The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-12
M. Thiera and the Pope.

vi. Theirs and the Pope.
We have had most contradictory news from
Europe regarding the Pope. The one day we
are told that the Holy Father has written NJ
Theirs that he has decided to remain in Rome.
The next day we are told that the Holy Father
writes to NJ. Theirs that he wishes to come to
France. The same day brings contradictory
kilograms, the one that President Theirs in
vtes the Pope to come to France, and the
other that he dissuades him from coming. 1t
is not easy to make out the exact situation.
1t does seem, however, as if there had been
some correspondence of an important charac-
ter between the Pope and the French Presi-
dent. It would also appear as If there was
disposition on the part of the Holy Father to
prefer French to Italian hospitality, even at
the risk of leaving Rome. The HERALD
has always been opposed to the POpe's
leaving Rome. True, we have invited
him to New York, and offered him home on
Washington Heights; but this we have
always done on the supposition that he could
not make up his mind to accept the new situs-
ton and remain in the ancient city, which has
beenhallowed by the holy lives and pious doings
of his many and august predecessors. 1t has
always been our opinion that the temperate
ties were an xcrescence-originally a fatal
gift, no matter whether the first donor was
Constantine or Pepin or Charlemagne
or whether all the three are to be held re-
sponsible-and that as the Vicar of Christ was
power in the world long before the Pope Of
Rome was temporal prince, 80 he might be
a power long after the temperatures had
ceased to be q worthless appendage to his
high, holy and sacred Office. While rendering
him our American hospitality we have never
failed to add that, without the temporalities
he might remain in Rome, and that in leaving
the ancient city he would commit capital
blunder. If it be true that he desires to leave
Rome and to accept French hospitality and
that President Theirs has dssnaded him. we
have no choice, but commend the sagacity Of
M. Theirs and express sorrow for the state Of
mind of the Holy Father. Why should he wish
to go to France2 Surely the Pontifcate has
had enough of experience Of French hospital
ity to make it dis!rust it in all the future. In
the fourteenth century the Wears of Christ
reigned over the Christian world at Avignon.
For the time France was more powerful than
the empires and under the strong hand OF
Philip the Fair and his successor the Papacy
anticipated somewhat of the painful and
shameful yoke which it was destined to en-
dure under Napoleon the First. The Avignon
period is remembered to-day by the Papacy
with shame and sorrow as the ''seventy years
captivity" 1t had never before sunk 80 low.
Away from that awful and imperial Rome,
wherewith the might and majesty of the Pope
dom were indissolubly bound up, the Roman
Pontiff grew siight and small in the sight Of
Christendom. The Papal claims sounded
ridiculous from the lips of the Avignon cap
tive; the Papal thunderbolts fell weak and
harmless from the hand of the vassal Of
France" The experience of the fourteenth
century was repeated in the early years of the
nineteenth. Plus the Seventh went to France
at the command rather than at the re-
quest of the First Napoleon; and after
he had assisted at the coronation of the
new Charlemagne he found himself 5ereft of all
his ancient possessions and reduced to the
rank of salaried subject Of the French
empire. The second humiliation of the Papacy
by France was not only greater than the first,
but the greatest which it has experienced until
this day.
AS we have said again and again, the Italian
government have acted in magnauimous
spirit in providing for the wants Of the Holy
Father In Rome he is what he can be no
where else-the spiritual chief of Catholic
Christendom. By leaving Rome he will do
more damage to the cause which he has so
much at heart than was done first at Solferino,
then at Sadowa, and, last of oil, at Sedan. The
Papacy has survived those stunning blows.
The abandonment of Rome by the Pope would
be its deathstroke. Our advice to the Holy
Father still is, remain in Rome while you can.
We rejoice that President Theirs is, so far,
giving sensible advice.
The HOP CROP IN ENGLAND it is feared