The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-13 00:00:00

THE ITALIAN PRIESTHOOD AND THE

POPE.

It was lately stated that Father Passaglia had
collected the signatures of 10,000 priests to an ad-
dress to the Pope, praying his Holiness to restore
peace to Italy and the Christian church.
The address is now published, and it bears the
names of 8,943 members of the Italian clergy, of
whom 76 are episcopal vioars ; 1,095 monsignors,
canons of cathedrals or collegiate churches; 783
arch-priests, provosts, or pariah rectors ; 317 chap-
lains ; 861 parish vicars or curates; 343 doctors,
preachers, or professors ;167 schoolmasters in orders;
4,533 simple priests ; 767 monks or members of the
regular clergy. Other subscribers, whose names
are daily printed in Paasaglia's journal, It
Mediatore, will swell the list to the number of
10,000, as formerly announced. The real spirit and
aim of the address is contained in these few words :
Behold, most blessed Father, from cue end to the other
of this our Italy • unanimous voice resounds—a voice of
religion, of catholic piety—" Long live the Pope !" but
another voice is also heard, a voice of patriotism and of
national independence—" Long live Rome, the metropolis
of the new kingdom!" If these two voices, instead of
joining in UaiBoo, are jarring and conflicting, there is no
spiritual or temporal evil that we may not fear ; there is no
national and religious blessing that we may reasonably hope
for. Who, then, shall be the holy man destined to bring these
voices to harmonise, to turn them into • beginning and
source of so great • happiness for the nation and for the
papacy, for society and for the church ? You alone can be
be, most bleeped Father, as you alone can efficiently repeat
that voice which you i•herited from the Prince of Shep-
herds, and which, starting from the Vatican, would fill
Heaven and earth with exultation. Let, then, this voice
be beard from your lips, 0 Pius Let Italy, which looks
upon you with filial love and prays to you, hear this word—
" Peace !" Yee, Father, do you announce Pace. and we,
in our own name and that of Italy, swear to you immortal
gratitude.
Father Paasaglia describes the myriads of priests
who have countenanced the movement to which he
gave rise as belonging to the "second" or middle
order of the clergy.
The Arinonia informs us that there are in the
Italian kingdom no less than 34 vacant sees, about
one-seventh of the whole number. Seven of the Pied-
montese prelates, six of those of the Island of Sar-
dinia, one in Liguria, two in Lombardy, one in
Parma, six in Tuscany, three in the Marches, two
in Umbria, three in Naples, three in Sicily—are
either dead or have been turned out of their dio-
ceses owing to their political misconduct. In the
event of any vacancy a consent of the Pope with the
King is necessary for the appointment of a new in-
cumbent. So let the war between Pius IX. and
Victor Emmanuel continue but a little longer, and
every Italian community will be brought to the
condition of Turin, which has been without its
archbishop for the last nine or ten years, and has
managed to thrive without Lim.

Since the failure and flight of Mr. L. Laurent,
banker, of Parma, the following houses in Italy have sue-
pended payment:—Giovanni. Guilin's, G. Prosper
rini, and Ballerini, of Bologna; 801 l and Co., of
Ancona ; C. Bertandli, of Cremona; G. and F. Saotirdoti,
of Ham ; and Cipof►to, of Venice. It in supposed that
over advances to week cotatractors for public works have
occasioned the failure of most of the above houses, and it is
expected that other diluters will follow.
For the first time a native lawyer has been ap-
pointed a judge of the High Court of Calcutta. The NM"
tleman upon whom this high distinction has been am-
jarred is Baboo Sumbhoo *lath Pundit, a lawyer of the
highest reputation at the Calcutta bar.