The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-29

The Daily Life of the Head of the Catholic
Church.

Church.
Rome Letter to Paris Figaro.
AS I have spoken at length of the Popes health,
it occurs to me that a few rigidly exact details
regarding the manner in which Leo XIII lives
could not fail to interest your readers, especially
during this interval between the anniversaries
of February 20 and March 2. Leo XIII rises
every morning at $50 o'clock, and is aided in
dressing by domestic named Contra, like him
self born at Carpineto. The father of this Cen
ira is halter to the Sacred College.
The Pope then says mass in his own private
chapel, and has another mass said for him, at
which he is present. Then he takes his break
fast, consisting of a single cup of coffee and
milk After this Leo XIII receives his private
| secretaries, Mgr. Bocai and Mgr. Laurent who
bring him news of what is transporting and give
him information regarding the general CORE
spondence-(letters, documents, etc which
they have been examining during the interval.
His Holiness then receives Cardinal Jacobini,
Secretary of State, and subsequently, each in
their turn, the various members of the Sacred
College, with whom he holds council in regard
to the various congregations to which their en-
inencies belong At / o'clock the Pope takes his
second breakfast, consisting of soup rice soup
by preference. a fritter and small quantity of
roast meat He drinks Bordeaux wine, but real
Bordeaux, of whose origin there Is no doubt;
this wine being regularly sent to the Holy Father
by the nuns of a convent situated in the De-
partment de la Gironde.
After this repast Leo XIII takes an hour or
an hour and half of seep-aceording to an old
custom of hiS-which partly compensates him
for the long hours of busy wakefulness he must
pass. Then the Pope takes a walk through the
galleries or through the gardens of the Vatican
according as the weather is fair or chilly On
his return he gives audience to such bishops
as have come to Rome ad Iimine or perhaps to
some member of the Roman aristocracy-of
that portion of it which has remained faith
full to the Holy See, be it well understood,
About 10 p. NJ. the Pope retres to his room
xyvl1n ha shut 11Nfil l0.,pl Lock
When | asked certain well-informed prelate as
to how the Holy Father occupies himself during
this lapse of time, he replied mo one really
knows anything about it. We only see the light
in the Popes room. The general opinion is that
he is praying or meditating But one thing at
least, is certain-he is not writing. He is very
much averse to using the pen at all, for his hand
trembles.a
1t may be also partly for this reason that it is
so difficult had almost said impossible-to OBJ
tain an autograph of Leo Kill or even a simple
signature. But let me also add that there is
another reason for this. The Pope has a real
dread that his writing might be made to serve
as a preteXt for neutrality-suspicious. in the
sale of photographs bearing his signature-as oc-
CURED in the days of Plus TX.
Leo XIII feels also the greatest repugnance to
give souvenirs On one occasion "A pair of
slippers had been embroidered for him: he wore
them a short time and then sent them to be re
paired, because the embroidery had become n
little frayed. When he wanted to put them on
again he perceived that a new pair of slippers
had been substituted in their place. He was so
thoroughly veXed and demonstrated in such a
manner that no one in his household has ever
since felt the least inclination to do the same
thing. In the time of Plus TX it more than once
happened during the pontifcal audiences that
some pious person would take a white cap out of
his or her pocket and substitute it for the one
the Pope had already used. One day a good
nun tried to do the thing with Leo XIII, but
the Holy Father very positively checked her.
Leo XIII interests himself great deal in his
native place, Carpineto, although he has never
been there since 1851 Carpineto is a little
town of about four thousand inhabitants, stu
ated about eighty kilometres from Rome, on
the Naples road. The railway carries as
far as SEMI from there it is two hours drive to
Carpineto, along winding road that continually
spent nearly all his private fortune upon his dear
$40, 900 merely in the establishment of young
girls school, where weaving is taught. Leo
XIII has installed nuns there, who were brought
expressly from France as teachers. Moreover
not only were the three or four churches of
Carpirreto repaired and embelshed at his
pense. but he has also had church built
there, said to be remarkably beautiful, for which
the plans were drawn by the architect Fontana.
The Pope has also had an observatory built at
Carpineto, which he has intrusted to the charge
of Father Dewza, the celebrated astronomer
of the Montecalieri observatory. Thus Ludo-
vico Peeei, the Oldest of the Pope's nephews
can fully satisfy his passion for astronomy
without leaving Carpineto, where he resides the
whole year round as administrator of the family
property.