The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-14

nboaris ietase VI our common father, and OF
bat. '"'S 'he iouf OF COM
FROM Spoleto, he was transferred tn
tue Arehdlocese OF Imola in 1899 bv
Gregory XVI, and in is4o be e was ps
made Cardinal. six vaars 80 ,otar mas
on the 10th June. 1sds hv % ths,
UNANIMOUS choice of the Conelays Car
dinal Mastai Fsrretti became the sna-
cessor OF Gregory XVI, under the title
Like the entry OF Jesus into Jerusa-
! lem, the advent OF Plus was attended
with universal applause. Loud hosan-
mas rent the air; but like the Master.
TOO, the disciple was soon to taste the
enallce OF suffering, and encounter the
oamcuI.ies oa.a ,a,n and struggles Of g Pontifl-
blessed WITH favors OF ali kinds. one of
Wn1oh we are now united In celebrating.
nappy In the coincidence, that this. our
oay OF meeting, is the eighty-sixth an
nlversary OF the birth OF him, whose
Golden Episcopal Jubilee we are assem-
| bled to honor.
The new Pope did not deceive himself
with regard to the value and depend
enoe to be placed upon popular ap-
plause. The anticipated conflict between
Ianoe Ine fagPaoy .hu. and the sacrilegious vio-
renee o, tnose who I'D not, and would
not understand, the essential difference
between the pontiflcal form of gov
ernment and the radical changes de-
manded by the party Of "Young italy"
hastened the outbreak Of the storm
wh1ch resulted in the cowardly assassi-
nation Ct Rossi, the attack on the Ouri-
raj, the flight OF the Pope to Haeta. and
whose culmination was the establish
ment OF the triumvirate. We know how
the drama ended-as was the case
returned to Rome, and the "eates Of
hell" did not prevail.
Inc struggle was not at an end. how
ever, and the revolutionary spirit OF
the age was the great enemy with whialI
the Papacy had to deal. The powers Of
earth have attacked or forsaken the
Sovereign Pontiff; the base world CON
centrates against him all it's rancor for
the determination OF everything that
Christian civilization holds sacred.
standing alone, with serene brow and
heart unmoved, unshaken, Plus TX lifts
his head before this concourse and faces
his adversary.
Such Is the spectacle, historically
unique In oil it's accessories, presented
TO the world by the august prisoner
OF the Vatican The contrast be-
tween Plus TX and the revolution
is unique both in ancient and
modern history. At no period Of Christ
ianity do we find anything to resemble
1t, in the universality Of war and. arms,
and desollation or In the duration and
YaEfletyd rsEfl ydfef fl n't II several points which do
not allow the drawing OF parallel.
But the great characteristic OF the
present age consists chiefly In the mode
OF warfare against the Church formerly
brutal force was the only weapon;
ever. This enlightened century has
devised q plan moro systematic, and
therefore moro dangerous; witness the
various bills which are called laws, by
the State, In Italy, witness what has
been done in Germany for the last five
or six years; to be Christian is crime
against the State; to obey the dictates
Of conscience is @ crime; to estab-
lish q school in the name of God is
q crime; to obey the pastors OF a
church is a crime; TO acknowledge
the Pope as the head OF the Cath
olic universe is o crime; in q word, to
be anything but German, body and
soul, mind and heart and thought, is %
crime, to be punished by all the rigor Of
the law
But was it to the advantage Of the
great Chancellor to ALLEVIATE one-third,
and perhaps even the majority, Of the
empire? What has induced q man who
was supposed to be O. statesman to take
them into O. fierce flame? Is the Catholic
Church danger to the new empire?
This is becoming the question OF the
day, and what concerns Germany, what
concerns Italy, concerns, more or less,
the whole world "Yes," says Bis
marck, "the Catholic Church is o danger
to the Statel And why SO? Because
you Catholics obey blindly and i'm
plicitly an infallible Pontiff, an absolute
ruler. Since the proclamation OF the
dogma OF infallibility the Pope has
taken new stand. which the govern
ments OF the world cannot admit. They
cannot tolerate that their measures
should be thwarted and their DEGREES
opposed by o mandate, open or secret,
from Rome" They say: Religious
belief may be anything you please, as
long as it Ia confined to the individuals
mental faith but his conduct must not
be ruled by 1t. Whenever religion
crosses the State, religion must give
way; the laws OF the land, WhateUer
they nnoy be, must be observed"
".
Here lies all the difficulty. Such is
the contest between error and the
Church, between the whole world and
the Church Of Christ. This contest did
not begin with the German Chancellor: !:
there is power behind the throne that
prompts even him to this deed Of vio-
lence upon the sacred person OF the
spouse OF Christ, bis holy church; the
same tempter OF old who first whispered
to Adam and Eve in the terrestrial
Paradise "ye shall be as Gods: who
melted the kings to stone and perse cute
the prophets: who moved the Jews to
cruelty Christ: and who directed the
arm OF the pagan emperors Of Rome.
Man cannot, OF his own will alone, stir
, up such strife, and wage war upon his
, brethren, merely about @ matter OF
, faith. The spirit OF evil is endowed
with ceaseless activity: and his
, present chief representative, un.
, consciously it may be hoped