The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-02-28
The Prisoner of the Vatican.
London Register, Feb, 9th. ]

are fraternizing in the Quirinal, Plus TX,
is still receiving, day by day, at the Vati-
can, the homage of his spiritual children.
So far, at least, the year OF the Jubilee
name as such-the Catholic world continu-
ing to throng into the presence of the
Sovereign Poptif to lay at the feet of bis
Holiness their addresses and offerings, and
to obtain from his anDointed hand the
Apostolic Benediction. Italy, and Rome
itself, are delivered over, as we know but
too we'll, into the hands of miserable
minority of Revolutionists, headed by the
Robber King and the old Bandit of Cap
rera. But within the sacred precincts of
the Vatican, which the spoilers of the
States of the Church have never dared to
touch, the Holy Father still holds his Court
as High Priest and Ruler CT Cnrsteudom.
Ard thither, under the shadow of the great
basilica which enshrines the tomb of the
Apostles, the pilgrims Of Europe, pilgrims
from all parts of the babitable globe. con
tinue to flock from day to day, in answer
to the summons of the Vicegerent of our
Lord. When referring expressly to this
apparent isolation of the Pope upon little
plot Of ground in the Leonine City, his
Grace the Archbishop of Westminster, in
the course of his answer to Mr.. Gladstones
pamphlet, proclalms in defiance of all
contradiction, the astounding fact that "of
the population of &c, 000, 900 Italians, not
5000, 600 have launched themselves in the
revolution Of the last twenty years. The
great bulk of "the people," he adds IN
hestatingly, "are, as they have always
been, Christian, Catholic, and loyaP'-loyal,
that ia, of course, to the Church of God.
"The electoral body who have votes TO re-
turn the Italian Parliament" say the Arch
bishop, lido not exceed in number some
half milion''-a paltry minority of less
than 500, 600, who, nevertheless, dominate
over population of 26 600, 900! Nay,
more wonderful still, as his Grace says
quite truly, "of these hardly one half record
"their vote ;" so that ''the Italian deputies"
are actually chosen by one hundredth part
of the population! In point of fact, an
electoral body of soU,e 200 900. have con
trived to put in the power OF the Revo!o-
tionists the Patrimony of st. Peter, the
dominioDs of the metropolis of the Pope
not simply as an Italian princeIbut as the
supreme ruler of 300 100000 Catholics.
The Revolutionary Legislature, supported
by a Revolutionary Army and led by
Revolutionary King, In thus preying upon
the vitals of Italy under the pretext of
securing what is called its Unification.
Meanwhile, the Holy Father, stripped Of
all his possessions, and having his tiara,
by the malice of his enemies, turred into
the semblsnce Of triple crown of horns,
is denied even the right to call his last
palace, what it really is, his prison. If
once in way some of the faithful have
Glanced TO recognizes, as was acrua'y the
case few months back. the ~hite ra,nent
of the Pope passing by one of the windows
of the Vatican, and have ventured there
upon, in obedience to a sndden impulse of
respect, to cry ErUira they have been
summarily charged with INSTRUMENTATION,
and, more than that, have been absolutely
Imprisoned, An incident like this can oc-
cur, has occurred, as all Europe knows
perfectly well-and, in the teeth of stub
bonn fact like that, the champions of the
Italian Government have the effrontery to
assert that the Pouiiff is not a prisoner in
the Vatican The truth is that the sacred
person of the Pope could not pass hey Ond
the threshold of his palace without being
subjected to the imminent risk of insults
and indignities. With Garibaldi careering
through Rome, dressed in his revolutionary
masque rade, they say that the P"ntiT lie
not even morally prisoner in the Fati-
can With Victor Emmanuel installed ir
the Qnirinal, the Holy Father ia said to be
i'll judged in rigidly sec;uding himself with
in the walls of his palace, is declared to BIT
not, in any sense of the phrase, prisoner
| in the Vatican!
Now that the Buccaneer from Caprera i,
resident in the Eternal City, it is further
remarked with a sort of exultation by the
apologsts of the Revolutionary party il
Italy that Order relgns at Rome In {
| similar splrlt Europeans can recall to mln(
that formerly Order reigned at Warsaw
Yes, truly-Order reigns at Rome unde
Victor Emmanuel. The sabres of hi
swashhuck'ers clank audihly at their heels
The artillery that blew breach in til,
walls of the capital of the Christian World
the troopers who marched through it, tn,
band of officers who, armed cap a pie
clattered down the length of the Corso il
the September of 1870, are still there will
their swords at their side, ready at an,
moment to timber up their pieces of ord
nance and to apply the match to tie touch
hole aud-theTefore-Orde Ieigns 1T Rome
1t is in the midst of this grim tranoniIit,
that the Father of Chrlsteudom is grantip
his audiences day after day, during this yea
of jubilee, within the halls of the Vat
lean. lG doing SO he receives the pilgrim
from the ends of ChrIstendom in as sacre
and as venerable secluson as his rom OF
predecessors in the Pontticial chair, VIII
received the earlier Christians during tn
first three centuries, in their subterranea
home in their living tomb OF the Gaia
combs.
WHAT WOMEN CAN Do.-The Milwaukee,
: Wis, TindcGtor says: During the past thre
months the st. Aune's Sodality and Benevc
lent Society, Milwaukee, performed yer