Peter Still Lives: The Church That Can’t Be Destroyed

In 1800, the Catholic Church appeared to be on the verge of collapse. Rome had been invaded, the Papal States seized, and Pope Pius VI had died as a prisoner in France. Yet the cardinals gathered in Venice and elected another successor of Peter: Pope Pius VII. Only two months after his election, Pius VII issued Diu Satis, declaring that Peter “lives in his successors” and that every attempt to overthrow the House of God is ultimately in vain. In this episode, we examine the historical circumstances behind the letter, Pius VII’s appeal to Pope St. Martin I and St. Irenaeus, and his defense of the Church founded upon Peter—the Rock against which the gates of hell will not prevail. We will also consider the remarkable fact that the Vatican was built upon ground once belonging to pagan Rome, with St. Peter’s Basilica standing over the burial place of the apostle himself. Pius VII would eventually live the principles of his own letter. Napoleon had him arrested and held prisoner in France, but after Napoleon’s downfall, the pope protected his family and helped send the priest through whom his former persecutor returned to the sacraments and received the last rites. Napoleon could imprison the pope, but he could not destroy the papacy—and when Napoleon finally fell, Peter’s successor still sought the salvation of his soul. Link to Diu Satis: https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius07/p7diusat.htm