The Fundamental Statute for the Secular Government of the States of the Church was the constitution of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

conceded by Pope Pius IX as a result of the

1848 revolutions The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

. It was published on 14 March 1848. The statute provided for two legislative chambers. The first was to consist of members nominated for life by the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

and the second, of one hundred elected deputies. The laws adopted by these two chambers had first to undergo the scrutiny of the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are app ...

, before being submitted to the Pope for his assent or rejection. Ecclesiastical, or ecclesiastico-political, affairs were exempted from parliamentary interference. Also the parliament was required to abstain from the enactment of laws conflicting with criticism of the diplomatic and religious relations of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

with foreign powers.

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Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Papal States 1848 in law History of the Papal States Legal history of Vatican City {{statute-stub

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