And more on “forced conversions”

In the Papal states it was customary to baptize any orphan Jew or gentile child. The Jews see this as a forced conversion especially since in their traditions conversion to Christianity is to be cut off from the Jewish people whether or not their was a legal guardian for the child. the church also being the legal government would take these children as a type of "wards of the state".

the Mortara case is different and is its own can of worms. as the Child was alleged to have be baptized by emergency in secret and therefore by canon law was not a Jew and was taken from his parents. the evidence of the baptism is flimsy and I can't understand Pope Pius IX's mentality of why, he would press this issue at this time with his parents still alive. Either way the backlash in the world press and the Italian risorgimento members caused a brake down in talks with the papal states and led to the reduction the papal states to just the city of Rome.

as for a broad forced conversion no the church didn't forced any large group of Jews to convert. Military/national powers in the north of Europe, in the Americas and during the crusades did practice "forced conversions" but they were dressed up as a condition to trade, as a peace treaty or the king would foist conversion on his subjects after his personal conversion.

And more on “forvee conversions”

In the Papal states it was customary to baptize any orphan Jew or gentile child. The Jews see this as a forced conversion especially since in their traditions conversion to Christianity is to be cut off from the Jewish people whether or not their was a legal guardian for the child. the church also being the legal government would take these children as a type of "wards of the state".

the Mortara case is different and is its own can of worms. as the Child was alleged to have be baptized by emergency in secret and therefore by canon law was not a Jew and was taken from his parents. the evidence of the baptism is flimsy and I can't understand Pope Pius IX's mentality of why, he would press this issue at this time with his parents still alive. Either way the backlash in the world press and the Italian risorgimento members caused a brake down in talks with the papal states and led to the reduction the papal states to just the city of Rome.

as for a broad forced conversion no the church didn't forced any large group of Jews to convert. Military/national powers in the north of Europe, in the Americas and during the crusades did practice "forced conversions" but they were dressed up as a condition to trade, as a peace treaty or the king would foist conversion on his subjects after his personal conversion.