Abstract:
A new law which the Italian Parliament had passed in May 1871, ended the Pope's claim to temporal rights (pouvoir temporel) once and for all. Italian troops had entered in September the city of Rome despite of the protest of Pope Pius IX, who had asked France for help. This move ended the Pope's claim to temporal right. The image shows Basile, trying to convince the tired and worn out France to take up arms and help the Catholic Church in distress.
