pamphlet and to answer the people who had criticized him.

How Catholics Responded

Many Catholics, including important leaders, wrote responses to Gladstone's pamphlet.

John Henry Newman's Reply

One important response came from John Henry Newman. He wrote a letter called Letter to the Duke of Norfolk. Newman's letter aimed to answer Gladstone's idea that Catholics could not think freely because of their loyalty to the Pope.

Pope Leo XIII's View

Later, in 1885, Pope Leo XIII wrote an important letter called Immortale Dei. This letter was about how the Church and the government should relate to each other. It talked about "civil allegiance," which means the duty of loyalty and obedience a person owes to their country.