Life of St. Rita of Cascia, O.S.A. - the Catholic Kingdom!

Lombardy, the cruelty exercised by them onthe pretext of punishing treason, their unbridledlust, and their most unworthy harassing of theclergy, excites our horror. At the other extremityof Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, a temtoryof equal importance, wrongs and scandals of everydescription, and the most deplorable calamities,caused by the parties of the Dukes of Anjouand Surazzo, who laid claim to the kingdom,spread themselves and took root as the civilwar that followed on the death of King Robertbecame more widespread. The different other1 States into which Italy was then divided were notanything better. For the luxury of these littleCourts which tried to rival the great ones to thegrave oppression of the people, their despotism,their rivalry and wars, their unbridled ambitionto command which multiplied the domestictreasons and assassinations of brothers bybrothers, of relatives by relatives (if we except thehouses of Savoy, Monferrato, Saluzzo, and Este)-these and the other dominant vices and scandalsserved only to increase misery and sorrow. The?cities of the Papal States were also, for the mostpart, groaning under the yoke of rebels-bloody,inexorable, lewd tyrants-and especially beforeGregory IX. re-established his throne in Romeafter his return from Avignon. And, as if theseMore Free Items at www.catholickingdom.com