The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-02-09
DEATH OF THE POPE,

|
Rome at ) O'Clock p. NJ. on Thursday, the It'll
inst. Though his condition had been such
for year past as to indicate that his death
must be comparatively near, the announce
ment of the event on Thursday came yet as Il
surprise. The later dispatches in regard to
his condition were so hopeful that compare
lively many days on earth seemed yet in re-
serve for him.
If we had time to relate it and the ability to
do il justice a brief history Of the illustrious
deceased would be found more interesting
than any romance. He was born May 18th,
1892. His natal name was John Mary Masta
Ferrctti, son Of COnnt Jerome Mastai Fcrrctti,
of Sinigaglia, near Ancona, in the duchy OF
Urbno, one of the papal states. When boy
OF II years he was put to school at the college
Of Notcrra, in Tuscany and the intention was
to educate him for the law. As he grew up,
however, he manifested a strong penchant for
the military, and at 20 was admitted TO the
guard of Plus VII; but soon afterwards hay
ing a severe and protractcd spell of sickness,
on his recovery he decided to devote his future
| life to the church. At - he was ordained a
priest, and soon afterwards, in company with
| Monsignor Muzi, was sent by the Pope to
| Chill, where he spent several years visiting
the churches. On the accession Of Gregory
XVI he was recalled and made archbishop OF
Spoleto, from which, on the accession Of Plus
VIII, he was transferred to the see Of lmOlo
In 1916, on the death of Plus VIII, he was
elected his successor, which he accepted, AS
suming the name of Plus IN 1t was in dan
gerous times. Plots and countcrplots against
kings and kincraft were rife all over Europe,
illuminating in the rapid succession OF revolu-
| tons in lsis, by which nine-tcnths Of the soy
crcigns Of Europe were unsCatcd, but by a
strange reaction as quickly rescatcd on their
thrones a year later. Italy was "A seething vol
cano under the plottings of Mazzni, Garibadi,
and that class of rcvolutonists. Plus, kind
hearted and liberal, sought, by giving his pco-
pie liberal constitution and just laws, to do
the best for them the times and occasion were
capable of; but the mad revolutionists were
bent only on popular dcspotsm, and in this
the Pope, both whose oath and duty bound him
to stand by the secular and spiritual prcroga
tives Of the church. was compelled to oppose
them. Overcome by the popular fury he was
compelled to flee for safety to Gacta, where he
remained until, in 1919, the French army un.
der Gen. Oudinot occupied Rome and restored
the Pope to his temporalitics in the holy city. |
A flor tbie ba mo N nj al - Of
his life, may be mentioned his rc.estabishment
Of the Catholic hierarchy in England in 1850
the PRONUNCIATION Of the dogma of the Imma- |
culate Conception in 1864; and the summon.
ing of the Ecumenical Council in 1874, by |
which the doctrine of the papal iniallbilty |
was defined and affirmed 1t would take too
long to recount the political events by which |
Victor Emanuel, after several years of war and |
intrigue, succeed in denuding the church of its |
temperatures and uniting Italy as one king.
dom under the house of Savoy. But it no less |
illustrates the sincere picy than sterling char.
actcr OF the man to state that, although hope |
lcssly ovcrborne by violence Plus IX. never
sNervcd from his high ground Of ever treating
berry; and though the new Italian kingdom
had made every effort to concliate the holy
see, and dcCrccd that the catholic should be the
only religion of the state, and voted an annual
donation Of SG500Oo to the pope for his sup.
port and maintenance of his household, he ne.
yer soilcd his hands with penny of the gift
but depended on the devotion of the catholics
throughout Christcndom to supply his treasury,
and not in vain The free gifts of the faithful
not only supplied all his modest personal
wants but enabled his committees to carry on
the great religious enterprises Of the church in
style. Happy will it be for the
church and humanity if the choice of the con
clave for his successor falls on as good man
-. -. -