The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-01 00:00:00

TBE EMPEROR AND TEE POPE.

The Constitutionnel of yesterday publishes the
following article in prominent type :
" The Sovereign Pontiff has just addressed an
encyclical letter to all the bishops. We at first
doubted whether we were legally authorised to
publish that document. Th• organic law which
regulates the relationship of the political power of
our country 'with the Court of Rome leaves no
doubt upon this question, and resolves it negatively.
In fact, Art. 1 of that law says :
" 'No bull, brief, rescript, decree, mandate, pro-
visions, signature serving as provision, nor other
documents (expeditions) from the Court of Rome,
even when only concerning private individuals,
may be received, printed, or otherwise made public,
without the permission of the Government.'

"This enactment is formal, and we could not have
infringed it had not the moderation and the tolera-
tion of the Administration thought fit to derogate
from so absolute a prohibition. We were informed
this evening, with our contemporaries, that we
might reproduce the Pontifical letter without im-
propriety.
" This letter is a declaration from the head of
the Church, addressed to his venerable brothers of
the episcopacy. On the first grounds, it imposes
upon us a respect which we shall scrupulously
observe.

" But it does not concern questions of faith, for
the settlement of NS Mai the authority of the Pope is
only absolute when conformable to the sacred
canons, and in accord with the universal consent of
the assembled Church.
"A political question alone is here under con-
sideration, and on this point the competency of the
Court of Rome could not be admitted without dis-
avowing all the traditions of the Church of France.
The memorable declaration of 1682, to which the
name of Bossuet is so gloriously attached, says
textually :

" That St. Peter and his successors, vicars of
Jesus Christ, and that the whole Church itself, have
only received power from God for spiritual things
and which concern salvation, and not temporal and
civil things.'
" Thus, in the encyclical letter of the 19th
of January it is the temporal Sovereign who speaks
in the name of a temporal interest, but in the
•forms and with • the particular, character which
appertain to the head of the Church.

" There is, then, here, an abuse of jurisdiction,
which, without dispensing us from a respectful
deference, cannot prevent a free judgment.
"Let us not hesitate to express our full opinion.
"The adversaries of the Papacy have always re-
proached it for its efforts to overstep the spiritual
domain which is exclusively its own. They have
raised against it the minds of many independent
men who refused their submission except in matters
of faith. It was in wishing to subject, according
to the very terms of the declaration of 1682, Kings
and Sovereigns to the ecclesiastical power,' that
whole nations were alienated from that unity of
which Rome is the centre.

" Thanks to Heaven, we are no longer in the
times of schisms and heresies ; and our epoch is too
enlightened for such distractions ever to arise from
a passing misunderstanding.
" But it is impossible for us not to deplore the
attitude which has been forced upon Pius IX. under
circumstances when the spirit of conciliation ap-
peared as if it ought to ally itself so well with the
august character of the Holy Father. Is it not sad
to see in so grave a document as that of which we
speak the eternal cause of the Church mixed up
with and lowered by interests so little worthy of
it, and associated with the fortunes of those Princes
who, in Italy, only maintained themselves by the
arms of Austria, and could not return there except
at her back ?

" In fact, one of the reasons given in the letter
of the Pope for refusing the separation of the Ro-
magna is, that he could not abdicate that portion of
his territory without detriment to the rights of the
Princes of Italy, who have been unjustly despoiled
of their domains.'

" Here we have, then, the Head of the Church
making himself, as in the days of Boniface VIII.
and Innocent XII., the arbitrator of political Sove-
reignties! And, mark it well ! this theocratical
arbitration, which in our day would be the most
dangerous prerogative for the Papacy, is, by a
strange contrast, only the undeniable proof of his
dependency; for, before as after the war of Italy,
we find Rome bent under the influence of Austria,
—under that influence which Father Lacordaire so
justly considered a cause of decline and fall of the
Holy See.
" We should pity French Catholics who could
net feel the sad position assumed by the Papacy
coming forward to restore against the popular will
Princes who, having fallen at Solferino, had no other
refuge than the baggage-train of Austria. This
pcsitiou deceives the hopes of all those who would
have liked to see the Head of Christianity resume
the prestige of his political power in his union with
regenerated Italy.
" The encyclical letter will doubtless serve as a
rallying point for many passions having nothing
French or Christian about them, and which will
wrongly endeavour to abuse the authority of this
document and its venerable origin. We do not fear
that they will succeed, for the policy of the Em-
peror cannot give occasion, we are certain, to any
legitimate anxiety. Tho Emperor, inspired by
a devotion which for 10 years has never belied
itself one single day, first counselled to the Pope
reforms which might have saved the integrity of his
dominions. Those counsels were rejected ; the evil
has become aggravated, and now it seems no longer
possible to lead back the population of the Romagna,
unless compelling them by force.
"The Emperor thought that it was more advan-
tege_ous for the Pope to give up the Romagna than
to reconquer it at the cost of the blood of his sub-
jects by foreign inte:vention. He said so sincerely
to the Holy Fathcr in a letter worthy of the eldest
Sen of the Church and of the Sovereign of France.
The Pope was at liberty to follow or reject that ad-
vice. He rejects it.
"We are far from contesting his right to do so,
and we have the conviction that the advice of France
will never be turned into menace or constraint.

" Thus, then, the duty of France is fulfilled. The
injustice towards her, however great it may be, will
not have the power to make her desert her task of
moderation and protection. At Rome she would