The Roman Question

Papal rule in Italy comes under sharp scrutiny in Edmond About's political study, written after travelling through the Papal States and speaking with people of differing opinions. In his preface, dated May 1859, About describes turning his observations into a sustained argument about the Pope's authority as a ruler. He distinguishes religious belief from civil government, questioning the concentration of legal and administrative powers in clerical hands.

The chapters range across social classes, education, foreign occupation, material interests and public finances. In the excerpts, complaints about spending and public works sit alongside accounts of passport restrictions, lengthy lawsuits and the treatment of political prisoners. About writes with irony and openly acknowledges the heat of his argument. Readers interested in European history and the relationship between church and state will find a pointed contemporary account of how government affected daily life, presented through the observations and judgments of a committed critic.