50
On November 2, 1870, during a personal interview, Senator Brioschi renewed
his invitation to Secchi: “Go and answer me in writing if you want to give lessons
to ‘La Sapienza’ on your beautiful discoveries” were Brioschi’s words recorded in
Secchi’s diary. We know from this same diary that, during this interview, the Jesuit
priest verbally accepted the appointment as Professor of Astronomy at the university, indicating also that the title of the chair would be “Physical Astronomy.” This
was quite a significant title, for it was precisely through spectroscopy and solar
physics in those years that Secchi had introduced the application of physics and
chemistry to astronomy and thus laid the foundations of modern astrophysics.
Brioschi promised Secchi that the Jesuits could direct a private and free school in
the Roman College, just as the Italian government had allowed the Scolopians to do
in Florence. As Secchi records again in his diary, Brioschi would not specify any
details about the new legal arrangement for the Jesuit school, notwithstanding the
fact that the Jesuit astronomer repeatedly insisted on having more information
(APUG 1870: II, 32–35) (Fig. 3.1).
In those days, Secchi was arranging a trip to Sicily as an invited member of the
Italian expedition to observe the December 22 solar total eclipse. After consulting
his religious superiors once again, on November 4 (1 day before leaving for
Palermo), Secchi accepted the appointment, writing a short note to Brioschi. In that
same written note, he refines the chair’s title specifying “Physical Astronomy and
Meteorology,” since a general chair of “Astronomy” already existed at the university. Angelo Secchi’s formal nomination was published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale of
the Italian government on November 13, 1870, less than 2 months after the Jesuit
scientist was first proposed for this position.
However, in those same hours something unexpected happened. A letter dated
November 3, sent by Brioschi to the Rector of the Roman College, reveals the reasons why the senator did not want to give Secchi any details in his previous interview on how the Jesuits would maintain their freedom of teaching. Brioschi now
officially informed the Jesuits that the freedom of teaching in the Roman College
would be guaranteed only for theological disciplines taught to clerics and members
of the former Pontifical State. Otherwise, the Italian state would not recognize the
degrees obtained by Italian students in all other curricula at this school. In short, the
degrees conferred by the Roman College would no longer have been of any value
for admittance to schools of higher education and universities in the Kingdom of
Italy nor would their degrees have been valid for employment in the Italian State.
When the Rector of the Roman College received this letter, Secchi was already
on his way to Naples, en route to Palermo. A few days later, his Jesuit confreres in
Rome informed Secchi by letter about the recent government decisions, that degrees
from Jesuit and Catholic schools in Rome would not be acknowledged and that their
freedom of teaching was to be significantly restricted.
On November 16, while the Jesuit astronomer was in Sicily, the question of his
appointment to the Chair of Physical Astronomy at the University “La Sapienza”
was commented on during a meeting between Pope Pius IX and the Jesuit General
Superior Fr. Peter Beckx (1795–1887). Pius IX expressed strong reservations about
G. Tanzella-Nitti
On November 2, 1870, during a personal interview, Senator Brioschi renewed
his invitation to Secchi: “Go and answer me in writing if you want to give lessons
to ‘La Sapienza’ on your beautiful discoveries” were Brioschi’s words recorded in
Secchi’s diary. We know from this same diary that, during this interview, the Jesuit
priest verbally accepted the appointment as Professor of Astronomy at the university, indicating also that the title of the chair would be “Physical Astronomy.” This
was quite a significant title, for it was precisely through spectroscopy and solar
physics in those years that Secchi had introduced the application of physics and
chemistry to astronomy and thus laid the foundations of modern astrophysics.
Brioschi promised Secchi that the Jesuits could direct a private and free school in
the Roman College, just as the Italian government had allowed the Scolopians to do
in Florence. As Secchi records again in his diary, Brioschi would not specify any
details about the new legal arrangement for the Jesuit school, notwithstanding the
fact that the Jesuit astronomer repeatedly insisted on having more information
(APUG 1870: II, 32–35) (Fig. 3.1).
In those days, Secchi was arranging a trip to Sicily as an invited member of the
Italian expedition to observe the December 22 solar total eclipse. After consulting
his religious superiors once again, on November 4 (1 day before leaving for
Palermo), Secchi accepted the appointment, writing a short note to Brioschi. In that
same written note, he refines the chair’s title specifying “Physical Astronomy and
Meteorology,” since a general chair of “Astronomy” already existed at the university. Angelo Secchi’s formal nomination was published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale of
the Italian government on November 13, 1870, less than 2 months after the Jesuit
scientist was first proposed for this position.
However, in those same hours something unexpected happened. A letter dated
November 3, sent by Brioschi to the Rector of the Roman College, reveals the reasons why the senator did not want to give Secchi any details in his previous interview on how the Jesuits would maintain their freedom of teaching. Brioschi now
officially informed the Jesuits that the freedom of teaching in the Roman College
would be guaranteed only for theological disciplines taught to clerics and members
of the former Pontifical State. Otherwise, the Italian state would not recognize the
degrees obtained by Italian students in all other curricula at this school. In short, the
degrees conferred by the Roman College would no longer have been of any value
for admittance to schools of higher education and universities in the Kingdom of
Italy nor would their degrees have been valid for employment in the Italian State.
When the Rector of the Roman College received this letter, Secchi was already
on his way to Naples, en route to Palermo. A few days later, his Jesuit confreres in
Rome informed Secchi by letter about the recent government decisions, that degrees
from Jesuit and Catholic schools in Rome would not be acknowledged and that their
freedom of teaching was to be significantly restricted.
On November 16, while the Jesuit astronomer was in Sicily, the question of his
appointment to the Chair of Physical Astronomy at the University “La Sapienza”
was commented on during a meeting between Pope Pius IX and the Jesuit General
Superior Fr. Peter Beckx (1795–1887). Pius IX expressed strong reservations about
G. Tanzella-Nitti