The episode begins by noting that on March 21, 1800, Pope Pius VII was crowned in Venice in an extraordinary ceremony using a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché. This occurred because French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte had invaded Rome, captured the previous Pope Pius VI, and taken him to France where he died in 1799. The sede vacante period lasted about six months due to the volatile political climate. The conclave to elect a new Pope was held not in the Sistine Chapel in Rome but in the Benedictine monastery of San Giorgio in Venice. Conclaves were mandated by Pope Gregory X to isolate cardinals from political interference during papal elections. In this unusual conclave, the Benedictine monk and theologian Barnabas de Tocqueville was appointed as Pope, but Chiaro Monti was elected Pope on March 14, 1800, taking the name Pius VII in honor of his predecessor. He was crowned a week later in the adjacent monastery church. The French had seized the tiaras held by the Holy See when occupying Rome. The papal tiara is a crown worn by Popes from as early as the 8th century, last used by Pope Paul VI in 1963. By the 14th century, it had a three-tiered form and was placed on the Pope's head during coronation. When Popes assumed temporal power, the crown was decorated with jewels, but by 1963, it was seen as an outdated embarrassment as the Church moved away from earthly power. The tiara still appears on the coats of arms of the Holy See and the Vatican City flag. Pius VII left Venice for Rome on a barely seaworthy Austrian ship called the Bellona. He initially took a cautious approach with Napoleon, signing the Concordat of 1801 to guarantee religious freedom for Catholics in France after the French Revolution. In 1804, Pius VII was present at Napoleon's coronation as Emperor of France, where Napoleon crowned himself while the Pope recited the coronation formula. A commemorative coin was minted with Pius VII on one side and Notre Dame on the other, dated with both Gregorian and French revolutionary calendars. In 1809, Napoleon invaded the Papal States, resulting in his excommunication, and Pius VII was taken prisoner to France until Napoleon's defeat. Upon returning to Rome, he was greeted as a hero. It is recorded that while imprisoned in France, Pius VII celebrated Mass and entered a trance, levitating in a manner that drew wonder from French soldiers guarding him. He was also a shrewd political operator; during the United States' First Barbary War, he declared that the U.S. had done more for Christianity than powerful Christendom nations. Recently, Pope Benedict XVI has opened the beatification process for him. The episode ends with a preview of the next episode on Jonathan Edwards.
