The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-22 00:00:00

TILE POPE AND THE CONGRESS.

The following is a translation of the very im-
portard pamphlet by M. de la Guerroniere, which
has just been published—of course by permission—
at Paris :

"We wish, in a true Catholic spirit, to study a question
which has imprudently become impassioned. ' Passion,'
says Montesquieu, makes us feel, but never makes us see.'
Let us then endeavour to banish it from a subject where con-
science and reason can alone speak with authority. Between
those who, detesting the temporal power of the Pope.
loudly, invoke his fall, and those who, looking upon that
power as an article of faith, will not allow it to be touched,
there is place for a less exclusive opinion in one sense or the
other. This opinion, which respects equally the rights of
peoples and the interests of religion, protests against that
antagonism to which they are seemingly exposed by abso-
lute-minded 'men starting from opposite points, and who
clash in a mutual resistance. We sincerely believe that it
is not , impossible for the Sovereign Pontiff to retain his
patrimony without imposing by force upon the populations
an authority which reigns in the name of God. If this
conciliation could be effected it would be a great triumph
for politics and for the Church. Whatever may be the re-
sultl the attempt ignoble.
lt ir.

"First of all, is the temporal power of the. Pope maces-
sary for the sxercise of his spiritual power ? The Catholic
doctrine arid political reason here agree in replying in the
affirmative. In a religious point of view it is essential that
the Pope lihould be a SOvereign. In a political point of
view it is necessary that the head of 200,000,00 of Catho-
'lies should not be dependent on any one, not be subservient
to any. Power, and that the august hand which sways the
souls, free from all trammels, should be able to soar above
all human passions. If the Pope were not an independent
Sovereign 'he would be either French, Spanish, Austrian, or
Italian, and tho title of his nationality would deprive him
of his character as universal Pontiff. The Holy See would
be nothing more than the stay of a throne at Paris, Vienna,
or Madrid. It was so at a former period, and a suc-
cessor of St. Peter had the misfortune to allow his
authority to be absorbed in the ' Holy German Empire.'
Europe was deeply shaken by it, and that disturbance of
its moral and political equilibrium lasted for nearly three
centuries. The struggle between Guelph and Ghibelline
was, in reality, nothing else but an effort to emancipate
the Papacy from the preponderance of the Emperor of
Germany. Even at the present day those historical de-
nominations have survived the events. The head of the
Church is styled Guelph or Ghibelline, according as he is
considered a partisan of Austria or the representative of
Italian nationality and of the independence of the Holy
See. All the great Popes were Guelphs, becalms the con-
dition of their glory was to belong to themselves—that is to
say, to acknowledge only the authority of GOd. Whenever
they made their authority subservient to the interests of a
Prince they altered the true principle of their authority.
The Church suffered—Europe suffered from it.

" The spiritual power, the seat of which is at Rome, can-
not be displaced without shaking the political power, not
only in the Catholic States, but in all Christian States. It
is equally important for England, Russia, and Prussia, as
it is for France and Austria, that the August representative
of Catholic unity should neither be constrained, nor humili-
ated, nor *subordinate. Rome is the centre of a moral power
toe universal for it'not to be in the interests of all Govern-
ments and all peoples that it should not incline to any side,
and that, it should remain immovable on the sacred rock
which no, human power can overthrow.