The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-06-15

that burdensome debt would be cancelled, and
Italy would have entered fully on the progress
that comes by gentle processes and slow
stages, but which ends in adequate develop
ment.
No sooner did the Ultramontane press per-
ceive that the temporal power of the Pope
was wholly gone, than the idea of his purely
spiritual Office was flung aside Every agency
was Immediately invoked, and has been urged
with increasing energy to the present mo-
ment, to concentrate the feelings of the
Catholics of the world on the restoration of
the Popes temporal power. In Europe,
deputations were obtained to visit Rome and
bear to the Vatican the most extravagant
expressions of sympathy with the presumed
sufferings, and of indignation at the assumed
wrongs, of his Holiness. The Pope, who had
been represented as having to the world at
large relations of spiritual nature alone.
was suddenly m netamorphosed. His spiritual
attributes were ignored, and it was insisted
that the object of all true Catholics prayers
and endeavors should be his release from his
present degradation. Whenever the Roman
Catholic press could make itself felt-in the
churches, in society, in the Representative
Assemblies, and in one case in the Cabinet
the Catholic "heart was fred" with zeal for
the political re-endowment of the Pope,
whom few months previously the same
Of this world"
The same change took place in this country;
though in a smaller degree, because public
attention had not previously been drawn SO
closely to the political tendencies of the new
Jesuitical dogma of infallibility. Our people
will not have forgotten the meetings called
to sympathize with the Pope, nor the prompt
ness with which certain demagogues made
haste to attend and address them. Of course,
no one here dreaded, as many did in European
countries, the effect of this spirit in bring
ng on forcible interference in the affairs of
Italy, and precipitating a religious war
on the Continent. But the tendency
in both cases was of the same nature; il
was the inevitable tendency to involve
the adherents of the infallible Pope in politi
cal efforts to maintain his temporal supre.
macy. AS far as may be judged by the tone
of the Roman Catholic press, and of the off
cial publications of the Church authorities,
this tendency grows more marked with the
passage of time. There are more and more
frequent threats mingled with the appeals tc
the affection of Catholics and the Pope; the
purposes of the secret society of former mem
bers of the Papal army forming throughout
Europe are spoken of with unmistakable
bad temper; the priesthood is exhorted to
use its influence in political controversies
and in some instances the protestation o
Professors Dollinger and Friedrich, Of
Munich, that they cannot reconcile
allegiance to their G overnment with allie
glance to an infallible Pope, is accepted, anc
they are frankly told that in that case th,
sovereignty of the Pope must prevail. Ant
this spirit finds expression in the United
States the more plainly in connection will
the great jubilee of the twenty-fifth anniver
sary of the Pope's accession. 1t was tn,
logical consequence of the peculiar doctrin,
of an infallible head of the Catholic Church
that the energies of the Church should be en-
listed when the temporal dignity of its hea,
was in question. Political activity was sur
| to result from the open enunoiation of the in
| fallibility dogma. In no country in tn,
world is political activity in a vast religion
| organization, like that of the Catholi
Church, so certain and so dangerous as in ou
own.