The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-19

Possibly m American In St Peters Sacred
Chair.

WHO WILL FOLLOW LEO?
Possibly IN American In St Peters Sacred
Chair.
Although nothing in the appearance Of Leo
XIII indicates any decrease in intellectual or
even physical vieor, there are many evidences
that the question OF choosing his successor Is
anxiously discussed by the adherents Of Pope
and King. The views of the opponents Of the
temporal power or possible papal candidates are
crystallized in . review OF . work by Rafaele dc
Cesare-'u Conclavs d. Leone XIII ii Future
Conelave,n which sppears in the April number
of Italia, perhaps the abiest, as II 10 undoubtedly
the most moderate exponent OF the political aud
philosophical forces that have sreated Italian
unity. De Cesare il not unknown on this side
Of the Atlantis. His study on the conceive that
elected the present Pope excited almost % much
interest and provoked a. keen discussion in lug
land and America - on the continent of Europe.
His examination Of the conditions that must
determine the choice of . successor to Leo XIII
will. therefore, attract wide attention., for
besides having remarkable kssnness in discern
ing and tracing to their fountains the tortuous
currents Of. the astutees diplomacy IN Europe. he
is evidently closer to original sources OF informa-
ton than any other outsider. When he comes
to the conclusion. then, that the next head of
the Catholic Church viii be . native OF Italy
there are strong grounds for accepting the opin-
ion Of q writer who has already given proof OF
thorough acquaintance with the trend OF ideas IN
the Sacred College. He shows that under pres
ept circumstances Q French Pope would be In-
tolersble not OILY to Germany and Italy, out 10
Hungary and Austria a. well. The only Ger
man cardinal on friendly terms with bis own
government 10 Honenlohe. and he IL anything
but q persona erata at the Vatican. Other rea-
sons initiate against the election OF . bavarian
or an Austrian. The English cardinals are too
old. and. according TO De Ceaare. an American
Pope is out of the question.
II is this latter statement which we feel In
clined 20 dissent from, at least partially. II 1t
should turn out that the Italians, In aoolishing
the temporal power have also abolished the reA-
chiefs of the Catholic Church should not save
the papacy from the strifes and struggles that
divide Europe by crossing the Atlantic and tax
ing o Pontiff from this free land, where the Catt-
Ollie church is making such marvellous progressf
Conditions will have to change greatly before
any European power will venture to make war
on the United States, or before the latter will
have any except q benevolent interest IN Euro
pcan complications An American Pope, there
fore. would be very likely to find In the neutral
character of his origin that very Independence
which former Popes owed to their temporal do
minions and royal dignity.
Fortunately, we are able TO rectify the opinion
Of De Cesare, based TO some extent on . very
natural national prejudice. A work has Just
appeared in Paris entitled Rome ct 10 Jubile,
nelly, in which it 10 shown that the personality
Of an American cardinal 10 likely to be q moro
important factor in the deliberations OF the next
conolave than We on this side of the ocean
imagine. What gives peculiar Significance to
the conclusions of NJ. Cornely is that he il not
only one of the most distinguished Catholic
journalists on the French press, but his rela-
lions with the leaders Of Catholic thought In
Italy are of the closest and friendliest character.
His late visit to Rous, then, gave him oppor-
t~unities of getting a. the motives and policy Of
the various parties in the Sacred College en-
joysd by no other Catholic layman. Some OK
the notions prevalent among the Roman dig
nitaries with regard to the United States are
calculated to raise q smile. They evidently
imagine that the 'Cavalieri di Labo-o.S
which has millions of members and resists dem
agogues as their own vines resist the phyllox-
era, is q kind Of religious coufraternity under
the protection of Cardinal Gibbons. Their cal
culation that the Americana, ''1attered In their
youthful pride by the election of one Of their
citizens TO the Papal dignity. would be quite
capable OF sending u couple OF their iron-ciad
trigates TO Civita- Vecehia to protect the Amer
lean pope if necessary" is charming in is
naivete. The result predicted will, no doubt,
be realized when these ''iron-clad frigates" have
materialized to the rapt vision of a longing poo
pie. But quite as singular ideas have been
formed of our opinions and tendencies by per-
sons much nearer to Us Ia kin, language and ge-
oeraphical situation. These good cardinals have
never been in the United States. Lepel Griffin
and Mathew Arnold have.
However. the important question is. what ID
the present position OF parties in view Of o fut.
IRE papal ~slectionf NJ. Cornely haa detected
two currents in the Sacred College, one in favor
of an Italian Pope and the other in favor of q
foreign Pope. Briefly summarized the results
OF bis investigations are az follows: The first
current is the more powerful At present, but the
second is gaining force and becoming stronger
every day. The motto of those who are swayed
by it is to 'disitalianize the church. They dc
not ignore any Of the difficulties that would fol.
low the realization of their desire. They reckon
that neither Catholic Italy nor the Italy of the
revolution will abandon, without an effort, their
ancient privilege Of giving a Pope to the church.
Nay, they are pretty sure that the Italian gov.
eminent would take advantage of the election OF
a foreign Pope 20 annex the little parcel OF ter
ritory still left to the Pontificial See.
They see that . German Pope would displease
French Catholics and q French Pope German
Catholics, and that q war between the Catholic
power that furnished tie Pope and any other
Catholic power whatever would lead to q terrible
condition Of things. But they answer that IL
the Pope consented to the conditions offered By
Italy the same Inconvenience would result. AND
that a foreign Pope would find in the protection
Of bis own nation g safeguard against Italian
pretensioue.
At this point the cardinals in favor of ~electins
q foreign Pope divide. A considerable number
favor Cardinal Lavieerie, the great apostle o.
Africa. But there is both in the Sacred Colleg,
and in the spiscopacy q powerful and increasinl
section which support Cardinal Gibbons. Why
" Il tuey eoyf l. man " . tn'
idol Of all classes OF Catholics and of the de mo
cratic class especiallya What q figure the Pa
pacy would make thus represented in Europe
resting for support on the world of labor. on tina
democracy which Christ founded and which
was born in the embrace of His arms stretched
from the cross! Kings would come to pro-
against it their shaking thrones.
NJ. Cornely does not profess to predict any re
suits from these movements Of opinion. He i
q mere chronieler OF contemporary ideas preva
lent among men who have the making of his
tory. So are We. To US the election of an Ameri
can Pope appears to be among the most improb
able of improbabilities But we live in an ag,
In which so many human institutions that ap
'peared solid have crumb,ed into dust. and a
many others, whose practical realization scenes
impossible have risen in their place, that we ar
always expecting the unexpected. Forty year
ago Italy was a geographical expression. an
destined to remain so in the opinion Of the wise
Thirty years ago German unity was a craze o
poets, students and lunstics generally. Gu
vivera vera.
1t wouldn't Be Fair.
Detroit Free Press
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