The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-02-08
the popes death has already been officially

The Pope at O'Clock Wednesday night felt
sudden suffocation. He rallied several times,
but said to his physicians, death wins this
time" He was alternately lucid and wander
ing. His last moments were lucid. He said.
"Guard the church L loved so we'll and sacred
ly." The immediate cause of death was the
closing of the wound in his leg, which made
the humors mount into his lungs and brain.
Cardinals Manning and Howard and many
others were present at the death and the con-
clave has, commenced. Cardinal Simeoni
has demanded troops and the government has
acceded to his request. The ambassadors ac-
credited to the Vatican have gone in body to
view the corpse.
Latw-The Italian government ensures the
independence of the conclave and offers any
services Cardinal Simeoni may demand.
Plus TX, Giovanni Maria Masta Ferrett,)
was born at Sinigaglia May 10, 1892 He was
ordained PRIEST at Rome in 1919. In 1928 be
was sent on an apostolic mission to Chilli,
where: he remained for three years. On his re-
turn to Italy he was created Archbishop of
Spoleto. In 1910 he was made cardinal and
six years later was unanimously chosen to sue
coed Pope Gregory XVI.
As archbishop he had been distinguished for
liberal and benevolent views and the first years
of his reign on the throne of st. Peter gave
promise OF his continuance in the same path
which he had followed in his archbishopric.
he entered at once into course of reforms by
which he hoped to establish the papal govern
went upon a popular yet firm basis He re-
solved to extirpate all abuses of administration,
to withdrawing restrictions of personal liberty.
to secularize the local administration, and to
extend the right of self-governmeut
His first step to this end was to grant gen.
eral amnesty, measure which brought back
to Rome body of men whom unhappy expe-
rience had embittered against the existing Or
der of things. His reforms for a time carried
with them the affections of the people. Soon,
however, they fell short of expectations, and
the French revolution of 1S49 precipitated a
crisis. In September of that year popular dis
content broke out into open revolution. His
minister, the Count Rossi. was assassinated,
and he himself was compelled to leave the city
in disguise. He fled to Gaeta with the purpose
OF seeking protection in Spain, but was turned
from this latter design by the persuasion of the
King and Queen of Naples and remained at
Gaeta.
On the 18th of February, 1S49, the Roman
Constituent Assembly instituted republic,
and on the same day the Pope made a call Of
the principal Catholic powers for aid to estat.
lish his authority. France, Austria and Spain
answered the call and took part in the work OF
restoration. France sent an army and took the
city of Rome on the first of July, 1S4S The
Pope did not return till 1850, however.
His reverses had then entirely changed his
views and he became the chief reactionist in
Europe. He re-estsblished the Roman HER
archy in England and sanctioned the establish
ment in Ireland of Catholic university, and
condemned the principles on which the Queen s
College in that country was constituted. He
concluded with Austria Concordat more
favorable to ecclesiastical authority than the
existing ecclesiastical laws had permitted
In 1854 he issued decree propounding as a
doctrine of the Church the dogma of the I'm
maculate Conception. The war between Sar-
DINA and Austria precipitated another crisis.
The disaster of Magenta compelled the evacua.
ton Of the Romagna by the Austrans and the
Romagnese Immediately threw off the papal
yoke and set up provisional government, and
rendered their allegiance to Victor Enamel
who had already acquired Lombardy.
In vain the Pope struggled to retain the PROV
lnce, Napoleon III advised him to give it up,
but instead of accepting this advice he issued a
bull OF accommodation against all who had
taken part in its seizure. But his bull was
fruitless and his temporal possessions grad
ualy passed from him until 1870 when the
French garrison was withdrawn from the Eter-
nal City, and it became Victor Emanuars cap
itol, and the temporal sovereignty of the Papal
throne, which had continued eleven hundre d
years, was extinguished, and since then Pope
Plus has been pleased to style himself pris-
oner in the Vatican.
The most important spiritual event of his
reign was the Ecumenical Council of 1862 in
which the celebrated dogma of Papal Infalli-
blity was propounded. He issued his bull
converting the Council, June 29th of that year,
and BY subsequent letters invited the Profess
tants to return on this occasion to the bosom
OF the Catholic church. Tho Ovuuvii vpeuoya
on tue ogn on DoConTuof, reoos uUgnaa
of infallibility was proclaimed by great ma
jority in July, 1870. Plus TX has reigned
thirty-two years, thus exceeding the terms of
all previous ponhffs and faIsifying the tradition
that nopope should ever see the days of st.
Peter