The New York herald., 1871-03-05
Pepe Pius the Ninth and tho Fall of the
Temporal Power.

| special cable despatch from Rome which was
to us more than ordinarily encouraging. For
some years we have been SO much in the habit
of chronicling Roman folly that we are glad to
have the opportunity of recording Roman
common sense, and Of assoeiatng Roman
common sense with the good and venerable
man who now occupies the chair of ST. Peter
Pope Plus the Ninth has proved himself the
worthy successor Of Pope Plus the Seventh,
the worthy successor of the Popes who vainly
fought against the Reformation, the worthy
successor of the Avignon captives, as well as
of Hldebrand, of Leo the Third and the
Others who made, maintained aud perpetuated
the Papacy through all kinds OF adverse for
tune from the days OF Constantine, OF Pepin
and Charlemarne up until the present time.
No one who has any respect for the past can
refuse to admit that the Papacy has been much
Indebted to the men who have occupied the
chair of st. Peter, and that the present incum-
ben of the Holy See, by his Christ-like
meekness and his magnanimous submis-
sion to misfortune, has shed halo
of glory around the fading fortunes
of an ancient, noble, useful religious, but
doomed institution. IF Pope Plus the Ninth is
to be the last Of the Popes who is to WELD the
authority of temporal prince, Pope Plus is
destined to an honorable and sweetly remem-
bered place in one of the best pages of the
history of the past. His incumbency has
covered long period; as Pope he was in
favor of popular liberty in 1s4S; if the world
has changed and his position and principles
have more than once been questioned, ad-
vancing civilization must share with him the
blame, if blame there has been. 1t is not to
be denied that the incunbency of Pope Plus
the Ninth has been in comparatively evil times,
and that during the evil times which have
been somewhat painfully protracted, he has
comported himself with dignity becoming his
high and sacred character and position.
fanything is sacred surely property guaran-
teed by ancient possession is sacred. If the
Isidore Decretals can be believed the En-
peror Constantine gave to the See of Rome all
that we III modern times have known as the
States of the Church. ''We give as free gift
10 the Holy Pontif the city of Rome and all
the western cities of Italy, as well as the
western cities Of other countries. To make
room for him we abdcate our sovereignty over
all these, provinces, and we withdraw from
Rome, transferring the seat Of our empire to
Byzantum, since it is not just that ter
restrial emperor should retain any power
where God has placed the head of religion.
Such are the words of the Isdorian Decretal
and, if .he work of the Spanish Bishop whose
name must be forever associated with the
story be genuine, the temporal power of the
Pope dates as far back as the year of our Lord
S27. According to Gibbon, who laughs at
the whole affair, 'the first of the Christian
emperors was healed of the leprosy and puri-
fed in the waters of baptism by ST. Sylvester,
the Roman Bishop; aud never.was physician
more gloriously recompcnsed. His royal
proselyte withdrew from his seat and patri
mony Of st. Peter, declared his intention of
founding a new capital il the East and re-
signed to the Popes the free and perpetual
sovereignty Of Rome, Italy and the provinces
of the West" The sneers of Gibbon do not
seriously affect the fact that first of all, Pepn
then Charlemagne, then the First Otho, then
the Third Ohio, endorsed confirmed and en-
larged the grant. The line Of the Po and the
Neapolitan frontier have, since the days Of
| Charlemagne and the fall Of the exarchate Of
Ravenna, marked the limits Of the temporal
| power of the Papacy. In spite of the demands
of modern civilization this fact must be re-
garded. If modern civilization means spolia-
ton we say. "Away with it, In makingj
these remarks we are not forgetful of the days
of Philip the Fair Of France, when the Papacy
was sadly humbled we are not forgetful of
the days of the Avgnon period, when the
Papacy was sham, a shame, sin; we are
not forgetful of the Reformation period, when
the Papacy gave its sanction to unnecessary
cruelty; we are not forgetfu Of the days of
the First Napoleon, when Pope Plus the Sew
enth was prisoner and an unwilling slave.
The great fact to be remembered in this
RESUME is this-that after the downfall of Ma
poleon the great Powers of Europe, expressing
themselves through the Vienna treaties, re-
stored to the Papacy the possessions gifted by
Constantine, restored and enlarged by Pepn
and Charlemagne and the First Otho and made
sacred by the ownership of more than twelve
centuries. If the situation is changed to-day
we ought to know the reason and should not
be Indifferent to justice.
The HERALD has never been opposed to the
uni6cation Of Italy. We rejoice in progress.
We have always rejoiced in progress. We
welcome now, as we have always done, every
idea which looks to and helps toward higher
and better future. And every popular move
ment which promises good to humanity has
our encouragement and support. We do not
by any means regret that things are as they
are to-day in Europe. Germany is unit and
strong. Italy is unit and strong. France is
weak. With the humiliation Of France has
come the destruction of the temporal power