The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-02-17

and must find docile subjects to obey them
The Romans do certainly appear to have
been o stiff-necked people during many
generations; aud while we think it ungen
erous continually to throw in their teeth
the wretched opinion st. Bernard mus
have had of them, as We see by his treatise
De Considerations, addressed to Pope Eu
Hlgene I'LL, and hardly fair in the annaiis'
Muratori to transfer so much of the blame
for factious elections from the German
s2emperors to the Roman populace, the least
athat even their best friend can honestly cay
& is that they might hare done better.
The election of the pope, says Cardinal
# Borgis, was perfectly free during the first
-four centuries, being made by the clergy IN
&the presence of the people: but in process
4of time, as the papal dignity increased IN
wealth and splendor of temporal authority,
y lit often became an object of human ambi-
'tion, of which secular rulers were rot slow
'Jto avail themselves,~ that by iniquitons
#bargains and precoucerted plans they might
#bind, if possible, the priesthood to the
lem pire, and derive the immense advantage
$of the spiritual power administered by q
subject or q dependent. The fret instance
Z Aof direct interference by the State in a
3papal election-for the decision in the case
Bof Boniface aud the anti pope was an
arbitration invited by the Church-appesrs
towards the close of the fifth century.
ROdoacer, Gothic chief of the tribe of
3Heruli, having deposed Ronulus Augusta :
! Ius, in whom the Western Empire came to
an end, was proclaimed King of Italy,
rejecting the imperial style of Cesar and
HAugustus for title which he expressly
created for himself. 1t would seem
aalthough even this is not beyond dispute
that Pope Simplicius had requested Odoa-
3cer, in whom the powers of the State were|
now vested, to stand ready, in the common
interests of order and good government, toI
srepress the civil commotions which bel
foresaw we're likely to arise after his DEATH
on the election of a successor. However,
this may be, the king went beyond a merely
arepresslve measure, and, pretending thatI
iSimplicius had commissioned him to do SO,
pu blished an edict on the pOpe's death inI
i4S3, forbidding the clergy and people of!
Rome to elect s. successor without hlsI
Inter vention or that of his lieutenant, theI
project of the pr % :orinm. When, therefore,
1.-THE executive assembly met in St. Peter'sI
to fill the vacant see, Basil, the patric;an,I
3came forward and claimed IN his master'sE
name, and by virtue of the dying wish andf
Ieyen command of Simplicius, the right Of
Regulating it's acts aud of confirming the
ELECTION it might make. This pretensionf
WAS firmly repelled, and, disregarding the
ltyrant, Felix III, was elected on March 8,
I4S3. Baronius is of opinion that Simpn 4
Icius never addressed such a req uisition to T
THE king, but that the whole story Of his
having done 30 was fabricated a few years
later by the party of Lawrence, the anti &
pope. The document purporting to eman- B
Iate from Simplicius was rejected by a
Roman council in 502 without further !
its geuuineness than byS
Exposing that 1t lacked the Pope's sigma
ture, aud was in any case opposed to the \
Sacred canons aud ipso Jdcto null and void E
K (Odoacer, the first King of Italy in olden
times, became SO by violence aud usurpa \
tion like the first king of Italy of modern
times, and the first to interfere in papa' {
ELECTION, was captured in March, 493, aud
put to death by his victorious rival, Theo
|doric.) On Novembe %, 49S, st. Symma
chus was elected pope, but minority set :
|up n certain Lawrence, and both were
consecrated on the same day. Civil strife (
was imminent, and, although tbs most :
regular mode of action would have bee"H
to call a council of the provincial bishops, K
delay was too dangerous, and the promptE
interference OF Theodore was asked ands
submitted to.
Although this monarch was an Arian, he Z
bad protected the Catholics on many Oc
casions, and had for prime minister theH 4
celebrated Casiodorous, whose virtues,
justice and wisdom We're renowuedE
throughout Italy. Such considerations as
these must have led the Roman clergy to Z
'snbmit purely ecc!esisstical matter to the
court of Raveuna. On the advice of his :
minister the king decided that the one who |
had been first elected and had received the {
greatest number of votes should be recog Z
nized as the legitimate pope. Both con
ditions were verified in Symmachus. Hist
irst pontifcal act was to summon q council
in the basilica of ST. Peter on March 1, 400
to regulate more effectively the mode of
future elections. Seventy-two bishops,s
sixty seven priests, and five deaconss
composed the council. Three cauors were
drawn up relative to this matter, By the
first it was ordained that if any clergyman
De convicted of having given or promised
his suffrage for the pontifcate to anyI
sspraut during the pope's lifetime he ehalli
be deposed from his Office; by the secondI
it was provided that if the pope die sud
denly, and a unanimous election cannot bel
reached, the candidate receiving majority
of the votes shall be declared elected by
the third immunity from prosecution wasI
promised to accomplices who should reVeal
the intrigues of their principals to obtain
an unfair election.
Concluded next week.
WHITE.-Tho admirable assortment of dry
goods ever to be found at their store the ery moderate