The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-07
CARDINAL ANTO NELLI DEAD.
Remarkable career oil the Great rrciatc
some Curious facts.


The skilfu statesman and prclatc who,
rightly or wrongly, has been considered to be
more Of Pope than the rore himself. has de-
parted and left the supreme Pontir without a
shrewd, practical adviser In tho conduct Of
the trying worldly and clerical struggle the
Catholic Churoh is now engaged in. There were
many people who supposed-erruneously, we
believe-thtt CHdinal Autonoii would have
been The POpe's successor. for he was fourteen
years younger than Plus IX and seemed ap-
pMontly To be In much better health than the
Puntn himself Hard work. however, intense
excitement, and the bitterness n /, .nperan,e Mt
Witch bad been developed In Cardinal Anto-
NELL. consequent on the undctivenens Win
which he had been assailcd by bis eucmies, broke
down his strong constitution.
Giacomo Antoneln was born at sounno In
1909 Of an old family OF the Rouagna. The
Cardinal was educated az the Seminary OF
Rome. that great institution az when the oG-
spring OF the commonest people are brought to-
gether wtth the sons OF The highest huii lee.
THE remarkable capacities of TINS young stud vt
soon made HIM known 20 Pope GREGORY XVII
ami whcn the young man became ordained. he
was at once nouin ted to confidential position
at the ~ 1ly See, then promoted 10 the dignity
OF Ptel te. ana was soon ufter pnotutcd As
season of The GRIMM 4 Court He had not yet
attained his thirty nh yer when he found
himself In the position ~ Under Secretary of
state Tor the Interior. then sub. reasurer and
In a wear or two treasurer OF the two Apostolic
Chamhers or ST. nistpr ~ Finance 1hus IN The
summer ~ lsi6 when Rome 10 rned the death
OF tue Puntin who nad occupied the HOLY See
for fifteen years. Antoneln. then a man in the
crime ut hi.' was already hi2h dignitary both
III Church vnd state
Count Masti Fe retfi, to whose election 10 the
Pdpal See Antonelli contributed not little. was
Liberal and naturally anxious to avail himself
Of the services ~ hin, who at that time bore the
reputation OF being the most progressive mem-
Der OF the Pap u Government.
IL i "A CNtlOu8 faft. ana one that explains the
intense dislike which the Liberals entertain d for
Autunelli. that when tn Pope was a Liberal. he
was more Liberal THAI the Pope, and. when the
Pope became refroaressive, he turned out to be
more retrugrVssive than he POpe hi neeif. At the
oufrct OF the lioeral struggle ~ 1873 he " - one
Of the most Radical members Of the ConstitI-
ttonai COmmission and soon afterw RI became
President OF the Liberal Cabinet, three quarters
OF which consi,ted OF iYmen. At that time,
whatever Liberal movement was on foot. NutO
ueiii was NJ the he 4 or H. II was he who worked
out the prol'c ~ granting To the muuici ait '
of Rome civii government Instead OF clerical .
II was he. toe. who m mayed To o-Z n1c IN = q
; small Puniacal domain an army Of seventeen
thuua nd men to he sent out against Austria.
His Liberalism went even So far ~ to euhitfer
thc whole couclav. against lis authority and
compelled hin TO surrendcrii to Cardin i NJ m-
AMI. The influence he nd now gained over the
P0pe was. however,, 80 strong int although
Antontlli lost his position IA Minister, he main
tanned that 81 init ate friend and personal
councillor Of Pius Y. me appointment Of the
unfortunate Cardinal Ro-si was made upon
Anionellfs advice. And IL was Antonelii
again VINO advised the Pope to nee to Gaeti
when Ro-st a victim Of all the Inconsistencies
Of the previous Cabinets, fell 10y the hand VI an
assassin.
since that time Antoncll has shown himse (
the most extreme, fntnlernut. and retrnures-
siye man that the Pontltcal court as produced.
50 strong. indeed. was the tenacity Of Cardinal
Antuneili In the maintenance Of absolute prin-
ciples that an almost open war broke out be-
tween him and Nousignore Merode. md that tue
foreign powers had more than once TO remon-
str tie with the POne with reference to the sys-
TEN IN ntaiued ny his Prime Minis err. After
lND5, when an unsuccessful attempt was m al e to
ass lssinate him, Cardinal Antonelli became still
more enhttered yet his Influence constantly
Increased. and he died as a Secretary OF STATE
for Foreign Affairs, Project OF the Apostolic
Palaces. end occidental and all-powerful ad-
viser u thu PoNtn.
He was hv no me ms one Of the eldest Of the
Cardinals. ether SO far as age or as clerical hier-
archy j. concerned. He was only sew ntv. and
WAS the Dean of the Order OF Cardinal Deacons
since lsjs. after the death OF rdinal Ugolino.
The coutiave cunss,ory 81 Cardinal BISHOPS.
tardina-Pfiests, and Cafdiual Deacous the on
der he belonged to, Is the youngest Ia tue
hierarchy.