Tuesday, June 16, 2026

It is the 16th of June 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Today’s show is brought to you by the word: Ultramontanism. Yes, you can use it to impress your friends or confound your enemies. What is it you ask? It means- “over the mountains”- and it’s a reference in the church to those who would seek guidance and find their authority “over the mountains”— that is, not at home. Which mountains? The Alps are to the north of them, and Rome is on the other side. In other words, Ultramontanism refers to a movement that seeks to place more authority in the Bishop of Rome, or the Pope. It’s always been an idea helped by certain Catholics- but it’s probably also the best word to use if you want to understand one of the most significant Popes of all time- he was Pope Pius IX- called Pio Nono, the longest ruling Pope in history, and the one whose papacy forever changed the Catholic Church and would affect her relations with other bodies.

That Pio Nono would become the center of conservative Ultramontanism, and opposed to liberalism, democracy, and other Enlightenment ideas bleeding into the 19th century, would have seemed absurd. When Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti was elected Pope on this, the 16th of June in 1846, no one would have guessed that his would be not only the longest, but one of the most conservative Papacies of the modern era. He was young, 55, and prone to excitement and the trappings of modernity. He made plans for the first railway system in Rome as well as gas streetlights. He was patriotic- a nationalist who seemed to support Italian unification. His predecessor suspected that not only was he a liberal, but even his cats were also liberal. And the first years of his Papacy suggested a new, modern Pope.

But 1848 had a way of accelerating everything. The great year of Revolutions around the globe made Pope Pius IX, Pio Nono, uncomfortable. His response, perhaps reactionary, was to condemn the nationalistic and democratic tendencies and to urge Catholics to follow their local princes. Once seen as a liberating pope, he was now condemned by progressive Europeans, and when his lay Prime Minister was assassinated in late 1848, it led to the Pope, disguised as a regular priest, escaping the Vatican and going into self-exile in Gaeta. As the Roman Republic was proclaimed, he condemned it, and the once darling of the cosmopolitan European elite, the Pope, was their conservative foe. He didn’t help his case with the scandalous story of Edgaro Montara. Montara was born to Jewish parents but secretly baptized as a baby when his catholic nurse performed an emergency baptism as he was very sick. Under Papal law, the child could not be raised Jewish and came under the care of Pio Nono, who raised him as his own despite the pleas from his parents.

He would go on to define the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in his Ineffabilis Deus. This is the dogma that Mary was born without original sin, which was formalized, and one can trace the Marian emphasis- including visions and visitations- from this time. He also published the Syllabus of Errors- this document would link his name to Ultramontanism- to a condemnation of democratic reform, liberalism, and localism.

The dissent and conversation over the Syllabus of Errors led, in part, to the calling of the Vatican Council (today called Vatican I in light of its successor). And it was at this council that the doctrine of Papal Infallibility was cemented. My fellow Protestants, please note: as with the Immaculate Conception, these doctrines were not “invented” in the 19th century- the ideas had been present but never formalized. As for Papal Infallibility, it was defined as a special charism whereby the pope is kept from error when he is speaking definitively as the universal shepherd from the seat (or, Ex Cathedra) of Peter on faith and morals. The codification of it, still, was another step towards Ultramontanism.

He would furthermore consecrate the “Sacred Heart of Jesus” (see Monday’s show) and proclaim Joseph as the patron of the Universal church (after all, if Mary is getting a bump, so too should her husband). All of this can happen when you are the longest ruling Pope in history, and amidst the radical change and reaction to it in the 19th century. Pio Nono would die on February 7th, 1878- 31 years after being elected Pope on this day in 1846.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and 2 Thessalonians 2:

13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 16th of June 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man suspicious of liberal cats- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who is concerned that his dog, Pedro, might be trending libertarian… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.