The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-12-11
Enslish Statesmen On The Indspmdenss u the
Pope. ~

English Statesmen On the Mdepsndemo0 "a tne
Pope.
Some 81 the most inveterate and un-
wearied enemies of the Catholic Church
have lately betaken themselves to assuring
| US that the loss Of the Pope's temporal
power would in fact prove great advan-
tage to his spiritual authority.
We would, however, ask all who hold
such good opinions in good faith to con
slider that the most eminent statesmen OF
England, Notwithstanding and In spite OF
their Protestant prejudices, which we're in
many instance of the strongest kind, held
the opposite conclusion, and have left on
record their Judgment that it was no less
contrary to the interests Of the British EN-
pire than to the advantage of Catho-
lies themselves that the Pope should be
the subject of any earthly power. 1t was
| a matter of ''the deepest Importance" as
Que of these statesmen has said, that the
Pope should be perfectly independent.
| In the year 1910 Lord Grenville wrote q
letter to the Earl Of Fingall, in which he
stated that the proposal of a veto had been
! drought forward in the House OF Com
mons to meet the just expectations, not OF
any bigoted or interested champions of in
tolerance, but of men of tire purest inten-
tions and most enlightened judgment.
not unreasOnably alarmed at
any possibility by which functions of such
extensive influence (as the Pope's) "might
hereafter be connected with foreign in
terest hostile to the tranquility of your
country-a danger recently very much in
creased by the captivity and deposal of the
Head of your Church, by the seizure of his
dominions, and by the declared intention
of that hostile Government to assume in
future the exclusive nomination of his sue
cessor."
On the 10Th of April, 1s49, the Marquis
of LOnsdOwne, in answer to question put
by Lord Beaumont concerning the French
expedition to Rome, said:-
HE was not prepared to say that the OBJ
jects Of that expedition were of nature
that the Government of this country would
disapprOve Of"
On the 18th of June the subject was
again renewed in the House of Lords, and
in the course of the discussion Lord Ellen
borough said :-"The question was not
whether the Pope, as the Sovereign of
Rome, should or should not reside and rule
there, bat whether the person who hap
pened to be at the head of the Roman
Catholic religion should be main tanned in
| a position of independence and that ap-
peared to him to be a matter of the deep
est Importance"
On the Goth of July, 1s49, debate on
the affairs of Italy took place in the House
of Lords, and on that occasion Lord
Brougham, man of strong anti-Cath"lic
prejudices in many respects, delivered the
following remarkable declaration of opin-
| ion :-"And here let me say word which
may not be popular in some quarters, and
among some of my noble friends, upon the
separation of the temporal and spiritual
it will not do to say the Pope is all very
well as spiritual prince, but we ought not
to restore his temporal power. This is
short-sighted and, think, a somewhat SUI
perficial view of the case. l do not believe
it possible that the Pope could exercise
lsa.n Rofn v,irif f,,n H.
had no teSporal power. For what would
be the consequence He would be stripped
of all his authority. We are not now in
the eighth century, when the Pope contriv-
I'D to exist without much secular authority,
or when, as Bishop of Rome, he exercised
very extensive spiritual Authority without
corresponding temporal power. The pro-
gress of the one, however, went along with
that of the other" After some not entirely
accurate historical statements, Lord
BrOugham continued :-"His temporal force
increased his spiritual authority, because
that secular dominion, he would become
the slave, now of one pOwer-then of
an0ther-one day the slave of Spain, an
other of ustria, another of France or,
worst of all, as the Pope has recently been,
the slave of his own factious and rebellious
subjects. His temporal power ia Europe
an, not local or a religious one; and the
Pope's authority should be maintained for
the sake of the peace and the interests of
Europe"
The Marquis of Lansdowne, then Presi-
dent of the Council, and speaking in the
name of the Wing Government, followed
Lord Brougham later on the same evening,
and said: " He had no hesitation in stating
he quite agreed with the views of his
noble and learned friend on the subject.
The condition of the Pope's sovereignty
was quite peculiar. AS temporal Sow
erign the Pope was of fourth or fifth
| order; as a spiritual sovereign he was not
only of the first order, but enjoyed SOW
ereignty unparalleled. There was, there
fore, in respect to other States, a ground
for interfering and maintaining his author
ity, which did not exist in any other case,
aud being sort of compound interest, the
necessity was imposed the Catholic
powers of watching, in order to see that
the just object of preserving the Spiritual
Head of their religion was not made the
means of promoting temporal ambition.
But when he said that, he was not prepared
to- say that we, as Protestant State, had
not to a certain extent a similar interest:
there was no country with. Catholic subjects
and Catholic possessions which had not a
deep interest in the Pope being so placed
to be able to exercise his authority un-
tettered and unshackled by any temporal
Influence which might affect his spiritual
authority"
These are the conclusions of common
sense and If a desire for justice and al
though the Pope, of course, would never
would have to suffer much, and be con-
Had g