The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara

A story of the mad pope Pious ix and how and why he kidnapped a youjg Jewish boy qnd held him captive in the Vatican.

The story of Edgardo Mortara is a fascinating one,one which will hold on to you from start to finish. It is just another example of outdated church practices and the abuse of power inherent in the Roman Catholic church using the Jesuits as their strong arm.It is unfathomable that the so called inquisition was still operating into the middle to late 19th century and that little could be done about its decisions.For the Jews of Rome it was a nightmare.The story as its title implies involves the so called legal taking of children who were non catholic and raised as Catholic despite protestations from the families involved.It seems all it took according to church canon law was the baptism or at least the outline of one to make one Catholic no matter your pre-existing religion or age.Even an idiot if they knew the bones of the rite, said a prayer, sprinkled some water and their heart was in the right place was all it took to have it so. Never mind that the water wasn't blessed or the person was not a priest. This,if confirmed by the church usually via rumor, was all that was needed to come into your home and remove your child, by force if necessary and hide them away in some abbey forever if need be or at least until they were old enough to make up their own mind. By then the brainwashing had had its effect and good luck getting your child back.It was just that easy, plus taking an impressionable child out of a filthy,overcrowded ghetto and indulging him in the splendors of the church was hard to compete with for the average Jew.The Mortara family had gotten world wide support and made many pleas to the pope but all for nought despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The church stood firm and made an example of the child in question.This episode in church history polarized the world and Italy itself leading to the current country in question, greatly diminishing the papal power and reducing it to its current little state.It destroyed the family and the final outcome is rather melancholy.Kertzer did his homework and has produced a fine tome not only on this tragedy but of life in Italy at the time, a good history lesson in the political beginnings of the current Italy, an insightful look at the church,key players and the state of the Jewish people living there, plus it is all true which makes it even more palpable.Someday this will make a terrific movie if done right.To read this one can see the sillyness inherent in religion, the pain it has caused and continues to cause in the name of God.Reading this gives one pause and hopefully a chance to reconsider ones position on the subject of organized religion. Yes, this happened long ago but its lessons still apply.The Mortara saga will keep you involved and hopefully make you wary of giving any religious order too much power.Looking at the world around us and the problems in the Middle East the tale should be a warning to all that religion in any form can be dangerous if its power structure becomes authoritarian. If it does your ability to fight back despite world opinion being on your side make be moot.Look to the past in this story and be wary of things to come for it is quite possible that it could,given the right circumstances, again come to that. With an inquisitional type mentality who knows where it could lead.Think about the current religions who see no other,operate with the mindset of divine right and are willing to do whatever is required to assure its continued existence and are willing to kill those who oppose if need be.This I believe more than anything is the core lesson to be learned from this magnificent story. It is a history lesson for all to see the oppression religion, all religions can cause and the long term damage to society if left to their own devices.Read it and look at what did happen then,ask yourself could it happen again.Maybe not today but in the near future?,well yes, it's possible. Be very careful what you pray for.

Very used. Wasn’t expecting pristine but it was far short of that.

Fascinating story immersed in facts, historical records and statistics.The author reveals the depth of devastation visited upon the Mortara family, emotionally and financially, juxtaposed to the power and resources of the Church.To place the book in a contextual framework, Kertzer provides an overview of Jewish history in Italy. Furthermore, the author acquaints the reader with the inequities between the Jews in emancipated regions of Italy, and other countries in Europe, with the Jews residing under papal control.In addition to the Mortara case, and the subsequent tug of war for the child, the book delves into prejudices and conflicts between the Jewish community and the Church. Kertzer addresses the issue of conversions, forced or otherwise and the tenets of Church doctrine, and cites additional cases of Jewish children and adults, seized or held, by the Church. Kertzer also includes background material on the different popes, as well as a general history of the Church, and a general history of Italy that includes details of the Risorgimento movement (the unification of Italy).Equally, Kertzer offers details into the Enlightenment movement, which swept Italy and Europe, and the effect of Enlightenment upon religion, individual rights, parliamentary governments, Jewish communities, the Church, and the anachronistic views of the Church, which ironically helped shoe in change.In short, the book holds a treasure trove of valuable, engrossing information, all relevant to the Mortara case.

We are accustomed to viewing excellent documentaries on the TV and the big screen. It is nice to find a literary documentary just as enjoyable. The mid 19th century was an incredible time for change. Europe was adjusting to the post Napoleonic ideals of political and religious freedom. The United States was fighting against the secular immorality of slavery. Prussia was building a military machine to dominate Europe. Italy was struggling with a unification which would require shedding the medieval yoke of the Catholic Church. In the midst of these changes a 6 year old Jewish boy , Edgardo Mortara, is kidnapped within the Papal States under orders of the Inquisition. The charge is that the boy has been secretly baptized. The baptism cannot be undone and therefore the boy cannot continue to live with his Jewish parents. Governments from around the world protest the kidnapping and Pope Pius IX responds with traditional dogma. This is a wonderful researched narrative which brings together themes which will be of interest to Christians, Jews and any reader curious about the changing role of the Roman Catholic Church in this period of European history.The excellent DVD, "Secret Files of the Inquisition", (available from Amazon and Netflix) dramatizes part of this story and includes commentary by the author, David Kertzer.

there is much too much commentary and added narrative in this 'story'. unfortunately, like so many modern authors, the writer is extremely biased against the catholic church and tradition. it is complex story that needs to be understood in the context of the era which was contentious on all sides. that there are NO quotes from the man himself (mortara), hints that the author was afraid to be truthful to the story. the fact is he remained a priest devoted to the holy office for the rest of his life, and did not regret his extraordinary conversion to the faith.

This book deals with a little-known but enormously influential incident in Italy in the late 19th century. It is a fascinating depiction of the collision between the modern enlightenment and the last remains of the Middle Ages, in an extraordinary case of clerical kidnapping and international politics. The author's passion for the subject is evident, and on top of his thorough research (which includes extraordinary details in the coda) he has the skill to write with the compelling narrative of a novel - I could not put it down. Highly recommended.

I'd heard of Edgardo Mortara but did not know the details. The book, simply written, put me right.

The best book so far on this subject

Excellent so descriptive

the fall of the Papal States was not the end of a Papal State, which Mussolini put back in power, and kids are still not safe. The book is a solid history of the fall of the Papal States and the uniting of Italy (to the extent an Italy can or will be ever "united"), while also showing the wacky thinking of what organized religion can bring to bear on society and the harm it can cause. If you think the dangers of the Catholic Church came and went in mid-ages, keep in mind this horrendous story is from the mid-1860s and nothing seems to have changed since. Which is why this book is so full of vitality. I read it while actually walking around Bologna, giving the read an extra edge.