Pope Pius IX Passport – Issued At The Vatican 1847

Pope Pius IX Passport – Issued At The Vatican 1847

What is quite interesting here is that a passport form was used of Pope Gregor XVI who past away just month before. His name was simply over labeled with his successor name Pius IX. Quite unusual and surely not often to find. The passport was issued to  Colonel Domenico Andrea Zuchini from Monte Castello. Issued and signed by an apostolic deputy. Very fine condition.

Pope Pius IX (13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878), born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, reigned as Pope from 16 June 1846 to his death in 1878. He was the longest-reigning elected pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving for over 31 years. During his pontificate, Pius IX convened the First Vatican Council (1869–70), which decreed papal infallibility, but the council was cut short due to the loss of the Papal States. Pius IX defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and conferred the title Our Mother of Perpetual Help on a famous Byzantine icon from Crete entrusted to the Redemptorists. He was also the last pope to rule as the Sovereign of the Papal States, which fell completely to the Italian Army in 1870 and were incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. After this, he was referred to – chiefly by himself – as the “Prisoner of the Vatican”. After his death in 1878, his canonization process was opened on 11 February 1907 by Pope Pius X and it drew considerable controversy over the years. It was closed on several occasions during the pontificates of Pope Benedict XV and Pope Pius XI. On 7 December 1954, Pope Pius XII re-opened the cause and Pope John Paul II proclaimed him Venerable on 6 July 1985. Together with Pope John XXIII, he was beatified on 3 September 2000 after the recognition of a miracle. Pius IX was assigned the liturgical feast day of February 7, the date of his death.

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