Napoléon Quote
Napoléon: [regarding his coronation as Emperor] I intend to crown myself.
Pope Pius VII: Then why am I here?
Napoléon: To bless my reign.
Pope Pius VII: Now, who exactly are you asking to bless your reign, Sire? Almighty God? Or his humble deputy on Earth, the Pope?
Napoléon: Humble? Is that the word you use to describe the thunder of organ music, clouds of incense, altars full of flowers, robes trimmed with gold?
Pope Pius VII: You confuse God with religion.
Napoléon: On the contrary, I separate them. On the one hand, a theory: God. On the other, a certitude: religion. It gives human society a framework. People would have no reference points without religion, we saw the results of that, when during the Revolution the churches were looted and the priests guillotined. The country toppled into anarchy, chaos, and madness of the Reign of Terror. We can do without God, but not without religion.
Pope Pius VII: Do without God? Can you live without faith in the immortality of your soul? Without belief in the everlasting life?
Napoléon: If you have ever been in a battlefield, you would not believe in God, either.
Pope Pius VII: But I spend all my days and all my nights on a battlefield, Sire! The whole world is a battlefield! And every man who suffers is a terrible defeat for me. Place the crown on your own brow if that is what you wish. I will pray it does not become too heavy for you to bear.
Napoléon: Have you ever regretted being Pope?
Pope Pius VII: It terrifies me, Sire. Every day that God gives.
Pope Pius VII: Then why am I here?
Napoléon: To bless my reign.
Pope Pius VII: Now, who exactly are you asking to bless your reign, Sire? Almighty God? Or his humble deputy on Earth, the Pope?
Napoléon: Humble? Is that the word you use to describe the thunder of organ music, clouds of incense, altars full of flowers, robes trimmed with gold?
Pope Pius VII: You confuse God with religion.
Napoléon: On the contrary, I separate them. On the one hand, a theory: God. On the other, a certitude: religion. It gives human society a framework. People would have no reference points without religion, we saw the results of that, when during the Revolution the churches were looted and the priests guillotined. The country toppled into anarchy, chaos, and madness of the Reign of Terror. We can do without God, but not without religion.
Pope Pius VII: Do without God? Can you live without faith in the immortality of your soul? Without belief in the everlasting life?
Napoléon: If you have ever been in a battlefield, you would not believe in God, either.
Pope Pius VII: But I spend all my days and all my nights on a battlefield, Sire! The whole world is a battlefield! And every man who suffers is a terrible defeat for me. Place the crown on your own brow if that is what you wish. I will pray it does not become too heavy for you to bear.
Napoléon: Have you ever regretted being Pope?
Pope Pius VII: It terrifies me, Sire. Every day that God gives.
Movie: Napoléon
