Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-22
THE POPE AND TIE pILeRIMs.

Inc rope mas been taking TO Vne Pill
grims to whom he gave an audience the
other day, in very melancholy way. He
is reported as saying that " the deplorable
+" state of affairs placed before him the
alternative of being reduced to continued
captivity, made harder daily, or of going
s'into exile. He therefore asked the
Catholics to watch and pray for the lib
"erty and independence of the Pope" He
concluded by saying that she was no
"ionger secure in his palace that he was
outraged in his person and his dignity in
"a thousand ways" As if to give en-
phasis to the Pope's remarks, gang of
roughs pelted the pilgrims as they left st.
Peters, crying, "Down with the Vatican !"
The roughs, however, OF course did not
represent the italian Government, and it
is that of which the Pope complains SO Bit
terly. What he expects from these COM
plants it would be hard to conjecture.
OF course the story of his captivity
can only be understood in Pick
wickian sense. Nothing but his own
will confines him to the Vatican. He
is as free to go abroad as any other italian.
Moreover the italian Government has
given him an annual grant of $500, 600,
which he refuses to touch, which has now
been accommodating for several years, and
which will perhaps eventually be covered
into the national treasury under the stat
ute of limitations. The position of the
Pope has been chosen by himself, not
forced upon him. The temporal power of
the Papacy is gone, and it cannot be re-
covered. There is no power in the world
which would lift a finger to bring back
that state of things, and united Italy
neither can nor will listen to any PROPOSE
ton of the kind, As to the Pope's recent
vague hint about going into exile, he
would render that suggestion more telling
by stating in what direction he thinks of
going. For when this idea of his emigra-
ton is examined, it at once become appar-
emit that he cannot go anywhere. No
other European power is prepared to
offer him an asylum in which he
would be in the least degree more inde-
pendent than he is at Rome. And besides,
papal emigration has been tried already,
and 1t did not answer. The present Pope
probably has no further purpose in throw
ing out these hints than TO set in motion
whatever influence can be brought to bear
upon the Italian Government. But there
is nothing to be done in that quarter.
Already the Ministry is embarrassed by
the refractory attitude OF the Vatican.
Already the Radical party is demanding
the abrogation of the Papal Guarantees.
And the Government has real dangers to
apprehend from the Radicals, whereas the
Pope can do nothing but rail at it, what
ever it does. The presumption therefore
is that no obstacle win be put in the way
of the Pope's emigration. If he chooses
to leave Rome, and Italy, he can do SO at
any time. But should he do this, and
afterwards repent of his action, he would
perhaps find it difficult to re-enter the
Eternal City. The fact is that the
policy adopted by Plus Ninth, and SO per-
sistently followed by his successor, has
thus far produced simply no effect. The
stimulation OF captivity and suffering has
not had the slightest influence upon Eu-
ropean politics and statecraft. The final
ity of the cessation of temporal power has
on the other hand become more patent
every year, and what is more, the attitude
of the Papacy toward the italian Govern
ment has gradually drifted from mere
annoyance into burning question, which
is more and more involving the dignity and
authority of the monarchy, and which can
not much longer be held at arms length.
Had the Vatican accepted the situation it
might have remained at Rome indefinitely,
As it is the question will before long be