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 Popes of the Holy Years: Pope Pius IX Scott 1144 (2000) The answer--it is not who you think! During a recent visit to the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History, where my brother Michael and I have been working as volunteers to help inventory the Museum’s Roman States collection, we came across a document which meshed two of my collecting interests: Roman States/Vatican philately and history, and the postal history of the fabled American warship, the USF (United States Frigate) Constitution. There is a long story to my Constitution connection, but I will leave that aside for the time being.  Sail Plan, USF Constitution From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain As we have been going through the voluminous Roman States archives, we came across a two-binder reference put together by Edward Fichter, a charter member of the Vatican Philatelic Society (VPS Member #9). Mr. Fichter donated a tremendous Roman States collection to the Spellman Museum over 50 years ago, and we have had the privilege of reviewing the stunning pieces of postal history that he compiled as a Roman States expert. One page in his reference binders showed a photo of Pope Pius IX, with a brief biography. Attached to the bottom of the page was a single copy US Scott 951, the stamp issued to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the launching of the USF Constitution in 1797. In addition, there was a cancelled block of four of the stamp (the block was cancelled aboard the Constitution on October 21, 1947, the first day of issue for the stamp). As always, we need to ask—what’s the connection?  USF Constitution, 150th Anniversary Issue (Scott 951, 1947) From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain Mr. Fichter provided a short history tying the pope to the ship. In 1849, the Constitution had been recommissioned to support the navy to protect US interests in the Mediterranean, during a period when rebellions were active across Europe and on the Italian peninsula. Early in his papacy, Pope Pius IX was forced to flee Rome, and for a period of time took exile in Gaeta. As it happened, the Constitution, having traveled around the Mediterranean for about six months, was moored in Gaeta Harbor on August 1, 1849. That afternoon, Pope Pius IX (along with King Ferdinand II of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies), was taken to the Constitution. The following account comes from an article in the “Naval History Magazine”, published by the US Naval Institute: ” Near noon [on August 1], the King and the Pope were rowed through the harbor in an ornate galley, passed Spanish, French, and British warships with their yards manned, and were received on board [the Constitution] with yards manned and a 21-gun salute for each…The King and the Pope visited every part of the ship. At the request of the Catholics in the crew, they were lined up on the gun deck and received the Pope’s benediction as the Pontiff walked among them…That done, the guests were led to the captain’s cabin for refreshment, where it became apparent that Pius IX was seasick! The surgeon prescribed for him and soon had him feeling better...[Later, the] dignitaries departed, after nearly three hours on board.”Mr. Fichter’s account concludes with the statement that Pope Pius IX’s visit to the USF Constitution made him the first (and perhaps the only) pope to step on a US Navy vessel (if anyone knows if a future pope has been on a ship of the US Navy, please let us know). The only other papal references to the US Navy include Pope John Paul II, who held a special audience for 800 sailors from the USS John F. Kennedy in 1984, and the recent report that Pope Leo XIV's father (Louis) served in the navy and participated in the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. The “Navy History” article takes the visit of Pope Pius IX to the USF Constitution a step further, stating: ”[The visit of Pope Pius IX to the USF Constitution] was the first time a pope set foot on U.S. territory [emphasis added]. A commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy has the same legal status as a piece of U.S. soil, in the same way any of its embassies around the world does.”Following the pope’s departure, the Constitution got underway later that afternoon, briefly spending time in Naples before proceeding southwest to Messina. As a show of appreciation, the Pope would send 150 rosaries to the Constitution's crew, along with a papal silver medal to the ship’s Captain, John Gwinn. Unfortunately, Captain Gwinn would die only one month after the papal visit of gastritis, while the vessel was stationed in Sicily. The USS Constitution Museum article found in the references provides the interesting back-story tied to the pope's visit to the Constitution, as well as a photo of one of the rosaries sent to the crew by the pope. So, the next time someone asks, “who was the first pope to set foot on American soil?”, don’t say “Pope Paul VI in 1965” (when he came to New York). Technically, the correct answer is “Pope Pius IX in 1849”, when he visited the iconic “Old Ironsides” in Gaeta Harbor. REFERENCES: |
