Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-10-11 00:00:00

The political pceition, of the POPE is the most
anotnalencs- feature-

It is the
strangest:- spectacle tbithav religious and to the
politicati philosoplear;_ to, see a temporal power
laying &aim to the most sacred functions torn to
pieces among zealous,Aiends.who seem to admit
the claimq and subjeeta,w3orp profess the nearest
allegiance to the persons of the ruler. First, with
regard to the .PoPFlS,:subjects, who are indignant-
ly throwing: off his temporal authority, while
they pmfess submissibm to his ecclesiastical an'
premacyv.plain.memare- iutgini-cl to ask, if the
temponal taxi' ‘spiritatala swords• are indeed wielded
by tne•saine nand,4oes. not the same infallible

au the crisis

preseimeezule the exercise of the one as is .arr(''
gated for .the exeni se- thaother ? How is if
that tlioso2who him-the closest knowledge of the
paternal gyversinumt,..the most revile and detest

its yolk?! llow.is.it.that those who are alwar
in contact ;with,l„see,in,itr the worst defects, and
acknowledge• the: fewest benefits ? How is it
that they . who haste had. the advantage of o'6

most: °mutant, instruction, irk the inseparable o°12;
nectiostafithe,tenapciralland: spiritual powers, an
in thecditrine-nasessity. of their combination, iire
the most:faciro• in drawing distinctions, in de
.
vismgctlieoFits: al seliarationl/2. in rejecting and
solutoly- contemning
,thoasoeiated claim ? 1001$11-
are,noti baCkward in boasOligh
of tiba•gneatt moral power which their ChurcPri
stilliretainaqi and when. men, point to this crisis °
hoftgreah weakness .at the very seat of her power,
tiny: ansmaor with the, same theoretical distinct:o'
between, the two swords, which, among Italia 100''
present taking the practical form. But i5...1
no,elevaerat of weakness in the Church of Will*
iaitt rs abdication, of elaimS, which she oilce'

nested an divine authority, that even her
okiliben, that almost even she herself,.
Roagelled to acquiesce in this distinction'
For, if it be no: abdication, how is it that
her
subjects think it reasonable to put Wei' a
claim on her religious forbearance at the. tinje:j
that they are throwing off her teroPPL:
yoke ? How is iit„ if the Pope's double anth°r_,div
is essentially divine and indivisible, the, spiritwc
thunder does, not go on its mission ? There i 5
power, therefore, which even puts boa; thelkirAsi
and dares, to silence the oldest amtonge inn,"hoe'
feasible. elaims of his religious system-
powerkstrange to say, has sprung tip, within t-
e
boson?, of his own Church, flings, itself into the
face of his own authority time,in its 011°5e7
how and stronghold, and rascebes in the guise;
religious obedience to the very steps of t
Vatican. The boast of sewer eadem, so °lle
before belied, seems relinquished, and the sue;
eessor of HILDEBRANnatmost inaugurates a Illeue
system when he submits, to a. compromise•
of
question which is possibly of most interest, if /jt
importance, at
_this juncture, makes at prese
little show, and gives little sign of the deer,
meanings and issues it is charged with._ Tha
its questionclaim claims;
s; this l :
itsl willru ruler
re a
ICI
oow
Court of ite°sni
its
pr
to collapse, and bring himself down to a I°Y; r
level, and mix- with the interests of eoraln°d
men ? If not, how will he resist the anW4r
swell of events, and conquer the situation ?
Itge : enifitwdlijilf