The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-02-24

ceremony of conservation, it dissrmed the
emperor by implying the right of the popes
| to be consecrated at their own convenience,
for if his meaning had been that the pres
ence of the king or of his ambassadors
were necessary condition to the legality
of the act, he would have deliberately
placed himself ard successors in the same
relation to these new rulers, that his pre-
decessors had been obliged, though under
protest, to assume toward the emperors of
! the East-w hich is manifestly absurd.
| Nevertheless, both the Frank and Saxon
emperors frequently claimed the right to
something more than a mere honorary part
| in papal election, which led to long years
of party strife and discord between church
and state. Leo Nv. in S47, confirmed the
| decree of Eugene, although, on account of
the Saracen around Rome, he was conse
Grated without waiting for the imperial
ambassadors; and the came was the case,
but without any ostensible reason, with
Stephen V alias VI. This shows that the
| presence of the ENJOYS was an honorary
| privilege, which conferred no authority TO
60 back of or revise the election itself, as
| Hadrian III, Stephen's immediate prede.
cessor, expressly affirmed in decree given
by Martinus Polonus, Mabillon, and Pagi.
| 1t is but fair to confess that this decree is
| not considered authentic by all but what
! historical document has not been called in
| question by some hypercritic or other,
| especially in Germany That it is not
apocrypbal is shown by the fact that one
of Hadrian's successors-John TX, elected
in s96-annuIled it in view of the peace
ensured by the presence of the ambassa-
cors, and restored the earlier ordinance of
Eugene.
The text of the canon law, and especially
the passage Canomico ritz ct consaetudine.
haa been often appealed to by C9sarists
and Protestant historians, as though it
demonstrated that q papal election not
made according to it's requirements was
uncanonical and invalid. In the first place
Cardinal Girampi remarks that Eugenes
decree was a personal privilege Aduocati1
given to the princes of the Carlovingian
line: and in the second place Thomassin
observes upon Johns decree that the
imperial ambassadors were not admitted to
the election, bas only to the Subsequent
conservation that they were there to
overawe the turbulent; aud that in time
their presence became a custom and was
looked On as a part, SO to speak, of the
external rite OF conservation. 1t had,
besides, become so useful as q repressive
measure against the enemies of the Holy
See that it received the high sanction of
itself. Pope Nicholas H., in the eleventh
century. explained the text Quia Sancta in
the same sense. 1t must be said, to the
discredit of the Othos and the Henrys,
that they too often slipped from the inch of
privilege to the ell of (pretended) right,
=
and absolute sense at papal elections, in
truding some lees worthy subjects into the
Papacy; but when once these occupied
the seat Of Peter they were to be recog-
nized and respected on the same principle |
that the highpriests were in the irregular |
age of the Seleucida and the Romans when |
they sat upon the chair Of Moses. Yet
even the imperial inhaence, says Kenrick, |
was benefcially exercised in several in.
stances, particularly those of Clement II.
and st. Leo JX. DIR. Constantine Hotter
has written work replete with informa. |
tion about the German popes and the ply |
sicai aspect, the morals, manners and Gus !
toms of the Romans in their time. Charles |
Heman's books 1--WE cannot seriously call
them worke) on Ancient and 1icli@rdl |
Christianity and Sacred Art in Italy, while
they show considerable acquaintance with
the best authorities on the subject, mani.
fest detestabte apinius against the Holy
See, which shows their writer to be as great
an adept in the cart of putting things" as
the far more learned anthor of the eight.
volume History Of The City of Rome in the
Middle Ages, Ferdinand Gregorovins.
While the corruption of come popes aud
the depravity of the tenth century have
been exaggerated by many historians, the
condition of the Papaey. at that time is
certainly a warning against the interfe-
renee of secular princes in the elections
for, as the great Baronius remarks lad an,
900), NihiL penetus EcclesiOs Romano con-
tingere potest funestius, tetrius mihu atque
lugubrius, guam 81 prinOipes seculares in
Romanorum Pontitfcum eLectiones manus
inmitfGRt.
In the middle of the eleventh century a
was begun to reform the method
of conducting papal elections, which even
tually limited them within the legitimate
circle of ecclesiastical prerogatives, totally
excluding the direct influence of the in
ferior clergy and the aristocratic and pop
ular element of the laity. Pope Nicholas
hundred and thirteen bishops in the
Lateran Palace in the month of April, 1859,
passed a law to the following effect: On
The death of the pope the cardinal bishops
shall first meet in council and with the
utmost diligence treat of successor they
shall next take joint action with the car
dina! priests, and finally consider the
wishes OF the rest of theI clergy and of the
Roman people. If a worthy bject can be
found among the members of the Roman
,higher) clergy itself, he is to be preferred,