The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-22
The Papai Characteristics Omcial Bill
Of tho Italian Parliament.


We submit to our readers this morning the
text of the bill known as the Papal Guaran-
tees bill, lately passed by the Italian Parlia-
ment and approved and promulgated by the
King, touching the preroyatives Of the Pontiff
and the Holy See and the relations between
Church and State in Rome and throughout
Italy. 1t is very important bill to Church
and State in Italy and to the whole Christian
world, Catholic and Protestant; and to the
general reader, recognizing the wisdom Of the
the sovereignty of the people, as represented
in the State-this bill will, doubtless, appear
to be fair and liberal.
It first declares that the person of the
Supreme Pontiff is sacred and inviolable, and
shall be held under the same protection of law
as the King but s'the discussion of religious
matters is entirely Free" The bill further
provides that the Italian government shall
render to the Pope the honors due to royal
rank, and that he shall have the liberty to
maintain the ordinary number Of guards
attached to his person and for the custody Of
his palaces, subject to the laws of Italy; that
he shall have an annual dotation for his sup
port and for the maintenance of his ecclesias-
teal establishment at Rome, including
museums, library, &C., Of three millions two
hundred and twenty-five thousand livres,
equal in round numbers to six hundred and
forty-fve thousand dollars that he shall be
exempt from taxation; that he shall have the
free enjoyment of the palaces of the Vatican
and the Lateran, their ediflces, grounds and
gardens, and slso the villa of Castel Gandolfo,
exempt from tax; that there shall be no in
reference during vacancy in the Pontifcate
with the personal liberty of the cardinals, nor
at any time with the assemblies of the Con-
clave and the Ecumenical Councils, &C., &c.
Furthermore, the Supreme Pontiff shall have
liberty freely to correspond with the whole
Catholic world, and may establish postal and
telegraph Offices for this purpose, and employ
therein agents of his own choosing; and the
stamp of the Holy See, telegraphic or postal,
shall be exempt from tax or charge throughout
Italy, &c. Semnaries, academies, colleges
and other institutions for the education of the
priesthood in Rome and In the six suburban
seats, shall remain under the exclusive. con-
troll of the Holy See. Such are the guarantees
of the Italian government provided for the
maintenance of the authority, independence
and dignity of the Pope as the head of the
Catholic Church.
The relations Of Church aid State, as es-
tablished in the same bill, embrace some valu-
able concessions to the Pope and the Church,
especially within Rome and it's suburban
seats, and provision is to be made by a
further enactment ''for the reorganization,
the conservation and the administration of
ecclesiastical property throughout the king
DOM" No change, meantime, is made ''in
regard to the enactments of civil laws respect
ing the creation and modes of existence
of ecclesiastical institutions and the
alienation of their estates" It all amounts
to this: that the Italian government,
having appropriated to itself and entered into
the occupation of the Pope's temperatures, he
ceases to exist as a temporal sovereign, while,
as head of the Catholic Church, in the preser-
walton of his dignity and independence, he be-
comes dependent upon the government Of
Italy, and is so treated in this bill. 1t must be
admitted, however, that, compared with the
treatment of the Pope by the First Napoleon
Italy provides for him generously, and with
much consideration In regard to his spiritual
authority. Indeed, considering the radical re-
volutions of the day in reference to Church
and State all over Europe, these "Papal qua
rantees' of the Italian government are remark
ably liberal, and 60, doubtless, as far in behalf
of the Pope as that government can 60 without
running the risks of republican revolution.
The Pope, however, protests without reser-
walton or qualification that these so-called qua
rantees are base pretences; that he will have
none of them, and that, in word, he will con-
sent to nothing short of the restoration Of his
estate and his authority as q temporal sove-
reign. On or about the LIST Of July, then,
when the King of Italy and the Italian govern
ment are to be transferred to Rome as the
capital Of the State, will come the practical
decision of the questionable the Pope remain
in Rome as a subject Of the King of Italy, or
will he retreat to Corsica as an exile under
the protection of France In the hope of an
ultimate restoration to his temporal kingdom2
We cannot tell what course he will pursue !;
but we think, and for his own sake and for the
sake of the Church we hope, that he will
remain in Rome.
A RECENT PIECE of i'll luck for Billy Ed
wards and Tim Collins, the late contestants
for the lightweight championship, was getting
fined 81, 900 each and being sentenced to one
years imprisonment in the Penitentiary on
Blackwell's Island. More i'll luck followed
them yesterday on their being brought, on
writs of habeas corpus and certiorari, before
the Supreme Court General Term. The writ