Il Papato in America [The Pope in America]
- Title:
- Il Papato in America [The Pope in America]
- Alternate Title:
- [The Pope in America]
- Collection:
- Persuasive Maps: PJ Mode Collection
- Creator:
- Galantara, Gabriele ("Ratalanga")
- Date:
- 1908
- Posted Date:
- 2024-04-25
- ID Number:
- 2483.01
- File Name:
- PJM_2483_01.jpg
- Style/Period:
- 1900 - 1919
- Subject:
- Bias
Religion
Satirical
Pictorial
Money & Finance - Measurement:
- 31 x 23 (centimeters, height x width)
- Notes:
- This stinging attack on the Pope appeared in L'Asino (The Donkey), the first magazine of political satire following the rise of Italian mass press in the 19th century. The magazine was founded in 1892 by Gabriele Galantara (pen name "Ratalanga") and Guido Podrecca ("Goliardo") with a decidedly anti-establishment bent. It's title and motto are from an Italian saying that "the donkey is like the people: useful, patient and stubborn." In 1901, L'Asino turned its sights on the Church, including particularly Pope Pius X, using "fierce and often crude" caricatures and "a striking armory of invective and calumny." Davis 2000, 113.
The collection includes two very similar illustrations published months apart in 1908 portraying the Pope with his arms encircling the globe. ID #2601 was published on January 5, the first issue of the year. It shows a donkey atop the globe spreading copies of the magazine throughout the world as an angry, frustrated Pope looks on. The illustration is captioned "The Program of L'Asino," and beneath it the assurance that "In the new year, the Donkey will continue to spread the truth throughout the world in spite of the papal lies of the Roman church."
This illustration, ID #2483, was published on May 19. It shows a smirking Pope with his hands around the globe about to encircle a dozing Uncle Sam, who is surrounded by money bags. The caption explains, "Since Europeans have opened their eyes, let's go to the United States, where we will find people sleeping and a lot of money." A parenthetical elaborates, "from the Encyclical not yet published," a reference to a major change in Rome's relationship with the U.S. that was in fact announced shortly thereafter. During the 19th century, the American church was in "missionary status," supported financially by and under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in Rome. But by the turn of the century, the nation was a substantial net financial contributor to the Church, and in early July 1908 Pope Pius X "removed" that jurisdiction, proclaiming that America "takes its place among the fully equipped unities of the world wide Church." Ryan 1945, 171; Aloysius 1954, 201; New York Times, July 7, 1908, p.5.
Although it was banned from the Vatican, L'Asino's anti-clerical message found a large popular audience. Its circulation rose to 60,000 in 1904 and 100,000 by 1912. Davis 2000, 113. It was distributed in the U.S. by S. F. Vanni, an Italian bookstore at 548 West Broadway in the West Village of Manhattan. Recognizing L'Asino's wide readership among Italian immigrants, the Papal Nuncio to the U.S. convinced the authorities in 1908 to ban its import as allegedly pornographic. The magazine simply began printing an edition in New York, and the ban was lifted the following year. In 1925, the Italian Fascist Party finally shut down the publication, succeeding where the Church had failed. Italian-Language American Imprints, The James Periconi Collection, https://italianamericanimprints.omeka.net/items/show/421, accessed December 8, 2021.
For other maps in the collection attacking the Church, Search > "Catholic."
Cornell University Library is pleased to present this digital collection of Persuasive Maps, the originals of which have been collected and described by the private collector PJ Mode. The descriptive information in the “Collector’s Notes” has been supplied by Mr. Mode and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cornell University. - Source:
- L'Asino [The Donkey], May 19, 1908.
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- For important information about copyright and use, see http://persuasivemaps.library.cornell.edu/copyright.