, 1859-10-31

IAH EAvHAMUNt OF ST. pETE1ks
The high sounding phrases with which the
Pope seasoned lis late a1locutory snitle to tile
Catholic clergy-"1'icar Of Jesus Christ"
'!patrimony Of St. Peter" etc-woull lave
more force with the world at large if they
could be read without the light which history
throws on former Wears Of .1esus Christ, aud
the way in which lhey scveraly scraped to-
gether the patritnony aforesaid When il is
borne in mind tlat one Of those "vicars'' was
q woman, another IN atheist d third uni,a-
1ian, fourth pirate. a fifth the murderer Of
TWO other Popcs, sixth guilty u incest u
seventh deposed for 'adultery with 800 nuns
I'll eighth The geticr-lIp Of model artist exlli-
bitiou, and that scores Of them were assassins,
thieves, poisoneFs anu adulterezs,-what de-
gree Of respect can attach to the mouthinga Of
Plus X about the sauctity Of the paral office?
Let the reader look iuto the biographies Of the
Johns, Gregories, Boni!aces, -Aexauders and
Benedicta, WHO have worn the tiara, and held
the kegs Which bind on earth Lat which is to
be bound in hearcn. and learn whether we
lave exaggerated tho Newgate Calender Of tile
Vatican. All this would count for nothing as
against the ..lolv religion" if the intallihiIty
Of these persons were not m essential part Of
tho religion The Johns, Gregories, Donifaocs.
Alexandcrs and Deuclicts, according to Cath
olic ideas. are all rejoicing together in rara-
disc, singing the praises of the Father aud the
1a.nb-tns one who drank bis own poison
while attempting to poison lis cardinals, not
Jess loudly than the rest!
Aud then, ''thc patrimony Of ST. Peter
History makes no mention Of the patrimony Of
the fisherman Of Galilec. Neither scrip. nor
staff, nor two changes Of raimcnt belonged to
the estate of Simon. sou Of Jonas. Nor Ind
h;~ sueeessors, (so called) !auy landed sover-
eighty or temporal power for period Of 754
years. The .patri,uony Of St Peter" came
from Pepiu the Brief King Of the Franks who
wrcsted it from the Lombards and bestowed it
on Stephen Il, bishop of Rome. charlernagne
il said to have bartered the same territory to
Pope LEO III, a. D. 800) for the title Of Ro.
man Emperor. Yet this was small share Of
the patrimony which Popo Plus IX is clanor.
ing for. 1t dcvolred on Aatida, Of Tuscany,
two hundred years later, to make rec
ompensc to the Supreme Ponti6c.ac
for the failure Of St Peter to leave any
patrimouy. This .wounn donated to
tue needy Gregory vi, who WAS 'aick and in
prison." Tuscany, Aaataa, Parma, Modena.
Verona, -Anoona and several other pleasant
places, which, three CENTURIES aferward, were
all taken away BY tho unlucky expulsion ol
the Popes from Rome by the outraged popu.
Lace. The e1patriation continued seventy-one
years. When the priests returned thor set
about the enlargement Of the Papal dominions
and Pope Julius II raised an army, which hc
commanded in person, and with which he sub
jusased Bologna and Ancona This warrior
is, more properly than any one else, the foun
der Of the Pontilcal government. By tht
'holy league" Of Can,bray, in 1909 he used ths
power Of France, spsin and Germany, to wrcs
the richest portion Of the Romsgna from Ven
. ice, aad hy annsher holy league the next 5ea'
> he prevailed on Spain and Germany to expe
France from the same territory, and allow lin
re absorb it. He consolidated tie States o
the Church, tonrished nightly III his dornin
ions, ordered the a:le of induleences for reye
nue, and brought on the Reformation os ths
atxteenth century: Ferrasa was wrested from
Nodena in 1898, and Urbiuo bsqueathed II
the Church in 1896,
In this way tie '.patrimony Of St. Peter
Wss pseced together. Twice in tue presen
csntu1y has the Pope found himself withou
'"auy patrimony at all, and twice have foreig1
armies been invoked to restore him that whicl