The New York herald., 1866-08-25
The pope and His Manifest Destiny.

1t is understood that the Emperor Napoleon
will shortly relieve the Holy Father Of Rome
of bis temporal power, turn over the so-called
Papal States to the King Of Italy, with Rome
for his capital, and withdraw the French troops
that have for SO many years stood between his
Holiness and his disobedient contumacious
and rebellious subjects. In word, the Pope
as temporal sovereign is to beset aside, his
dominions are to be turned over to that prodi-
gal son of the Church, King Victor Emanuel,
and his Holiness is to be exclusively limited to
his spiritual functions. He will, no doubt, be
generously provided for in this capacity by
Napoleon, "the favorite son of the Church,"
but whether in Rome, Avignon, or elsewhere,
we cannot positively say. We presume, how
ever, that during the lifetime of Pho Mono he
will be retained, and in style consistent with
his spiritual dignity, in Rome, and that even
after his death some concordat or compromise
will be agreed upon whereby Pope and KingA
the spiritual and temporal sovereigns, the
Holy Father and the prodigal son-may live
together in peace and concord in the old i'm
perial city.
That Napoleon has long contemplated this
thing we all know; that the time is at hand for
carrying out his great design we cannot doubt;
that he will get some territorial compensation
from the prodigal SON in exchange for Rome
and the States of the Church Is morally GER
tain; and that herein lies the whole secret of
his good care these many years of the Holy
Father we verify believe. The day for this re-
construction Of the Papacy cannot be far off,
and in tho meantime, in order to meet his
current necessities, the faithful should not for
get the Pope's loan. By thus assisting him
they will, we dare say, be "laying up for them.
selves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do
not break through and steal"
The temporal power of the Pope was first
established A. d. 755, under the auspices Of
King Pepin; who bestowed ON Stephen LII. the
exarchate Of Ravenna. lii the year 800, under
Charlemagne, when the new Empire of the
West was founded by him and when he was
crowned in Rome by the Pope, King Of Italy,
Germany and France, the Pope Cleo ILL., pro-
claimed the spiritual separation Of the Western
AiOiu uAo ASoouCAn ISupAIc, duu ucCuuo bupE0Wc
Bishop of the Western. Thus the Pope of
Rome, as . temporal and spiritual sovereign
combined, has survived the vicissitudes Of over
q thousand years, the term to a nation auala-
gous to the seventy years allotted as the ordin-
ary limits of the life OF man. The temporal
sovereignty of the Pope, therefore, cannot be
expected to last much longer, and would have
perished sooner but for his spiritual power over
the crowned heads around him. At one time
and for long period their imperial master, hs
has at length, as q temporal ruler, become
dependent upon their charity and especially
upon that Of Louis Napoleon. But why
should we repine The head Of the
Catholic Church, in being relieved Of his earth
ly crown, will shine In brighter effulgence in
his pure and unspotted spiritual crown, and
the heretic's cry Of "The scarlet woman Of
Babylon" will be heard no more. This will
be reconstruction of Mother Church equal to
the reconstruction OF our Southern States,
shorn Of the sins Of African slavery and South
Carolina State Rights. And so we have NO
tears to shed over the manifest destiny Of the
Pope, because we believe i. will be for the good
Of the Church.