The New York herald., 1875-08-28

formally surrendered to the Church It's independ-
ence in Papa elections, which still more clearly
set forth by Pope Hadrian w., who declared
that Popes be consecated without concurrence
of the King or of his ambassadors But In the year oe3
the bad Pope John XII deposed in a Council by
aid OF the Emperor 0tho and Pope Leo VIII was
elected and to suppress the disorders caused by Roman
citizens the right OF confirming Papa elections was
granted 0tho and his SUCCESSORS in the imperial dig
nifty
THIS RIGHT SET AT xAUGur
In 973, but again given to the Emperor Henry H. in
104S, when Damascus H. was elected This Pope diod
twenty three days after his creation and his sudden de-
cease was attributed to the Divine dispeasure the
Intervention OF Emperors in the election Of Popes On
the death OF Damascus H. Henry chose Leo Will, in
lO49 but this Pope terrified by the fate OF his
predecessor and alarmed by the preaching OF the
monk Hildebrand that he, his journey to Romo to
take possession of the Papa throne cast away his purple
and ponti6cal ornaments received from the Emperor
and entered Rome in the dress of a simple pilgrim,
when he raised to the chair of St. Peter by the
OF the clergy and people. II will
go to Rome" he had said in reply to
the mandate OF the Emperor, "and II the clergy
and people elect TO be Pope will obey your behes "
Pope Nicholas H. In 1869, decreed that the election of
Pontifs should devove chiefly upon the cardinals; the
OF the clergy and the people being called ap
prove and with a reservation of due honor and rever
to the Emperor Now for the first time cardinals
invested with the sole privilege of choosing Popes
But two years later, namely in 1901, schism
from electing Pope without the Emperor's consent
and tho effects OF the schsm deplorable that
Hldebrand, when elected Pope under of Gregory
VII, refused to receive conservation until he had
gained the approval OF the Emperor In the formula
used in his election there is however, mention of
the Emperor and he is said to have been chosen, not
by cardinals only, but also by acoites, subdcacons,
deacons and priests in the presence of bishops abbos
and monks and with of crowds OF both orders
Likewise, in 10SS Pope Urban H. TO have been
elected by cardinals, bishops, abbots, and with the
written clergy and laty that OF the clergy
being given through the Bishop of Porto and that of
the aity by means Of the Prcfcct of the city.
scnsMs COUNCILS
The evils produced by such number OF electors and
tho schsms occasioned by their disputes were so
and caamtous that the eleventh General Coun
Gil he thirdLacran held in 1l79 under Pope Alexander
Ill., decrced that thenccforward the cardinals and the
cardinals alone to the exclusion of the of the clergy
and the people and soveregns should enjoy the right
OF electing, creating, confirming and enthronng the
of ST. Peter, with provso that he only of
the cardinals should be deemed economically elected
who should receive the sunrages and votes OF two
thirds of tho clcctng cardinals Tho first Pope elected
under this decree Lucus Ill., created in ISL The
provisions of the Latcran Council confirmed in
1874 by the Council of Lyons under Gregory X and in
1911 by the Council of Vienna, held under Clement
", with tho assistance of the kings of
Franco and England. From the date OF this
rule of limiting Papal elections to cardinals
only few schisms have occurred During the previous
centuries no less than twenty six schisms divided the
Church During the five centuries which have followed
the election IN 11s1 of Pope Lucus Ill, only three
schisms afflicted the Church, and of these three
only that in time of Urban w. be charged the
cardinals for of the other two schisms arose in
time of John XXII by fault of the Emperor Ludovicus
and the other occasoned by the Council of Basle in
the time of Eugene w. Tho number of cardinals has
varied in different periods according to the will of
successive ponts and the conditions of the Church
The Cardinal bishops never more than seven.
Cardinal priests were originally twenty five, werc in
creased twenty eight and remained until about tho
year 1855 when Calixtus ILL., a Spanard added one
his example being followed by Sixtus w., who added
another and by subsequent pontins who, at last by
the time OF S Plus ", brought the number OF Cardinal
priests up to fifty.
at first seven, but afterward became fourteen and
at period eighteen in number. Thus the total num-
bcr of cardinals might if all the posts filed arrive
at the large reckoning scventyvc and theoretically
there is limit to their creation the pleasure Of
the Ponti for the time being During the first eleven
centuries of the Christian era the College of Cardinals
rarely contained as many as fftythree and never
cecdcd that number, which was made up of seven
bishops twenty eight priests and eighteen deacons the
chief of the latter order being styled Cardinal Arch
deacon. From the year 1925 they declined in number,
through neglect in filling up vacancies until at the
election Of Pope Nicholas I'LL, in 1871 only
dnas were found present Twenty seems to have been
the standard number of cardinals in the time of Boni
face VIII. and in 1881, when Pope John XXII
lcited to create two French cardinals he answered
that of the twenty cardinals then existing eighteen
Frcnchmon by birth At the death of Pope Clement w. in
1852 the cardinals resolved that twenty should be their
l.,
found only twentythree cardinals, made twenty eight
new cardinals in one day thus ransgrcssing the custom
of his immediate predecessors. The Council of Con-
stance limited the number of cardinals to twenty four
tho number also decrecd by the Council of Basic in 1856
This Base decree enacted that cardinals should
ceed the number of twenty four and that they should
be men distinguished for knowledge, morals and expe-
rience in business natives of all parts of Christendom
not younger than thirty years of age and masters or
licenates in law divinity. At least a third part
be in sacred Scripture and nephews of the
Pope or Of living cardinals were excluded as well as per
of illegitimate birth, deormcd in person,
stained by any crime or nfamy These iniunctions,
far as regards the number of cardinals, not
long observed Pope Sxtus " created thirty, Alex
ander VI fifty, and Leo X, who created thirtyone at
one turn brought the number up TO sixtylvc. Paul
Nv. raised the number TO sixty nine and Plus w 10
THE NUMBER OF SEVENTY
fixed by Pope Sixtus " in 1885, by his celebrated
bull posquam which declared that there should be six
cardinal bishops fifty priests and fourteen deacons By
this bull constitution he decreed that deacon cardi
nails should be at least twenty two years old and IL
ordained before creation to be ordained dcacons within
lie dccrccd also that NJ persons Tor the dignity
of cardinal should be selected 'as much possible
from all the nations Of the Christian world" 1t is
curious that Sixtus v himself who by his constitution
excluded boy cardinals and nephews of popes, actually,
n short time before issuing that constitution, created
cardinal his own nephew, lad fourteen years old.
Five popcs who lived, one in the twelfth one in the
thirteenth one the fifteenth and in the sixteenth
century, had been created cardinals before they arrived
at the age Of twenty years Four Of them were
nephcws of popes, and ono Of them, Leo X, Of the
Medci family, who gave the name of "godcn" to the
age in which he nourished, only fourteen years
old when created cardinal deacon Among the
Juvenile cardinals reckoned Odetto d Coligny
created deacon cardinal when eleven years old at
the request of the King of France 1888 deprived
in 1868 for misconduct and Niccoo Gaetanl OF tho
same family the present blind Duke Of Scrmoneta
made cardinal when twelve years old by his uncle Paul
Ill But the youngest cardinal record probably
Ferdinand Of Austria son of Philip Ill King OF Spain.
who only ten years old when created in 1919 car.
dnal deacon. This prodigy styled, by reason Of
his extraordinary merits Thc Delight OF all the World"
THE AGE OF THIRTY YEARS