The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-12-13
MORNING STAR AND CATHOLIC MESSENGER.
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY. DECEMBER 10. 1863
NAPOLEON AsD Plus VII.

mental oDnqulty 1nSepafnDie Iroin IHo ofS gum
cation of Protestant minds, is nevertheless
candid, fair, and creditable to that brillian
periodical The editors and writers of thu
Edinburgh Revie,o have ever been ardent ad
mirrors Of Napoleon and advocated his career
as warmly as could be done consistently will
truth and honor.-But they were not blind par
tisans, and condemned as freely as they bestow
ed praise when that extraordinary man tran
scended the. bounds Of principle and justice
We give some extracts below, and repeat the
conclusion of the article. "The meek resist
ance of Plus VII. to the overwhelming force
which has crushed every independent Power
on the continent of Europe, was a protest wor-
thy of the sacred character of the Head of the
Church in favor of the dignity and liberty OF
man; and by tho justice of heaven, the victim
survived the conqueror-the feeble endured,
the mighty one persisted"
Though the contest ofNupoleon with the Pa
pacy is thrown into the shade by the glare and
splcndor of battle-ields and military glory
which fills the Histories of the Consulate and
Empire" still it merits special attention. 1t
was not till after the Concordat, and during
the subsequent disputes of Napoleon with the
Holy See, that the pride and arrogance of the
despot became inflated to unreasonable limits
by an astounding career of new victories, and
dictated system of usurpation devoid of all
respect for Justice OF principle. Nevertheless,
a mere state of vassalage to his empire was
probably only subsequent conception, yet
there can be no doubt that from the first he re-
garded the re-establshment of the Catholic
Church political measure, with the view of
rendering the religious institutions of France
as powerful engines as possible for the snbjuga-
ton of the people.
Cardinal Chiaramonti was proclaimed Pope
on the 14th of March, 1900. The Pope who was
thus elected was one of the most estimable pre-
lates who have ever occupied the chair of St.
Peter. If he was not a great Pope, he certainly
possessed combination of spiritual and moral
qualities rarer than genius, and certainly more
benefcent than ambition; of all the sovereigns
of the time, he is, perhaps, the only one who
can be placed face to face with Napoleon, and
yet not suffer by the contrast Plus VII was
an incarnation of benevolence, humility, and
Christian virtue of evangelic sweetness; his
imperial antagonist was man of Unsuitable
ambition, of CRsarian force of will. To appre-
ciate still more thoroughly the character of this
exemplary Pontif, it must be remembered that
he had not, like his predecessor, Plus VI, any
aversion to the new doctrines of the time; on
philanthropic aspirations of the leading spirits |
of the Revolutionary school, and believed that
the new movement would, inspite of tho crimes
and eXtravagances which accompanied it, |
prove ultimately beneficial to the spiritual as
well material interests of humanity; and
that the leading principles of the new doctrines
were not irreconcilable with the Evolutionary
supremacy of Rome as the religious mistress of
the world. These convictions Plus VII. eX- !
pressed in a very remarkable homily, the most !
is concerned, which ever issued from his pen t
1t published while he was Bishop of Imola,
two months after the signature of the treaty of
CAMPO Formo. In this homily, addressed, on
Christmas Day, 1899, to the people of his do
cese in the Cisalpine Republic, he recommend
ed entire submission to the new order of things,
and demonstrated that the principles of demo-
cratic government We're founded on principles
quite in harmony with the teachings of the
Scriptures.
Ifany accord was to be brought about be-
tween Rome and revolutionary France such
character presented the greatest chance of its
accomplishment. 1t must be added, also, that
the Pope himself was at first fascinated by the
genius of Napoleon. " He had for him." says
Consalvi, in his Memoirs" mingled sense
of admiration, fear, paternal tenderness, and
gratitude for the powerful and ready hand with
which he re-establshed the Church in France"
Probably he felt in his heart religious con-
viction that such astounding prodigy of ge-
MUS and admiration not sent into the
world without Divine purpose From this
fascination he never freed himself, even nIhe
days when he suffered unmerited and even
cruel persecution at the hands OF his Imperial
eaptor. In the solitary oratory of his prison at
Savona the victim prayed earnestly and fer
ventiy for his oppressor; and to his latest days
his old affection for the author of his at1iic-
tions survived the recollection of insult and
injHry.
One of the most remarkable characteristics
OF history Is that of the strange parallelisms
and condolences of the destinies of persons
who are designed to play simultaneously a
great part in human affairs. Napoleon had
crossed the great st. Bernard precisely at the
same time at which Plus VII. was sending forth
his encyclical letter announcing his elevation.
He entered Milan on the Sd of June, 1900, and
before leaving that city to contest the donina-
tion of the Italian peninsula with Melas, ad-
dressed most remarkable speech to the assem-
bled clergy of the capital of Lombardy. He
declared that whatever disorder in religious
affairs had been caused by his first invasion of
Italy had taken place entirely against his will.
At that time, however, he was but the simple
agent of a government who had care what
ever for the Catholic ligion.
The first public declaration of Napoleon in
the matter of religion had, he intended it
should have IN immense effect. His vast in
telligence, with prophetic ambition, was
already marshallng his schemes of empire
He had long come to the conclusion that some
form of national religion is necessity for any
Etahle and his 81 i.ni ion LIS ln,:.