The Case of Edgaro Mortara

In 1858, a scandal rocked Europe. The Vatican removed an eight year old  Jewish boy from his family and pope Pius IX raised him as a Catholic. The boy's name was Edgaro Mortara, and he would eventually become a  Catholic priest. The Vatican based its decision on the claims that the  boy's nurse had baptized him during a serious illness when he was one  year old, and that therefore he had a right to a Christian upbringing.  In an era of revolutionary change throughout Europe and the world,  non-Catholics were incensed, Jewish organizations mounted a campaign in  the press to have the boy returned to his family, and even Catholic  governments in France, Italy and Austria issued protests for Pius IX to  relent, but he refused. In this episode, we delve into why Pius IX  refused to return the child Edgaro Mortara to his parents, and its  lasting impact on the Church today.   Please subscribe to our podcast on Anchor and check out Controversies in Church History on our other platforms: LINKS: YouTube Website SOCIAL: Facebook Twitter