The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1889-09-21
NPoRAL 70 WER.
The Pope Claims His Dominions by
titles such as no Other Sovereign &
Can Show.
IilE CfiURC 81 AND f s STATE, T
Donation Was Divine Not Human
An Able Statement and Estab-
ished Facts.


lished Facts. s
One Of the most interesting and yalu:
able historical reviews OF the Pope's
temporal power, which have been pub
lished for many years, was the paper
read by Mr. w ID. Sparrow, LII. d.. at
the Conference of the Catholic Young
Mems Societv Of England. in Hull 0n
August 5th, before a large audiences OF
Eepresen tatiye clergy ana laity.
The following is the most important
portion Of this ddress:
s For 800 years the Christians continued
7 10 be most loyal Of the subjects Of the
1 empire, and in all things lawful to rem
I der obedi to the Emperor Of Rome.
hut fromlthe time when Constantine re-
moved the seat Of the empire to Con-
stantinople, there never relgned in
\ Rome q temporal prince TO whom the
ROntiff owed q permanent allegiance.
I From that moment God liberated His
Church. The donation Of Constantine,
% it is called, does not mean, as IS gem
orally supposed. a deed Of gift, q forln-
ally signed piece OF parchment, nor any
other charter; it consisted in the fact
that, moved by God, the Emperor Con-
stantine. departed from Rome to Cons
tantinople, and removed the seat Of the
Roman Empire to the latter city.
JIG is sometimes urged that Rome was
included in the Empire Of the Greek
lemperors and appeared in the list Of
territories subject to their sway; but
although it may have been SO described
BY courtly sycophants, and although the
Enperors may have called themselves
monarchs OF a domain which included
Rome withinsits ambit, vet, in truth
and IN fact, Rome enjoyed complete in.
4 dependence under the Roman Pontlf
from the time when Constantine de-
/ parted from Italy. a not widely dis
similar state of facts existed IN the case
/ Os our own country England. Britain
was included in the Roman Empire,
{ and the Roman Emperors pr0fessed to
4 regard it as part OF the land over which
they exercised dominion long after the
last of the Roman legionaries had de-
4 parted from It's shores, and, neverthe-
Tess, all historians agree that from that
moment Britain became Independent
]: Why should any one then hesitate to
apply the same PRINCIPLES Of reasoning
to the city of Rome? Rome itself was
saved from the barbarians. both Goth
and Hun, only bY the fortitude Of its
Bishops who turned back Attila and
/ Genseric when iii sight Of its walls. I'M g
4 tind this fact that is. the Independence
of the Roman Fontiff re gnized again
and again in the history Of the world. NJ
.When Pepin drove out the ombards.
we are expressly told that he made res
titution to the Church and the Com
mOnwealth Of the city Of Rome Of the
territory that had been Wrongfully
taken from them BY the Lombaras..
Again, when Charlemagne delivered
Rome from its foes. he expressly de:
I clares that he restored it, not gave it, to
( the Pope; that he made q restit tuition,
not q donation. Rome and the SUR
!. rounding country have, from the Time
whom the seat of empire was removed
{ to the East. stood clear Of all soYereigni.
ties. Resting on q sovereignity Of their
own, they have owed allegiance "a
none have been include in no Empire.
\ From that time the POPE has rei9ned
MI d temporal prince. No man has
given him his rights He is first and
alliest5in the list of Christian sover.
/ Seigns.
ssss When Britain was . mixture of swamp
and forest amid which the painted sav-
ages wandered ard fought. the icar
of Christ was . temporal prince, rs
there be any property sacred upon this
earth the patrimony of the Church il
|: :pre- eminently sacred. The patrimony
Athe Church consistel originally OF
distinct port ions, and
I ghereyer was the pat trimonY of the
\ Church there was tho seed of cIyIlizas
tiun, there were slaves sff arts and
4 tnling iiourished. and ora der arose ont
/ NJ o emo 80 imperfe ar,s 9lishr
4 leIl even of the ducsted classes,
/ ted With history That altho onRh|
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