Editing Pope Pius VIII (section)

== Papacy ==
{{Infobox popestyles
|image      = C o a Pius VIII.svg
|dipstyle   = [[His Holiness]]
|offstyle   = Your Holiness
|relstyle   = Holy Father
|deathstyle = None
}}

=== Election ===
{{main|1829 papal conclave}}
[[File:Pope Pius VIII.jpg|thumb|259x259px|Illustration of Pope Pius VIII]]
After the death of Pope Leo XII in 1829, Castiglioni, who had all the qualities and skills required to be pope, was again considered to be a major candidate, though was questioned due to his frail health and age. Despite these concerns, he was elected as pope in the papal conclave of 1829. Given that both Popes Pius VII and Leo XII had referred to him as Pius VIII, it seemed only suitable that it was the pontifical name that he chose. He was [[Papal coronation|crowned]] on 5 April 1829 by Cardinal [[Giuseppe Albani]].<ref name="CASTIGLIONI, Francesco Saverio (1761–1830)" />

Throughout the conclave, Cardinal Albani settled on proposing Castiglioni as a candidate for the papacy on the basis that his infirmities and age would see a short papacy in which he could persuade the ailing pontiff to hand over aspects of governance to himself. This was on the basis that Albani did not desire to be pope, but rather to be appointed as [[Cardinal Secretary of State]] in which he would hold power in terms of ecclesial governance. Albani approached Castiglioni with his offer, drawing up an agreement which Castiglioni signed without demur. With Castiglioni elected, Albani ended up being appointed to his desired posting.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pickle-publishing.com/papers/triple-crown-pius-viii.htm|title=Pope Pius VIII: Proceedings of the Conclave that led to his election|publisher=Pickle Publishing|date=2005|author=|accessdate=20 February 2022}}</ref>

When the conclave opened, the French cardinals were told that the French court would support seven cardinals for the papacy, which included Castiglioni. King [[Charles X of France|Charles X]] had a very positive opinion of Castiglioni, and favored either Castiglioni, [[Placido Zurla]], [[Emmanuele de Gregorio]], or Cesare Brancadoro to become pope. Castiglioni led in the first ballot with eleven votes, and on 4 March in his capacity as the [[Apostolic Penitentiary|Major Penitentiary]] distributed ashes to the cardinals since it was [[Ash Wednesday]]. While there were whispers of a faction supporting de Gregorio, a faction consisting of Cardinals Antonio Maria Frosini, Carlo Maria Pedicini, Antonio Palotta, Tommaso Maria Raimondo Leopoldo Arezzo, and [[Agostino Rivarola]] was said to have started shoring up support for Castiglioni. On 6 March, de Gregorio was still in the lead, with Castiglioni receiving fifteen votes in the afternoon scrutiny. Due to a series of controversies surrounding de Gregorio throughout the day, de Gregorio's votes had fallen on 7 March, while Castiglioni received fourteen in the morning and fifteen in the afternoon. On 14 March, Castiglioni received 20 votes in the morning and 23 in the afternoon, while fluctuating on 15 and 16 March. Castiglioni received 22 votes in the 20 March morning vote while [[Bartolomeo Pacca]]'s votes increased that afternoon from 11 to 19 in a bid to end the deadlock and elect a compromise candidate. Castiglioni's voting total remained the same on the following day.<ref name=SV>{{cite web|url=http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/SV1829.html|title=SEDE VACANTE 1829|publisher=|author=John Paul Adams|date=20 August 2015|accessdate=20 February 2022}}</ref>

In the morning vote on 23 March, he had received 24 votes and received 26 in the afternoon. Meanwhile, [[Pope Gregory XVI|Cappellari]] received 19 votes that had originally been cast for Pacca due to his supporters deciding upon him as an amenable compromise and because Pacca was officially [[Jus exclusivae|vetoed]]. On 24 March, Cardinals [[Carlo Oppizzoni]] and [[Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata]], from different factions, were both privately in agreement to canvass additional support for Castiglioni. While Cappellari received 22 votes in an indication that his candidacy was improving, Castiglioni received 23 votes while de Gregorio had sunk to two votes. On 26 March, in the afternoon scrutiny, de Gregorio had suddenly risen to 24 votes while Castiglione had sunk to 14 or 15. He sunk to 13 on 28 March, though the results changed on 30 March in which de Gregorio had secured 23 votes and Castiglioni had secured just over 25 in the morning, only for both candidates to sink in the afternoon scrutiny. On 31 March, he had secured 28 votes with a clear lead, and barely had two-thirds majority in the morning ballot. In the next ballot, Castiglioni was elected as pope with 47 votes.<ref name=SV/>

=== Liberalism and Biblical translations ===
As Pope Pius VIII, he initiated some reforms in the [[Papal States]]. On 24 May 1829 he issued an [[encyclical]], ''[[Traditi humilitati]]''. Regarding religious pluralism, he condemned the "foul contrivance of the sophists of this age" that would place Catholicism on a par with any other religion. Regarding Bible translations, he wrote in that encyclical:
{{blockquote|We must also be wary of those who publish the Bible with new interpretations contrary to the Church's laws. They skillfully distort the meaning by their own interpretation. They print the Bibles in the vernacular and, absorbing an incredible expense, offer them free even to the uneducated. Furthermore, the Bibles are rarely without perverse little inserts to ensure that the reader imbibes their lethal poison instead of the saving water of salvation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ewtn.com/library/ENCYC/P8TRADIT.HTM#5 |title=TRADITI HUMILITATI (On His Program for the Pontificate): Pope Pius VIII |publisher=Eternal Word Television Network |access-date=16 February 2016}}</ref>}}

On 25 March 1830, in the [[Papal brief|brief]] ''Litteris altero'', he condemned the masonic secret societies and modernist biblical translations.{{cn|date=August 2024}} 

A further letter of pastoral concern sent to the Upper Rhineland bishops, which Pius wrote at the end of June 1830, is referred to by his successor [[Pope Gregory XVI|Gregory XVI]] in the latter's [[papal brief]] ''[[Quo graviora (1833)|Quo Graviora]]'' of 1833. Gregory refers to a request for information on the bishops' actions in response, which he says "though three years have elapsed", had not yet been received.<ref>Gregory XVI, [https://www.papalencyclicals.net/greg16/g16quogr.htm Quo Graviora: On the Pragmatic Constitution], paragraphs 1-2, accessed 5 December 2023</ref>

===Marriage===
Pius accepted the situation on [[interdenominational marriage|mixed marriage]]s between Protestants and Catholics in Germany, but he opposed changes in Ireland and Poland, which were still strongly Catholic. In his brief ''Litteris altero abhinc'', he declared that a mixed marriage could only be blessed by a priest if proper promises had been made to educate the children of the marriage as Catholics.<ref name=ce>Löffler, K. (1911). [https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12134a.htm Pope Pius VIII]. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 16, 2016.</ref> However, the brief also which allowed priests to offer "passive assistance" at a mixed marriage ceremony when the non-Catholic party declined to make the oath providing for the children of the marriage to be brought up as Catholics. The provision for "passive assistance" meant that a priest could conduct a wedding, acting as a witness, but the marriage would not be blessed or seen as a [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|sacrament]].<ref>Berg, S. M., [https://repository.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1263&context=gradschool_theses In the shadow of Josephinism: Austria and the Catholic Church in the Restoration, 1815-1848], [[Louisiana State University]], ''LSU Scholarly Repository'', p. 72, published August 2010, accessed on 15 August 2024</ref>

===Organisation of Catholic dioceses===
The [[Holy See]]'s website refers to three papal briefs ("breve") bearing the name ''Inter multiplices'':<ref>Holy See, [https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-viii/en.html Pius VIII], accessed 16 January 2024</ref>
*a brief of 15 May 1829 establishing the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Mobile|Diocese of Mobile]], at that time covering the states of [[Alabama]] and [[Florida]].<ref>Pius VIII, [https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-viii/it/documents/breve-inter-multiplices-15-maggio-1829.pdf Inter multiplices], 15 May 1829 (in Italian), accessed 8 May 2024</ref>
*a brief of 11 August 1829 separating the pastoral care of [[Prince Edward Island]] (PEI), [[New Brunswick]] and the [[Magdalen Islands]] in Canada from the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec|Diocese of Quebec]], creating a [[Diocese of Charlottetown|new episcopal see]] based in [[Charlottetown|Charlottetown, PEI]].<ref>Pius VIII, [https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-viii/it/documents/breve-inter-multiplices-11-agosto-1829.pdf Inter multiplices], 11 August 1829 (in Italian), accessed 8 May 2024</ref>
*a brief of 4 September 1829 separating the territory of [[Cape Breton Island|Cape Breton]] from the Diocese of Quebec and placing it in the care of the [[Apostolic vicariate|Apostolic Vicar]] of [[Nova Scotia]].<ref name=cb>Pius VIII, [https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-viii/it/documents/breve-inter-multiplices-4-settembre-1829.html Inter multiplices], 4 September 1829 (in Italian), accessed 21 May 2024</ref>
In the last of these letters, he wrote that his concern for "the state of the [[Diocese in the Catholic Church|Dioceses]] distributed over the entire earth" occupied a place second to none among his cares.<ref name=cb />

===Consistories===
{{main|Cardinals created by Pius VIII}}
[[File:PioVIII.jpg|thumb|289x289px|Painting of Pius VIII by [[Ferdinando Cavalleri]]]]
Pius VIII also held three [[Papal consistory|consistories]] in which he elevated a total of six men into the cardinalate. He held these ceremonies on 27 July 1829, 15 March 1830 and 5 July 1830.<ref>Miranda, Salvador. [http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/consistories-xix.htm#PiusVIII Consistories for the creation of Cardinals: 19th Century (1800–1903)] ''The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church'', Web. Retrieved 16 February 2016.</ref> Pius VIII also nominated eight cardinals "''[[in pectore]]''" in the March 1830 consistory, however, he never publicly revealed the names before his death hence rendering the appointments moot.

===Beatifications===
He canonized no saints during his brief pontificate but he [[Beatification|beatified]] two individuals. On 23 December 1829 he beatified [[Benincasa da Montepulciano]], and on 4 March 1830 he beatified [[Chiara Gambacorti]]. Pius VIII proclaimed Saint [[Bernard of Clairvaux]] a [[Doctor of the Church]] on 20 August 1830, titling him as "''Doctor mellifluus''" ("Mellifluous Doctor").

=== Other activities ===
[[File:Pie VIII porté dans la basilique de Saint-Pierre à Rome, by Horace Vernet, 1829.jpg|thumb|right|200px|1829 painting by [[Horace Vernet]] of Pius VIII in the ''[[Sedia gestatoria]]'']]
Pius' brief pontificate saw the [[Catholic Emancipation]] in the United Kingdom and the [[July Revolution]] in France, which occurred in 1829 and 1830, respectively. Pius VIII recognised [[Louis Philippe I]] (1830–48) as French king and allowed him to use the French king's customary title "Roi Très Chrétien", which means "His Most Christian Majesty".<ref name="Papal Profile: Pope Pius VIII">{{cite web |url = http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com/2012/06/papal-profile-pope-pius-viii.html |title = Papal Profile: Pope Pius VIII |date=4 June 2012 |website=The Mad Monarchist |access-date = 20 February 2016}}</ref>

Also of remarkable importance to the future is a letter of his to a French bishop, in which he allowed the taking of moderate [[interest]] (under the principle of foregoing a profit by investing the lent capital; see ''[[Vix pervenit]]'' for the discussion of the topic).<!-- I had been thinking that this can be found in Ferdinand Elger, Lehrbuch der katholischen Moraltheologie. What ''can'' be found in Elger is that an answer to a dubium, by the Penitentiary, not the Pope in person, was issued in the reign of Pope Pius VIII, and later a statement of Pope Gregory XVI. It still seems the letter of Pope Pius VIII to a French bishop which made the Holy See's stand clear, with the latter concurring, but I cannot at the moment find it. !-->

Being, at that time, head of the Papal States, he remained popular for decades for removing the so-called ''cancelletti'' (grids) from the taverns, which Leo XII had ordered to be put there to hinder the consumption of wine unless accompanied by a meal. A poem was written about him that ran thus:{{quote|"Allor che il sommo Pio / comparve innanzi a Dio / gli domandò: Che hai fatto? / Rispose: Nient'ho fatto. / Corresser gli angeletti: / Levò i cancelletti."}}which in English roughly reads: At the time when the highest Pius / approached God in the highest / He asked him: What have you got done? / He answered: "There's nothing I've got done." / But the angels present knew better: / "He cancelled the cancelletter".<ref>As represented in one of the books of the ''Concerto Romano'' cycle. <!-- The ''Concerto Romano'' cycle consists of the books "Concerto romano", "Fantasia romana", "Sinfonia vaticana", "Cantanta romana". The quote is ''probably'' in the first of these; pagenumber to follow. Here in the comment, it may be allowed to acknowledge the source where the writer of these lines refreshed his memory about the poem, which is a blog called "Riciclaggio della memoria". !--></ref>

=== Health and death ===
[[Image:Monument to Pope Pius VIII.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Monument and Tomb in Saint Peter's Basilica]]
Pius VIII was in very poor health during most of his papacy. He became very ill in early November 1830, developing [[fistulas]] on his neck and knee while his entire body became covered with [[pustules]], which the doctors were able to manage by 15 November. Pius VIII became seriously ill again on 23 November, had difficulties in breathing for the following three nights, and was given the [[Viaticum]] on 28 November and the [[Extreme Unction]] later that day at 9:30pm.<ref name="Papal Profile: Pope Pius VIII"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/SV1830.html|title=Sede Vacante 1830-1831|date=15 August 2015|access-date=20 January 2019}}</ref> He died on 30 November 1830 at the age of 69 in the [[Quirinal Palace]] in Rome.

Certain theories have emerged suggesting that Pius VIII was poisoned, but no proof has been found to verify this claim.<ref name="Papal Profile: Pope Pius VIII"/>

Cardinal [[Camillo di Pietro]] gave the funeral oration for the late pope, before the cardinals entered the conclave to choose a successor. Pius VIII was succeeded by [[Pope Gregory XVI]].