Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-11-15
Papal Infallibility.

1t is somewhat remarkable that the
temporal status of the Pope, which
had experienced no change for so
many years, and bade fair to remain
unchanged for an indefinite period of
time, should meet, on the heels of the
proclamation Of the infallibility dogma
with so many, so radical, and in a
Catholic point of view such adverse
changes. Following so swiftly on
this assumption of divine attribute,
people not prone to regard remark
able occurrences as special manifest
ations Of Divine Will, cannot be
blamed if they see in these events the
hand of the Almighty. Some of these
changes are very happily epitomized
by the Rev. DR.. Cumming, in a recent
lecture delivered at Liverpool on the
subject stated in the caption to this
article, and which we find reported
in one of the papers of that city. No
sooner had the Pope, says DR.. Cum
ming, pronounced the dogma of infal-
libility, thus assuming to himself di-
vine attribute, than he heard the first
sounds of war which, in its proper
ti0ns, in its area, and in its intensity,
was more a universal massacre than
war. On that very day, Napoleon
the "eldest son Of the church" as
he was styIed-wrote to Cardinai
Antonelli that he must recall his
troops from Rome-the troops that
had upheld the PopeS temporal pow
er for twenty years. Then followed
the overthrow of Napoleon and Eu-
genie, er5twhile the most powerful
supporters of the Pope in Christen-
dom. Austria, even, long the dun
geon of Europe, always the guardian
of the Pope when no one else could
be found to support him, shocked at
the POpe's assumption of an attribute
Of Deity, tore the concordat into
| shreds and cast it to the winds, and
renounced the Pope's jurisdiction in
/ Austria, root and branch. Then Aus
tria passed a law granting liberty OF
the press, liberty Of conscience, and
| freedom of education throughout the
length and breadth of the land. Swift
/ ly following the retiring soldiery OF
France came the armed forces of Vic
tor Emmanuel, intent on securing the
one fond dream of all patriotic Ital-
ians, the unity of Italy. They thun-
dered at the gates of Rome; the for
eign levies Of His Holiness were com
PEELED to surrender; and when his
own people were asked by the plebis-
cite to say whether they would have
the Pope or Victor Emmanuel to be
their King, they by an overwhelming
majority preferred Victor Emmanuel ;
and yet Victor Emmanuel was an ex-
communicated person-not entitled
to Christian baptism or Christian
burial. The consequence was that
| the Pope was sent to the Leonine city
denuded of his tiara and stripped OF
his spIendor.
DR.. Cumming mentions an incident
in connection with the ceremony OF
proclaiming the dogma of infallibility
we do not remember to have seen de
scribed in other accounts of the occa.
sion. Here it is:
at was decided by 535 voices
many of them voices of bishops in the
air, bishops representing petty dio
ceses in Italy-that the Pope was in
fallible; and then came the great
event of the proclamation Of that in
fallibility. His holiness posed him
self-placed himself outside an east
ern window of St. Peters, in his gor
geOus robes, expecting the first ray;
Of the rising sun to shine upon hin
and to cover him with an apparel o
splendor. But the sun did not seen
to rise to the occasion, for never wa
there a sky in Rome so black witt
clouds as on that same morning, anC
never was the air so murky or dim
and when the Pope rose to speak, tn,
thunder rolled in crashing reverbera
tions thro' out the length and breadth
of st. Peters the lightning flashed
from pillar to pillar with unearthl1
splendor, and so startled was an EN-
inent member of the EcumenicaI Coun
Gil that he leaped to his feet, and ex
claimed suddenly, and as if by inspi
ration, God has sent down anothe
Mount Sinai with its lightning an(
; thunder into the midst of St. Peters
After that candle was brought down
as he could not get the light of tn
, sun, and by its light he read the de
cision of the Ecumenical Council pre-
nouncing him to be infallible."
Certainly, in a superstitious ag
all these sudden changes and sign
would be regarded as having a PAL
ticular signi6cance-as marks, indeed
OF the Divine displeasure. Howeve
they may now be regarded, one les
: son they teach is plain-to wit; tha
kingdoms, nor empires, nor infallibili
ty assuming Popes can stay the OIL
ward march of liberal principles an
progressive thought, bray they neve
so loudly Of kingly prerogative, I'D
t vine right" and Papal infallibility.-
l Boston Journal.