The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-12-08
THE pAPACY.
What "A New Pope Might Accom-.
pIislI II He should be In HaF.
InOny with the Spirit Of the Age.

What Il New Pope Might Accom-.
pIislI II He should be In HHF.
nOny with the Spirit Of the Age.
New York GrSphIc.
The death OF Plus the Ninth is one Of
the most important events which Is likely
TO occur in Europe at this time. The
Pope has been so often reported dying
and has 10 invariably disappointed the
hopes Of his enemies and the fears OF his
friends, that any rumor Of his expected
death Is bound to he received with incred.
ulity. But the cable kilograms from
Rome this morning are more than ordin.
arily alarming, His Holiness appears to
have been conscious only at intervals
during the last two weeks. An old man
OF eighty.GVe cannot be expected 10 long
hold out under such an attack; more es.
pecially as he insists when conscious on
receiving visitors.
1t seems 10 be underStoOd that the
Pope, by some appointment in writing,
has dispensed with the iormaIities here.
toiore necessary in calling together the
ConClaye for the election Of bis successor.
1t is not unlikely that only those Cardi.
nails who are now in Rome will be sum.
inonGd in time TO attend the coming con.
clSve, Indeed, the world may receive the
first authentic news Of the death OF the
present Pope at the same time with the
announcement OF the name Of his success.
s0r in the chair olSt, Peter.
To attempt 10 discuss the International
complications which may grow out OF
the election Of new Pope, would he
idle. All depends upon the attitude Of
Germany. From purely national point
OF view, Italy has more interest in the
new Pope than any other nation, but its
laws governing the meeting Of the con.
clave guarantee perfect liberty OF action
on the part Of the cardinals.
lfthe new Pope should be q Hildebrand
"a man abreast Of his age-there is no
predicting what changes might arise. BY
the loss Of its temporal dominion in Italy
and by the repressive legislation in nearly
all the States Of Europe, the Catholic
Church is now purely spiritual power.
To be sure, many Of its leaders pine for
the sword and the SCeptre. They are not
satisfied with unlimited dominion over
the hearts and minds Of the men and wo.
men who accept their dogmSs-they want
the civil power in their own hands or in
subordination to the spiritual power, to
punish the refractory and the hereto
This power will be denied and ought to
be denied to any priesthood. Liberty Of
conscience can only be maintained by
complete separation between the teacher
and the magistrate, and in the face of the
present attitude Of European govern
ments and people, there is small proba
bility that any steps can be taken towards
the restoration OF the temporal power or
OF any Of its incidents.
II the new Pope could throw of the
shackles OF his order and iearlessIy &C.
cept the situation-declare boldly that
the Church has always been spiritual
body, tnat the possession OF temporal
power grew out OF temporary necessities,
that these necessities have now passed
away and that the Roman Church pro.
poses for the future to steer clear OF all
alliances with the State in any form
there ia no party in the Church with
force enough to defeat the carrying out
Of the programme, and the governments
oil Europe, Catholic MS well a. Protestant,
would vie with each other in lending
effective aid in smoothing the difficulties
in the way Of its realization. Unless all
the signs OF the times fail, such policy
will have to be accepted some day-the
policy OF resistance must sooner or later
break down. The new head OF the Church
ought to signalize his election to the
chair OF St. Peter by casting TO the winds
all pretensions to the crown of Constan.
tine.
The Church has for the last few CEN
turtles taken the side Of royalty and aris.
tocracy again't that Of the people, This
course was dictated doubtless by self-in.
terest; it was, in temporal affairs Mt least,
royal and aristocratc. The popular
cause ia the Just one, and is detained to be
completely successful. If the Head Of
the Church, speaking er eGtRedra-that is,
infailibly-shouId abandon the temporal
pretensiOns Of the Papacy, the Church
could pass over TO the side OF the people
in whose advocacy it made the first i'm.
preston upon the people Of Europe. A
State Church is bound to be aristocratic,
but free Church is Of necessity popular.
II the Roman Church had a great as well
as an inialIible head, it would be placed
on the popular side Immediately.
As the liberty Of the people is bound
to be attained, so is freedom Of discussion
and inquiry. This ia M plain as pike.
staff. A Pope abreast Of his age would
find way Of reconCiliDg old authority
and new science. The Head OF the Cath.
olic Church is m iniallible ex FOUNDER OF
its doEmas. By means Of re definition
Of old formulas modern Pope might put
his Church en- rapport with the age. Many
OF the results Of scientific research have
ceased to be hypothesis; they are truths,
and as such, accepted by Catholics, Pro.
testanIs and Freethinkers. The Church
might easily avoid contested matters and
accept only what is undisputcd. By 80
doing il would show that II had not lost
its assimilative power. In acontest with
truth and enlightenment, church that
clingS to error and ignorance is bound to
be beaten in the long run. A modern
Pope Of the nineteenth century might do
great things for the Church and the
world, but, unfortunately, we have hard
ly any reason TO expect that the Conclaye
will rise above its own level. Probably
the new Pope will be man Of the four
teenth century and will cndeavor to make
the children OF the Church conform 10 ia