I Became The Crown Prince Of The Mexican Empire - Chapter 165



Only Noblemtl

The Mexican Church in the mid-19th century was hardly clean, although it did not sell indulgences.

They were large landowners who owned vast tracts of land and had numerous peons as serfs. Many of the priests enjoyed luxurious lives.

The Mexican Empire citizens were not unaware of this either. All the workers in their mid-thirties or older who are now working for various companies had once worked on farms. Among them, there were many who had worked on church land.

These were things that would have been hushed up if they hadn’t been brought up, but now the situation was such that that could no longer happen.

In late January, when clergy across the country were fiercely opposing the secularization bill.

A poster was hung in Mexico City.

He gave his name as Mateo Salazar and put up posters all over the city for people to see.

“Isn’t this a bit dangerous? Openly criticizing the entire Mexican church?”

“Hmm… I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Matero Salazar’s 21 Theses, modeled after Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, had fewer but was more explicit and critical.

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Based on his love for truth and his desire for the reform of the Church, Mateo Salazar, professor of humanities at the Imperial University of Morelia and supporter of the secularization movement, would like to discuss the issues raised in the following article.

If it is difficult to meet and discuss with me in person, I urge you to participate in the debate even through letters. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

1. Freedom of religion means the freedom of an individual to choose and practice his or her own faith, and does not mean the freedom of the church to intervene in the running of the state. True freedom of religion can be guaranteed within a secular state.

2. It is true that the traditions of the church have had a positive influence on society, but their role should be limited to the spiritual dimension. A church that is in collusion with secular power will lose its moral authority and the trust of its believers.

3. The nationalization of church property is intended to ensure that the property is used for the public good as originally intended. The current situation in which clergy who have fallen into luxury and corruption use the property as their personal property is rather unjust.

4. The social service function of the church is acknowledged, but it does not justify the privileges of the church. The secular government can also sufficiently perform that role.

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9. Is it really in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ for priests to live in luxurious houses with many servants and enjoy a luxurious life? He was with the poor and taught them to value the soul over material things.

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15. The Catholic Church in Mexico owns more haciendas than all the large landowners combined, and it is forcing labor on farms by producing countless peons through high-interest loan programs. This shows that the Church is functioning as a large landowner, and is far from its identity as a spiritual community.

16. In many dioceses of Mexico, there is material competition and factional fighting over the positions of bishops. Hasn’t the position of spiritual leader been reduced to a position of honor and privilege?

17. There are persistent rumors that there are many corrupt people among the clergy who indulge in wine and women. As the illegitimate child of a clergyman, I confess that these rumors are true. If those who should be models of morality and abstinence are addicted to worldly pleasures, who will trust the Church?

···(omitted)

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The first part of the rebuttal was a rebuttal to the Catholic Church’s objections to the secularization law, but the second part was a blunt accusation of the corruption and depravity of the Mexican Catholic Church and its clergy.

It was so true that it was fatal. Any dishonest priest would turn red in the face after reading it.

“Huh? Over there···”

“Surely…they are removing the posters directly from the church?”

It was ugly.

The sight of him tearing down the poster with a pale face.

Despite the ugly efforts, the poster’s content spread like wildfire throughout the Mexican Empire.

It had a similar format to Martin Luther’s rebuttals, but was filled with even more provocative content. In the middle, he even confessed that he was the illegitimate child of a priest, so it was an incident that would make the media go crazy.

***

The enforcement of the secularization law has begun.

Treasury officials, with the support of the police and military, began to confiscate church property.

“Stop!”

“This is religious persecution!”

The clergy protested and shouted, but the response from the congregation was lukewarm.

This is because the perception changed due to Matteo’s 21 theses. Most believers thought that the situation was closer to ‘the church and clergy who do not want to lose the vested rights they have enjoyed for a long time’ than the perception that ‘the church and clergy who are being unjustly oppressed by the oppressive government’ that the clergy wanted.

“It’s not like they blocked the entrance to the church, they confiscated the mansion, so this is a bit of religious persecution…”

As I watched, that perception became even more severe.

Because the amount of wealth coming from the mansion and the warehouse attached to the mansion was beyond imagination.

“Load them all onto the cart!”

“Wow… how much is all that?”

“This is truly a treasure trove.”

“Don’t come near the cart!”

The police reacted sensitively.

That is to be expected, as not only grains but also luxury goods such as paintings, jewels, and precious metals were endlessly produced.

So much so that the rationality of the citizens watching might be temporarily paralyzed.

Mid-February.

The news the church had been waiting for arrived.

To resolve this issue, Archbishop Gioacchino Pecci was once again sent to Mexico.

“···If I had known this would happen, I would have stayed in Mexico.”

The incident occurred the day after he left Mexico and had to cross the Atlantic again as soon as he arrived in Europe. He looked quite angry.

“That’s right.”

Bishop Ballesteros had been slightly restrained by Archbishop Pecs when he came to the coronation, but this time he felt as if he had gained a thousand troops.

The news he brought was good news for the Mexican Catholic Church, which had been suffering unilaterally.

“First, let us proceed with the ordination ceremony of the Archbishop of Mexico.”

When the Mexican Empire, which had put in the effort to send an archbishop to the coronation, immediately struck him in the back of the head, the Vatican hurriedly filled the vacant position of Archbishop of Mexico. The person who was appointed was Bishop Ballesteros, who was acting as vicar.

The investiture ceremony was a quick affair. The Papal Bull appointing the new archbishop was issued, and the pallium, a symbol of the archbishop’s authority, was given to him.

That wasn’t all.

Pope Pius IX issued a special encyclical criticizing the Mexican Empire’s secularization laws and urging resistance to them.

“How foolish. Is the Pope still living in the Middle Ages?”

These were the words of a member of the Imperial Party.

As he said, the days when even emperors would tremble at the Pope’s words are over.

The criticism contained in the special encyclical sent by the Pope was not much different from the Mexican Catholic Church’s claims. It was already refuted in Mateo’s rebuttal.

“I think this level of measure is not enough.”

Archbishop Pechi also felt the lack of action.

There were still a number of coins that the Vatican could use.

About 800 years ago, there was still an excommunication that even the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV, knelt before.

‘If you do that, you have to completely overturn the bill.’

If he fails to do so, the authority of the Pope will fall to the ground, Archbishop Pechi thought.

‘but···.’

If you are going to excommunicate, you should excommunicate the emperor. If you excommunicate a prime minister or a member of parliament ambiguously, it will be widely known that the pope is scared.

But would excommunication really work on the emperor? Would he feel pressured enough to overturn a law that had already been passed? Archbishop Pecs was skeptical about this question.

“The excommunication is too dangerous.”

After much deliberation, Archbishop Pechi concluded:

“But… if not, then there’s nothing I can do.”

Archbishop Ballesteros said.

“There is a way. However, the Archbishop must decide how far he is willing to go.”

***

The Austrian Empire was active.

They issued a statement of strong criticism and even resolved to impose trade sanctions.

It was at the request of the Vatican.

Immediately after receiving the Mexican communication, the Vatican asked leading Catholic countries, including the French Republic, the Austrian Empire, and the Spanish Republic, to support the Mexican Church and criticize the secularization law.

France and Spain were lukewarm, partly because they were well aware of the power of the Mexican Empire, but also because they too had pursued or were pursuing secularization.

In France, during the French Revolution, church privileges were already abolished and church property was nationalized. During Napoleon’s reign, the country made peace with the Vatican and signed the Concordat (a treaty of orthodoxy), but when the Second French Republic was established, the principle of separation of church and state was stipulated in the constitution. Therefore, it was not in a position to criticize secularization.

The Spanish Republic was similar. They were currently pursuing secularization.

Only the Austrian Empire, which had been secularizing in the late 19th century but had restored some church privileges under the Metternich regime, had the will to confront the Mexican Empire and the justification to criticize the secularization laws.

“Are you just going to sit here and watch everything be taken away from you?”

“Didn’t Austria also say they would provide support!”

“···”

Before the secularization law, bishops who had pretended to be faithful at least on the surface threw away their masks when their property began to be confiscated.

“There are still many citizens who support us, and there are generals who have influence. Why are you hesitating?”

“The landlords will help too. If we get cut off, they’ll be next.”

“That’s right. And Britain, Austria’s ally, is also offering to help.”

Archbishop Ballesteros began to wonder whether the bishops were fearless or whether he himself was fearful.

The surrounding bishops, the Vatican, and even the Austrian Empire all incited him.

Let’s go against the emperor.

At first I thought it was nonsense, but with continued persuasion I gradually changed my mind.

The bishops were blinded by anger, greed, and presumption, and the Austrian Empire and the Papacy were the ones who urged them to do so, but when everyone else urged them to do so, the archbishop gave in.

“···But they are not sending troops, and at best they are providing supplies.”

“That’s enough. If our generals rise up, the believers will flock to us. If we add the supplies from the British and Austrian Empires, wouldn’t it be worth fighting?”

“That’s right. There’s no need to capture the Emperor directly anyway. If we really show our power, even the Emperor will have no choice but to try to talk.”

“···”

If they really fought, they would be seen as traitors who would do good to the Austrian Empire and the British Empire, but those blinded by their desire to protect their vested interests could not see that.

To others, it looked like he was contemplating whether or not to jump off a cliff, but the archbishop mistakenly believed that he had to make a decision that would save the Church in Mexico.

Fear of losing his power and wealth, anger at the emperor, and a sense of duty to protect his religion all drove his decision. Behind the pretext of doing it for everyone, the archbishop was trying to convince himself that his personal desire to protect his vested interests was the best he could do.

If you hide your malice, anger, and desire behind you, and package it all as a matter of religious belief, the conclusion to your suffering was set in stone.

“Yeah. Sometimes you have to make choices that seem reckless.”