Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-01-14
Cbe 8lailg G5rmifIt.
Entered at the Post-GG.ce as KnozvniA Is@-
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SATURDAY, JANUARY Il, 1882.
THE TEMPORAL POWER OF THE
POPE.

There is no power on earth that
can ever make the italian people
quietly submit to the temporal
power of the Pope. 1t is evidently
a thing of the past, and we. are as
sured that the indignities to which
the present Pope is subjected, al
grow out of distrust on the part Of
the Italians that efforts are being
made to revive his temporal power.
Not long ago, a procession engaged
in removing the remains Of Pho
Mono, was attacked by a Roman
mob and disgraceful scenes were en-
acted on the streets. We are
anssured that this was called forth
by him having been a temporal
prince The mob broke up the fun
eral, we are told, because the mourn
ers had taken pains to convert 1t in
to political demonstration.
The,recent circular Of Bismarck has
revived the hopes Of the Pope that
his temporal power may yet be re
stored by foreign bayonets, and
the inhabitants of Rome have,
as consequence, made
that city a very unpleasant place
for him to reside It will never be
done, perhaps, but the question of
changing the pontifcal residence to
some other quarter has been seriously
considered It is not at all likely
that the Pope will ever be interfered
with, so long as he confines himself
to purely ecclesiastical acts. For
many years the temporal power Of
the Pope was maintained by foreign
bayonets, but the Italians have caught
the spirit of modern thought, and pub
lie sentiment there is now SO strong
against revival Of this power that it
would prove troublesome and eX-
pensive thing, even for SO powerful
a prince as Bismarck TO accomplish,
were he seriously inclined to under
take it, which we do not believe lie is.
Referring to Bismarcks circular, the
New York Evening Post says:
It is therecent circular of Bismarck
which seems to have instigated the
Pope's last outburst, though the hope
of restoration appears to remain as
strong as ever among the higher
dignitaries of the church. They are
mostly elderly or old men, who have
always lived outside the currents Of
modern thought and feeling, and
they, therefore, cannot see that there
is any power now barring the Popes
restoration to his sovereignty at Rome
which did not exist during his seven
ty years at Ayignon. Tie modern
view of tue nature and functions OF
the State is something they know
nothing about, and they conclude that
what keeps him out Of Rome now is
simply what kept him out of it in the
middle ages-the fact that stronger
man has got hold OF the city.
Every now and then there occurs
some little incident like the Bismarck
circular which satisfies them that they
are right, and that the overthrow Of
the heather is at hand.
This ignorance OF modern senti
ment about the relations Of the State
to the Church is well illustrated by
the nature of the complaints the
Pope makes against the Italian Cows
eminent. He of course puts for ward
those which he thinks will prove
most effective, but they really sound
nearly as odd to modern ears as the
complaints of great noblemas that
he is not allowed to cane his foot
men, or has TO appear in court Oh the
summons of peasant His atfiic-
tions. as he describes them, consist
largely in the presence of Protestan!
schools and churches in Rome, which
he considers insulting, and his IN
ability to perform great church cere-
monies in the streets or other public
places. If he could show that the