The Northwestern standard., 1886-04-03

OIL
the last week of April, with the excep-
ton Of 1886, is not represented again in
this century by an Easter day.
The Popes.
Among the Sovereign Pontiffs who
have governed the Catholic Church,
there are numbered IA to whom are
paid the honors due to Saints 81 mar
tyrs and AZ confessors. st. Agatha,
whose reign was at The end Of the sew
enth century, was the only centen-
marian Pope, and the only one to whom,
after st. Peter, could be given the title
of Thaumauturgus. St. Agatha died at
the age Of 107 years.
whe. .fopes have been selected from
all ranks and all classes of society, and
if many have had large fortunes and
noble origin, others have come out of
obscurity toreach the highest pinnacle
Of honors and dignities.
Sixtus V. was the son of poor pa
rents, had to beg from door to door in
his early wears. Adrian w., the only
English Pope, was abandoned by his
father and had to live by aims until he
went over to France, where, from a
simple servant in a Convent, he rose by
degrees in consequence Of his intellect
and his virtues. The father OF Sixtus
was simple day laborer, his
cfl, y,f ov,1 trc n1ctn
washerwoman ST. Celestine v. a
baker, Urban V. a cobbler, and Greg
ory VII. carpenter.
Five Popes had studied medicine be-
fore receiving Holy Orders. The father
of Paul v. was patrician OF Sienna,
so too, Eugene ", Gregory XII, and
Alexander VII. belonged to the patri-
clan families of Venice.
Thus all conditions Of life have by
turns, thanks to the interposition of
Divine Providence, given to the Church
her sovereign head, receiving from God
Himself his primacy, his authority,
and his power. Amongst all the Dig
mites and powers Of the world there
is surely none which possesses other
wise than through God in the consci-
ence of nations, the respect and author
ity which constitute them. But none
pretends to hold or in fact does hold
the place of Jesus Christ. None repre-
sents His sacred power, continues the
work founded by His own sacred
hands; none, consequently approaches
the elevation of the Pontifcal Primacy.
Besides, were there only the honor Of
continuing the most ancient and most
august of dignlties, to what, in this res
pect, can the Papal dignity be com
pared9 Find If you can, an Empire
greater than the Catholic Church.
stronger against time than that of the
Roman Pontiffs, monatchs, greater
than their beautiful geniuses, as long
series of sovereigns to whom the gem
eration.s owe nothing but benefits, to
whom the ages dare not cast defnance.
for whom history has not pages red
with blood, black with crimes, ringing
with maledicti0ns. Vainly may we
delye into the past or seek in the pre-
sent /; no crown is so glorious as the
tiara.
Now, God Willed that tiara should be
worn by the poor man as we'll as by the
rich, by the child OF the people as well
as by mobiles and princes.
Those who hold that the Church is
given over to such form of govern
ment, To moTaTchies or empires rather
than to republics. are grossly deceived,
or do not hesitate to utter an impudent
faisehood. The Church after the ex-
ample Of her Divine Founder, makes
no acceptance Of persons. Accessible
to all, and knowing how to conform
herself TO times and Circumstances she
freedom to act and to do good.
X