Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-06-21
Rene va Spain and Sardinia

Nine years ago, Cardinal Masta Ferrctt was
elected To I'LL the Pnpal chair, left vacant through
the death of Gregory XVI, by the most united
vote ola conenve that had been given f,r long
period in history. His precedents had Ill been
liberal, and it is believed that Gregory, on that
account, deferred bestowing upon him for several
years the hat to which his position entitled him.
Immediately after his elevation, under the name
of Plus N, TO the Supreme Pontiticate in the La
lin Church, he commenced IA series of reforms i'll
dgested in conception and bunglinly executed,
which paved the way for the excuses of lSl3,
and drove him in exile to Gcata. The world.
nevertheless sympathzed with his misforunes,
because oil his supposed good intentions; and his
restoration to power, after the Nazzn struggle
was over, was welcomed by his subjects, re-
iolced over by Roman Catholic nations. and wit
messed without regret even by many who do not
think that good can result to mankind from the
union of spiritual and temporal power. 1t was
not at once perceived that Plus lN. had return
ed from Gcata man of changed principles. and
that aspirations for the possible reform of Italy
had forever died out in his heart. Since 1919,
Plus TX. has walked in the footsteps of too many
of his predecessors, identified his interests with
absolutsm, and would be as ready, had he the
power, as were ever Sxtus V, Innocent ". or
julius L., to crush the cause of popular freedom
and turn back the wheels of national progress.
1t was generally believed. until 1919, that cx-
tpIlslNP llalSi cCclpSlasllCaL ana particularly OF
monasto reform, had been devised in Rome it
self. A commission spoken Of which it was
reported would commence with Austria and with
the consent of the government ut Vienna, TO visit
the couventual establishments of Bohemia. Sly
ria, Gaiea and Hungary, and put a summary
end III those institutions to the growing ahu Sc of
the last eighty years. The Neapolitan States.
Sardinia, Spain and Portugal, were also to be
conferred with those monasteries and converts
which Tod np III tinn T., ia 10
austerites of their pristine foundations were to
be suppressed aud no ecCles astical endawmeuts
retained, excepting such were found to cor
respond with the necessities of the age, and tn be
OF practical use to the people If such inten.
tons were ever seriously cherished by the Pope,
they must have been very soon abandoned; and
even the CO operation with Gregory XVI afford.
ed. during the latter part of his life TO King
Charles Albert, has not been continued by the
present Pope to the reigning King of Sardinia
The utmost rgor of the Concordat has been. on
the contrary. eXactcd from those Catholic gov
ernments with which treaties existed: the Bish.
ops ut bavaria, Wurtemberg France. Belgium
SPAN. and even Hanover have been encouraged
Ia agtate for the greatest possible extension of
their authority; and evils which are a disgrace
10 the century, have been left untouched and We
hemently defended
The seeds which Plus *. sowed in his bright
err days, have not, however, failed to bring forth
irnlt 1t is not forgotten that it the finger
of the Pope himself which pointed to the rotten
spots in Roman Catholic Church Administration
throughout the world. The failure of his indis-
Greet and immature efforts to effect glorious re-
suit has not established the orthodoxy of stagna.
ton; but numerous. enlightened, progressive
body OF liberals has sprung up in the Catholic
Church, whose intel!ects fathom the depth ofcor-
ruptlon which is to be removed, and W ho are de-
termned' anNousy prudenty cautiously, but
unswerVlngly, to accomplish that task in the DIFF
ferent countries to which they belong. Bright
est in the ranks of such men, shine King Victor
Emanuel, of Sardinia, and his Prime Minister. NJ
Cavour. Advocates of Church Reform abound
too in France and their numbers are constantly
increasing in Spain. Their efforts have encoun-
tered the redoubed opposition, which the reao-
ton from Red Republicanism engendered. and
they have been ampered by irreligioua. nfdel