"Non expedit" in the politics of the Roman Catholic Church from Pius IX to Benedict XV

The article traces four stages of the transformation of the principle of "non expedit" from the moment of its official introduction by Pius IX in 1868 to its tacit "abolition" by Benedict XV in 1919. The principle of "non expedit" reflects the papal policy of the transitional period, which at first was characterized by a complete rejection of the political changes taking place on the Apennine Peninsula related to the unification of Italy under the rule of the Savoy Dynasty (March 17, 1861) and the loss of secular power by the pope after the conquest of Rome by Piedmontese troops (September 20, 1870). Initially, The Holy See hopes for an opportunity to reverse the development of events, seeking to block the participation of Italian Catholics in political processes. As state power strengthens, the Church begins to fight for the whole society, seeking to intercept the social agenda of the state and the growing mass movements of the left. At each of these stages, the principle of "non expedit" is an important tool for influencing society, which is considered either as a categorical prohibition, as a temporary pedagogical measure, or as a formal moment that is not mandatory. A new generation of Italian Catholics (Romolo Murri, Luigi Sturzo, Ernesto Buonaiuti, and others) is trying to find a new path for the development of church policy, seeking to reconcile historical realities with stalled church-state relations. In Italy, a favorable environment is developing for the dissemination of the ideas of Christian modernism, which makes the situation more difficult, as modernists bring the hermeneutics of crisis phenomena in church-state relations to a new, higher epistemological level. In these circumstances, the Church of Pius X mercilessly attacks the modernists, who have become the collective image of all the progressive forces of the Catholic world. Resorting to "non expedit", the Holy See excommunicates Romolo Murri and imposes the obligation of the "anti-modern oath". However, the proclamation of universal male suffrage in 1912 forced the Church to compromise and conclude the so-called "Gentiloni Pact" between liberals and Catholics. This means a transition to the stage of real politics, when the The Holy See, realizing the irreversibility of the changes that have taken place, begins to build new strategic scenarios, trying to actively explore the political space of the country.