It should not be forgotten that the Vatican as well as Europe was kepping a eye on the United States. Or at this time still Catholicism had a Southern flair to it and up to this point had been a mostly Southern Church. Jefferson Davis would have been on their radar for some time. He was friendly to Catholics , and in fact in school begged to convert, and of course was Senator from a State that had early historic Catholic ties.

I expect the appreciation that the Pope is showing has a lot to do that Jefferson , like Lincoln and his successor, were very vocal in opposing the Know Nothing movement in the 1850s

The interaction of the Vatican with the Confederate States , contrary to myth there was never an official recognition, had more to do with the Vatican wanting to end a war that destructive to their flock on both sides and the fact that the Vatican of course wanted to have Confederate Catholic Soliders tended to in the field.

JH
http://www.opinionatedcatholic.blogspot.com

Glad to hear that you found this to be of some interest. I would remind you and everyone else, however, that it does not necessarily represent a final word on the subject. Research is being carried out by a number of different parties so I suspect that we will learn more in the near future.

Thanks for the additional information. You may be right that the Pope viewed Davis as a kindred spirit. It's an interesting story that I suspect most people know little about.

Legacy

Pius IX celebrated his silver jubilee in 1871, going on to have the longest reign in the history of the post-apostolic papacy, 31 years, 7 months and 23 days. As he lost temporal sovereignty, the Roman Catholic Church rallied around him, the papacy became more centralized, to which his personal life-style of simplicity and poverty is considered to have contributed.[112] From this point on, the papacy became and continues to become more and more a spiritual, and less a temporal, authority. Pius IX's pontificate marks the beginning of the modern papacy.

After starting out as a liberal, Pius IX turned conservative after being thrown out of Rome. Thereafter, he was considered politically conservative, but a restless and radical reformer and innovator of Church life and structures. Church life, religious vocations, new foundations and religious enthousiasm all flourished at the end of his pontificate.[101][113] Politically, his pontificate ended with the isolation of the papacy from most major powers of the world: “The prisoner of the Vatican” had poor relations with Russia, Germany, and the United States, poor relations with France and open hostility with Italy. Yet he was most popular with the faithful in all these countries, in many of which Pope Pius associations were formed in his support. He made lasting Church history with his 1854 infallible decision of the Immaculate Conception, which was the basis for the later dogma on the Assumption. His other lasting contribution is the invocation of the ecumenical council Vatican One, which promulgated the definition of Papal Infallibility.