The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-02-17
PAPAL ELECTIONS.
Catholic World for January. :.

. The succession of the Roman Pontiff;
rests on the word of God other lines o.
princes may fail, their lines shall last unit
the end of the world. Still, although there
will ever be series Of legitimate success
sors in the Papacy, the manner of success
sion has varied, being left to human pru-
dence, which accommodates itself to times
and places, yet ever under an overriding
Providence that directs to it's own ends nc
less the vices than the virtues of men.
The election Of a Pope is the most i'm
portant event that takes place in the world
1t affects Immediately several hundred
millions of Catholics in their dearest hopee
Of religion, and it touches indirectly the
interests of all other people on the earth
besides. In the Pope the world receives q
vicar of Christ, q successor OF st. Peter,
and an infallible judge in matters of faith
and morals. The Papacy was always con
ferred regularly by way of elec1on-from
Lord himself, to Plus TX, now reigning,
who was selected by the cardinals of the
Holy Roman Church on the 18th of June,
aS46. Between these there have been two
hundred and sixty Popes, if we follow the
number given by the Geraechid Cattolicd,
which is published annually at Rome.
On the 25th of July, 1876, our Holy
the several colleges in Rome subject to the
Propaganda, took occasion to speak quite
earnestly of attempts that were being made
in Italy tounsettle the minds of Catholics on
papal elections by teaching that they were
originally popular ones, and that the natu-
raj right OF the laity in them (Which, it WAS
asserted, had been exercised without ques-
tion for twelve hundred years) was arbitra.
lily and unlawfully taken away by Pope
Alexander III. The errors of this new
schismatical party may be reduced to two
points-viz, , that the share which the peo-
pie were once usually allowed to take in
she election of sacred ministers was right
and not privilege accorded by the visible
head of the church to ages of faith aud
fervor and that Alexander III. deprived
the Romans of this right in the election of
their chief pastor.
Let US state, in the first place, that it is
heretical to maintain that the latty have a
strict-i. e., inherent or divne-right to
elect their pastors, and historically false to
assert that such q right was ever allowed
by tho rulers of the church or was ever
exercised by the Christian people. The
authorities TO confirm our statement are so
numerous as to cause almost an embdrrds
de risheSSes. Besides the great collections
which are the common source of ecclesiaa
tical erudition-the Fathers, the councils,
annals, papal bulls the Bollandists, and
particularly, a. regards papal elections, the
PSopytSmm al septem tomas AlGji; the
works of ThOmassln, Gretser, BelIarmine,
and otherR.
The earliest manner of !electing the
Popes was by the votes of the Roman
clergy cast In the presence of the faithful,
who assisted as witnesses to the godliness
Of the subject proposed, aud to testify that
besides his personal merits he was an &C
oeptable person on account, perhaps of his
birth, his nationality, his appearance, or OF
some other adventurous circumstance
which enhanced his popularity with the
great body of the people, and would cause
kim, also, TO be looked upon with less dis
favor by them Uho are acithout. The Ro
man people, then, did not and could not
have, except by usurpatiou and abuse, 8
decisive voice in the election OF the Pope
for snch an act is by Gods ordinance
placed beyond the jurisdiction of the
lAity.
After tho martyrdom of St. Fabian, il
January, A. d. $50, the Holy See remaineC
vacant for o year and half, until in tn,
month of June, 25l, Cornelius was raised t,
shst poet of perilous dignity under ty
rant like Decius, who had declared that ht
would sooner see q new pretender to thu
empire than another bishop of Rome. Thi
election, although made almost unanimous
ly by all orders, gave rise to the frs
sChism, because Novatian, who headed th
rigorous party in the affair of the Ldpsi
was consecrsted bishop and set himself ul
as anti Pope. We have an Invaluable ties
timony to the election OF St. Cornelius from
the pen of st. Cyprian: the great Bishop
of Carthage from whom we obtain, say
Bsronius, tOlerably good idea Of papa
election in the early ages. Prayers wer
frat offered up to God to obtain his as
distance in making q choice; the desire o
the faithful, or rather of their representa-
tives, and such testimony to the worth o
the subjects proposed as they we're pre-
pared to give was heard the wish OF tn
Roman clergy, and their willing assent t
the proceedings, were inquired into an
aOugAt: and after maturely weighing tn
for and against, the bishops of the vicinity
with any others in communion with tn
Holy See who happened to be in Rome q
the time, went into executive session an
gave the decisive votes-in comRtittiS SUI
frdqia TorebGRt. With regard to thOs
among the laity who took part in thee
elections, we must observe that in the be
ginning, as long as the majority Of Chris
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