Inventing the Modern Papacy

The role of the pope within the Catholic Church changed dramatically in the nineteenth century. The century opened with the pontifical see empty as rumors circulated throughout Europe that the papacy had come to an end. By 1870, however, the First Vatican Council had pronounced the doctrine of papal infallibility, turning the pontiff into the Church’s supreme and infallible authority. This volume tells the story of how political ultramontanism affected this profound transformation. The new theology generated debate among Catholics throughout Europe, leading to schism and excommunication but also to new teachings and ecclesiologies and a role for the pope as international arbitrator.