The Alleged Mortara Kidnapping Case: A Defense of the Catholic Church

This eight-page pamphlet, published anonymously in New York City on November 29, 1858, defends the Catholic Church's actions in the Edgardo Mortara case. The pamphlet, inscribed "With the compliments of 'Fair Play'" argues for the "liberty of a child of being a Christian and not forced compulsorily to be a Jew." It portrays the Pope's intervention as a "grandest moral spectacle." The case involved Edgardo Mortara, a Jewish boy baptized by his Catholic nanny, who was subsequently taken from his family by Papal authorities to be raised Catholic. The pamphlet represents a contemporary perspective on a highly controversial event that fueled anti-Catholic and antisemitic sentiments in the United States and Europe.

Associated People/Businesses

• Mortara, Pio, 1851-1940

Geography

• New York City

Subjects

• Antisemitism
• Catholic Church
• Relations
• Judaism
• Freedom of religion

Physical Location

Arc.MS.56, Box 14, Folder 10