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Why did Pope Pius IX reject the Law of Guarantees of 1871?

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Photograph of Pope Pius IX — Pius IX Pius IX is the longest-reigning pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. His pontificate lasted from 1846 to 1878.

Pope Pius IX adamantly rejected the Law of Guarantees of 1871 because he refused to accept the loss of his temporal power, which he viewed as essential for protecting his spiritual authority.12

Following the occupation of Rome by Italian troops in 1870, Pius IX considered himself a "prisoner in the Vatican" and maintained that his spiritual and temporal roles were indissolubly linked. By accepting the law, which was a unilateral act by the Italian government, he would have implicitly recognized the legitimacy of the new Italian state that had seized his territories. Consequently, he refused all formal intercourse with the Italian government, maintaining this stance until his death. Although he and his successors continued to utilize the privileges granted by the law, the formal reconciliation between the papacy and Italy did not occur until the Lateran Treaty of 1929.321