Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-02-20
Electing q Pope.


ed consistory, and is presided over by
the pontiff: They meet in conclave on
ly when locked up together to elect ar
occupant for the vacant papal chair
The cardinals (cardo, hinge ''are the
hinges upon which the Roman church
turns"
The cardinalate is composed of bish-
ops, priests and deacons. In the time
of Pope Paschal II. they numbered
ninety, but Sextus V. ordained that sew
enty should be the maximum, and this
number has never been altered Six
should be bishops, fifty priests, and
fourteen deacons. The cardinalate has
has not of late years been full; but this
does not affect the validity Of the cleo
ton of pontiff. They are chosen from
among the ablest and most pious and
learned men of the church in all ma
tons. They constitute kind of senate
of the church, being the counselors OF
the pope, sede plena and electors, sele
udcante. Each cardinal who has do
cese outside ofRome must reside in his
| diocese; all others remain in Rome
| and form permanent committees
Congregations for the transaction of the
business Of the church. When the
pope dies, 1t is the duty Of those not
resident in the Eternal city to proceed
there without delay, unless prevented
by some serious cause; and those who
make the journey are required to re-
| turn to their diOceses two months after
the conservation Of the pontifi Pope
Plus TX. created the first English car
dinal, who resided in England, since
the Observation-Disclosures Wiseman.-
and, on his death, raised to the same
rank Henry Edward Manning, the en-
inent Oxford convert. He also bestowed
the beretta upon South American pre-
later on the first Irish member of the
sacred college, Paul Cullen, archbishop
Of Dublin; and on the first American
thus distinguished, John McCloskey,
archbishop of New York. 1t was hoped
that he would have similarly honored
the venerable archbishop of Tuam,
John McHale, who has survived five
pontifis, and would wear scarlet hat
as worthily as the noblest among them.
The news Of the death of the pope has
been conveyed officially to each of the
foreign cardinals in all parts of the
world, and the formal opening of the
conclave will be postponed ten days to
give as many as possible an opportuni-
ty to arrive.
1t has been decided to hold the con-
clave in the large room of the Vatican
known as the consistOry hall, where
the cardinals have been accus-
toned to assemble The govern
e A. Il, III.
the hands of the chief prelate of the
pope's household, the cardinal Gamer
iengo, Simsoni, and the heads of the
three cardinal orders, Cardinals Bilio,
Pecci, and Di Pietro. Prince Chigi,
marshal of the conclave, has begun
preparing the chamber for the meeting
The hall will be completely walled up
so as to isolate the cOnclavisti from all
outside influence. Each cardinal, as he
arrives, will be assigned an apartm ent
whittier will be brought his food. which
will be passed into him through small
aperture about lalee enough for this
purpose The hall itself will have but
one door, which will be opened only to
permit the entrance of a cardinal ar
irving from a distance, or the retire
ment of one who may be Frustrated by
sickness. All letters received at the
door for any member of the eonclave
will be opened and read. A guard,
furnished by King Humbert, surrounds
the palace to insure perfect immunity,
and the one wicket to cOnsistory hall
Will be constantly guarded by commit
tees of prelates assigned to relieve each
other in the discharge Of this fatiguing
duty.
Indirectly, the pope may have exer-
clsed a great influence over the choice
Of his successor, because he has APP
pointed more than a majority of the
present cardinals; but the law of the
church expressly forbids him to exercise
any direct influence. Even with the
consent of the cardinals, he could not
nominate the member of that body
whom he might wish to succeed him; if
he did SO, the election would be void
The sealed document, therefore, which
the late pope ordered should be read
after his death, and which was opened
yesterday in the presence of his re-
mains, was only an expression of
preference with regard to some other
subject.
The cardinal cameriengo is required
to summon all the cardinals, no mat
ter how distant or what their standing,
those who are communicated, sus-
pended, or lnterdicted, and those new
ly created and not fully invested with
the insignia of the Office, are equally
entitled to participate in the conclave.
(All the living cardinals are in good
standing.) A cardinal in Rome when
the conclave meets cannot refuse to
enter it, unless incapacitated by sick
ness; late cardinals must be admitted
and none can leave the conclsve ex-
cept for sickness, or for some other just
cause whose gravity is apparent. A
cardinal temporarily absenting himself
in an approved manner has the right to
return whenever able to do SO. No alb
sent cardinal can vote by proxy.
An important article on the law gov
erning the conclave is this: If, in the
course of the election, considerable
number Of cardinals should withdraw
from the conclave, refusing to partici-