The author deals on certain diplomatic reports that were presented to the Pope who was assuming his functions to inform him of the situation of the Holy See’s relations with certain countries. The practice began upon the assumption of Pius X (1903-1914) and continued with Benedict XV (1914-1922), who received one relating to Chile from the internuncius Enrico Sibilia. He emphasized the good relations with the government of Chile, but not with the Chilean Curia, which he described as infested with Gallicanism, which the clergy acquired in their formation in the Seminaries. Those Gallicanist manifestations dealt with the recursos de fuerza (finished in 1874), the consideration of the Pope as just a bishop, the derecho de presentación which implied certain understanding between Chile and the Holy See towards the designation of the Chilean Church’s most important apointments and the ill treatment that, in general, the papal representatives
had received, which he attributed to the action of the Chilean ecclesiastical leaders. As a solution, he suggested the signing of a Concordat in which these matters would be addressed and settled.
Keywords:
Holy See, Diplomatic relations between Chile and the Vatican, Gallicanism, Regalism, Derecho de presentación, Seminars, Recurso de fuerza
Salinas Araneda, C. (2022). Vatican reports on Chile at the beginning of the pontificate of Benedict XV: regalism and gallicanism. Revista Chilena De Historia Del Derecho, 2(26), Pág. 835–858. Retrieved from https://revistas.uchile.cl/index.php/RCHD/article/view/68332
