The Opelousas courier., 1888-01-14
Pope Leo XEEH.
N. O. City Item:

This great man, the 258th occupant of the
chair of St. Peter, has proved to be one OF the
ablest pontifs that ever ruled tho Catholic
Church. When he came to the papacy, he
found it shorn of the temporal power which
was conferred upon it by Pepin more than
diate predecessor, Plus TX, had been an act
ual fugitive from Rome and indebted to the
friendly services Of a neighboring potelhate
for his restoration to the nominal temporal
power which he enjoyed previous to its final
subversion by Victor Emanual Yet when
Leo appeared in st. Peters on Sunday to &C.
lebrate the Golden Jubilee Mass, he found the
accredited representatives of the Christian
Mahommedan and Pagan world assembled to
do honor to him and the occasion which tens
of thousands of people from all lands had
focked to Rome to celebrate With less pa
trimony attached to the Holy See than has be-
longed to it for moro than eleven centuries,
the present Pontiff has acquired greater influ-
ence in the temporal affairs of the nations
than has been welded by any of his pre-
decessr.,s since the Reformation. In fact it is
moro widespread, universal and firmly estab-
ished than that of any former Pope. Though
not welded with the iron hand of an Innocent
Ill, Hildebrand, Gregory TX, or Julius, it is
the voluntary tribute of the civilized world
to great ruler, who happily combines piety
Justice, capacity and genius in one character
Tho reigning Pope has signally demonstrat-
ed the clstim long ago put forward ny some oi
the wisest friends of the church that the Holy
See would be much stronger without its tenn
poral appendages and responsibilities than
with them. He is the supreme sovereign OF
the great Catholic branch of the Christian re
ligion, aud as such respected by temporal po
tentates everywhere as the common arblter
between them, an impartial judge who has no
immediate regal interests to warp, however
imperceptibly, his judgment He has been so
licited by Germany and Spain to settle II dis
pute between them, and discharged the deli
cate trust with so much tact and ability us to
compel tho sincere gratitude of both contes-
tants 1t is chiefly in the remarkable charac
| ter of Pope Leo XIII. for success in discuss
ing and treating international affairs, the
quiet vet potent influence he exerts IN every
civilized coun try under the sun, that he is an
object of respect and interest to secular rulers
ana people. He is eminently conservative
and discriminating. His whole life has beer
distinguished for it's purity, and though OF
kindly disposition, he has never hinched o
| faltered, nor yielded one iota on question
! principle Yet while standing immovable as
| the seven hills of the Eternal City ON his
principles, he has by skillful hand guided the
| great interests entrusted. to his care witt
ta~s-ty and success through perils aud dI tflcul
| ties similar to which have borne down man,
Of his predecessors and sent them broken
hearted to the grave. While he may be salt
to have passed through the worst, the pres
ent position of the papacy is surrounded will
| possible dangers which it will for some year.
require skilful lntnd guided by u clear brai'
and stout heart . avert. That Pope Lee
may be spared MAJ y years for this great work
! is the prayer of Il ,otestants no less SINGER
| than the most dew ut Catholics.