Author Archives: franksantucci

When news of the capture of Algiers arrived on July 9, public delirium reached its peak… The general enthusiasm gripped even the bishop’s palace. Writing to Father de Mazenod, Tempier informed him: At two o’clock, all the church bells were … Continue reading →

The next few entries refer to the French conquest of Algeria in 1830. We need to read these events through the missionary eyes of Eugene nearly two centuries ago and not judge his reactions according to our present theological and … Continue reading →

When Pius VIII became Pope in March 1829, he had written a pastoral letter to all the bishops of the world. The Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs in France, Bishop Feutrier, had forbidden the bishops of France to publish it until … Continue reading →

The initial struggle against the liberals was about defending the freedom of education in which Eugene declared: I find myself like a lion who feels all his vigor, his strength and his courage… Letter to Henri Tempier, 24 June 1828, … Continue reading →

Yvon Beaudoin describes an example of the effects of the liberal movement on an Oblate priest, André Valentin, in Aix : In the course of the struggle for freedom of education in 1828, the university students held a demonstration against … Continue reading →

In the face of the laws of 1828 which undermined the role of the Church in Christian education, barred religious from teaching, impeded minor seminaries, and expelled the Jesuits, Eugene was moved to action. The decree which, by expelling the … Continue reading →

Eugene was away from Marseilles, but was involved in giving all possible support and advice to his uncle the Bishop in his war against the laws preventing the Church’s influence on religious education. But I would wish to be at … Continue reading →

With the restoration of the Bourbon kings in France, the Church was once again given the chance to function freely. Many in France, however, became uncomfortable with the close bond between the monarchy and religion and feared a return to … Continue reading →

Yvon Beaudoin gives us the context: On the very day of Napoleon’s abdication on April 6, 1814, the Senate called to the throne the Count of Provence who already had taken the title Louis XVIII. Initially, he reigned one year … Continue reading →

Napoleon was definitely defeated in June 1815. Leflon writes: Napoleon’s downfall made it possible for the Church not only to re-establish her spiritual rights in papal, episcopal and capitular jurisdiction but also to open the way completely for her apostolic … Continue reading →