Pope Francis has issued a message for the bicentenary of death of the Servant of God Pope Pius VII (1742-1823), who reigned from 1800 to 1823.
“In reexamining the life of this venerable Predecessor, a personality of profound faith, meekness, humanity and mercy, who distinguished himself for his competence and prudence in the face of those who impeded Libertas Ecclesiae [the liberty of the Church], feelings of gratitude and admiration emerge for the spiritual legacy he left behind and the evangelical frankness with which he sustained difficult trials during the 23 years of his Pontificate,” Pope Francis wrote in his message to Bishop Douglas Regattieri of Cesena-Sarsina, from whose region Pius VII hailed.
Pius VII was imprisoned and exiled by Napoleon’s forces in 1809 and triumphantly returned to Rome in 1814. He also restored the Society of Jesus in 1814, over 40 years after the institute’s suppression (1773)—a fact that Pope Francis, a Jesuit, did not mention in his message.