- Joined
- May 12, 2010
- Location
- Now Florida but always a Kentuckian
After reading the thread and posts on Jefferson Davis's book, just thought I look more into his life. An interesting thing I just learned is his relationship with Pope Pius IX. Apparently, there are several letters between Jefferson Davis and the Pope. The Vatican is suppose to have them along with letters from Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, Union operatives were openly recruiting mercenaries in Europe. Davis respectfully brought this to the Pope's attention. The Pope said he would help out which he did by contacting the bishops of Europe to help bring an end to this. Whatever they did or said, it apparently stopped.
In all their correspondence the Pope always referred to Davis as "His Excellency, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate State of America". According to the Catholic Knight site they suggest that even thought Pope Pius IX never officially recognized the Confederacy, this showed sympathy for the South. From this they say we can glean three things about the Pope:
"1. He called Jefferson Davis by the customary title "Honorable".
2. He acknowledged him as president of a nation.
3. In doing so, he (at least on a personal level) effectively recognized the Confederate States as a sovereign entity, separate from the United States of America."
When the North found out about this, the White House was not happy and wrote letter to the Pope. They did get back response from the Vatican that stated the Pope's letter to Davis did not amount to an "official" recognition in the "formal sense". Whatever that is suppose to really mean.
When Jefferson Davis was imprisoned after the war, he again heard from the Pope. The Pope sent Davis a portrait of Pope Pius IX , self autographed with words from Sacred Writ:
"if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me".
Also the Pope was suppose to have sent a crown of Jerusalem thorns hand-woven by the Pope's own hands.
These two items were given to the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana by Mrs. Davis after Jefferson Davis's death.
Also while Davis was in prison, a Rosary was sent to Davis by the nuns ( The Sisters of Charity) of Savannah, Georgia. These same nuns, who according to Mrs. Davis, "The sisters came to see me and brought me all the money they had, five gold dollars. They almost forced me to take the money, but I did not. They then offered to take my children to their school in the neighborhood of Savannah, where the air was cool and they could be comfortably cared for during the summer month". This is taken from another Catholic source, "The Richmond - Rome Connection".
I don't know if any one else has heard about these connections between Jefferson Davis and the Pope or if any one has been to the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum in New Orleans.
According to "The Catholic Knight, Pope Pius IX and the Confederacy", the Pope was a revered figure in the post war South. They state that General Robert E. Lee kept a portrait of the Pope in his house and referred to him as the South's only true friend during her time of need. Both Davis and Lee were Episcopalians, as were many Southerners before the war. That denomination had many things in common with Catholicism before the 20th century influence of Modernism.
In all their correspondence the Pope always referred to Davis as "His Excellency, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate State of America". According to the Catholic Knight site they suggest that even thought Pope Pius IX never officially recognized the Confederacy, this showed sympathy for the South. From this they say we can glean three things about the Pope:
"1. He called Jefferson Davis by the customary title "Honorable".
2. He acknowledged him as president of a nation.
3. In doing so, he (at least on a personal level) effectively recognized the Confederate States as a sovereign entity, separate from the United States of America."
When the North found out about this, the White House was not happy and wrote letter to the Pope. They did get back response from the Vatican that stated the Pope's letter to Davis did not amount to an "official" recognition in the "formal sense". Whatever that is suppose to really mean.
When Jefferson Davis was imprisoned after the war, he again heard from the Pope. The Pope sent Davis a portrait of Pope Pius IX , self autographed with words from Sacred Writ:
"if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me".
Also the Pope was suppose to have sent a crown of Jerusalem thorns hand-woven by the Pope's own hands.
These two items were given to the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana by Mrs. Davis after Jefferson Davis's death.
Also while Davis was in prison, a Rosary was sent to Davis by the nuns ( The Sisters of Charity) of Savannah, Georgia. These same nuns, who according to Mrs. Davis, "The sisters came to see me and brought me all the money they had, five gold dollars. They almost forced me to take the money, but I did not. They then offered to take my children to their school in the neighborhood of Savannah, where the air was cool and they could be comfortably cared for during the summer month". This is taken from another Catholic source, "The Richmond - Rome Connection".
I don't know if any one else has heard about these connections between Jefferson Davis and the Pope or if any one has been to the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum in New Orleans.
According to "The Catholic Knight, Pope Pius IX and the Confederacy", the Pope was a revered figure in the post war South. They state that General Robert E. Lee kept a portrait of the Pope in his house and referred to him as the South's only true friend during her time of need. Both Davis and Lee were Episcopalians, as were many Southerners before the war. That denomination had many things in common with Catholicism before the 20th century influence of Modernism.