Lesbia Newman (1889)/Chapter 38
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
The Papacy in Trouble—The Pisa-Vitri Persecution.
Beatrice Pisa-Vitri, a handsome, young Roman widow of birth and fortune, had, up to the year 189—, been noted for her religious zeal, and her munificence toward the ancient Church with which she was connected, both by ties of kindred—her brother being a priest—and by her aristocratic family traditions. But at this date a change—or rather a development—took place gradually in her mind; she was seized by a desire to assert herself in matters hitherto held strictly ecclesiastical. This conduct on her part was met, first with mild remonstrance, then with open displeasure, reproof, and opposition from the clergy. The worse for them; their bigotry was as oil on the flame of Madame Pisa-Vitri’s ambition, and turned her former devotion into a deadly hostility. It did more than that, however: it opened her eyes to the degrading position assigned to her sex in religious matters, and made her, like the heroine of this story, a champion of the cause. One morning the reading world of Rome was surprised by the appearance of a bulky pamphlet bearing her name as authoress, and entitled ‘La Donna e la Chiesa,’ in which doctrines were propounded which might have been taken for a translation into Italian of those summarised by Lesbia’s friend in the preceding chapter. It had a rapid sale, first among her own friends, then among the élite of the society of Rome, then among the Italian public at large; eventually it was translated in French, and became the rage in Paris and other cities; finally it was done into English, and cheapened, and there was a heavy run upon it in London, and at all booksellers; and all this in less than a month. The book was a success, and a tremendous slap in the face to clerical authority, and to orthodoxy, clerical and lay.
The breach was now complete between Madame Pisa-Vitri and her once beloved Catholic Church; the work was put on the Index Expurgatorius, and the lesser excommunication was launched at the authoress herself. This was no more than she had calculated upon; but it roused the female society of which she was the brilliant centre; and enthusiastic meetings were held, where it was resolved that unless the papacy drew in its horns, and virtually apologised, the Roman ladies and women in general would henceforth refuse to attend mass or the confessional, and to visit or receive at their houses any of the clergy. Her brother expostulated with her, but all he got for his pains was being sternly forbidden the premises. Denunciation now raved from every pulpit against the rebellious daughters of the Church, but it was left for the present to rave away; for no one, as a rule, went to hear it, except scoffing males, who enjoyed it with grinning faces, and made scandalous scenes in the churches by lighting cigars in full view of the energetic preacher, which brought on a by no means sotto voce altercation with the suisses who attempted to turn them out.
Things had already reached this pass, when, as Madame Pisa-Vitri was passing in an open carriage through a crowd, a man shot at her with a revolver. The ball carried away a part of her mantilla, and then lodged harmless in the wall. Madame Pisa-Vitri did not start or utter a sound, but calmly turned her head with a nod and smile, indicating with outstretched arm the nearest lamp-post. On this, accordingly, the ruffian was instantly strung up by the crowd—the police keeping discreetly out of the way—in a manner which exposed him to derision and pelting during his long death-agony.
There was no proof that the wretch was other than a half insane fanatic, acting for his own hand; but suspicion that he had been suborned, fastened—very unjustly, no doubt—on a certain portion of the regular clergy. And, as the signora had a large number of friends in the national parliament, ministers were only too glad to avail themselves of this pretext to introduce measures which should give effect to the popular indignation. A bill, ostensibly for suppression of the Budget of Public Worship, was brought in, and carried by a large majority; but, in reality, its clauses went much further than mere disestablishment and disendowment. They were secretly laid before Madame Pisa-Vitri herself, and amended by her, certainly not in the direction of leniency. The principal were as follows: The whole revenues of the Church in Italy to be confiscated, and the Catholic places of worship to be closed until the priests belonging to them should marry; all preaching and lecturing by unmarried priests to be prevented, forcibly if necessary; the Vatican and St Peter’s to be taken possession of by the Government, and fitted up as a grand secular college for girls; lastly, military service was to be made compulsory upon seminarists as upon other youths; for this purpose, however, a special corps d’armée was to be created, en- rolling clerical members only; so that the burden might be made tolerable to the conscripts, so far at least to exempt them from herding with their social inferiors and laymen. As a set-off against this privilege, however, Madame Pisa-Vitri devised a uniform for the clerical corps, which at first was hardly to their taste.
Here the persecution was stayed for the present; but another measure, the expulsion of the papacy from the kingdom, and the outlawry of any of those expelled if they attempted to return without leave, was in reserve for future emergencies. It depended on the pleasure of Madame Pisa-Vitri; for the circumstances of the time had made her the de facto ruler.