The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-02-12
An American Pope.

There are now thlrty-tWO Italian Car
dinals and twenty-eight Cardinals of
other nationalities. The announcement
that the Pope intends to bestow shortly
a large number of scarlet hats will give
rise to much speculation and awaken
good deal of anxious concern. viii the
new members of the Sacred College be
mainly Italians, or will enough foreign
Cardinals be created to give the latter,
in conjunction with their twenty-eight
associates, controlling influence III the
next cOnclave?
Few persons familiar with Papal his
tory are likely to answer the latter ques-
ton in the affirmative unless with strong
qualifications. Yet the present occupant
of st, Peters chair has shown himself,
on more than one occasion, to be capable
of daring innovations. The unexpected
is about rs much to be looked for at the
Vaticln in those days as anywhere else
in the. world. There is an immemOrial
discomfort in the Roman Catholic church
with the dominance asserted by the
ecclesiastics of a single country over the
affairs of religious organization which
by its name and nature must be cOnsid-
cred worldwide, That discomfort can
be traced through many centuries of
Christian annals. 1t finds expression in
the two great parties whose contentious
have at times shaken Christcndom-the
Cisalpine and Ultramontane parties. 1t
had good deal more to do than super
fetal students imagine with the Lu,
theran reformation. 1t was prime force
in these wide reaching agitations within
the church that preceded and helped
to prepare the way for the Reformation.
Within living memory it made itself
powerfully, though Intellectually, felt in
the struggle carried on at the Vatican
against the decree of Papal infalli-
| bility. .,..........
Heretofore the Sovereign P1ntilfs
themselves have been almost without ex-
ception champions of the Italian side OF
the CONTROVERSY. This was natural.
UltramOntanism stood for the claims
that seemed to promise most OF power
and prestige to the Holy soc. Opposi-
ton to these claims came up from be-
yond the Alps, Very largely it was
mixed up with the rivalrius and ieal,
ousics OF secular rulers. So long as
Italy WAS the most Catholic nation in the
world 1t followed that the interests OF
the church wee believed to bo bound up
with itaial supremacy within and OvCl
the church. . .'....
But times have cha lged and conditions
have changed with them, Italy is still
a Roman Catholic country, bat not by
any means in the peculiar and exclusive
sense in which it was once and for long
ages. Not only is Professionalism more
lhan tolerated in Rome itself, but relig
ious skcpticism has gained Il firm foot
hold within the very shadow of the Vat
lean. And that is not all. Considered
in its bearings on the Papal question
that is not the most signigcant fact OF
the most potent factor in the change
There is a conflict, now of many year
standing, between the Vatican and tn
: Quirinal King and Pope are antag
Onists, Plus In, proclaimed himself t,
be and was regarded by the faithful
/, throughout the world as a 'prisoner.
i Leo XIII has somewhat relaxed the lin
! itations recognized by the Pondf upo
i his daily life; bat, like his predecessor
!. he maintains an attitude of stern Pre-
q test against the alleged usurpatiOns am
!. arbitrary control exercised by the ten
4. poral power. The relations betwee
j church and State, severely strained a
!. ready, wei c brought almost to a crisis b
J the daring act of King HumberU an
y Premier Crispi in sanctiOning the eret
I ton at Rome of statue in honor {
+ IiordanO Bruno, near the SPOT where Ii
+ was burned for heresy in the year A. ID
a 1900,
In consequence of existing circun
. stances there have been of late frequeI
q rumors that the next Pope would not b
i an Italian, Over that question the pre-
if est Pope can exercise no positive an
h direct authority, but any sentiment
. which lie may be known to hold wi
y doubtless have great weight; and, ina
% much as his successor will be elected b
|. the College of Cardinals, the appoin
n ments soon to be made by him will /
:. taken as indicating i'll measure I'll
bent of his mind The Papacy has tO-da
& nowhere on earth any more jealous SUI
n porters than III such protestant countrit
# as the United States, Great Britain an
IS and Germany. lie can if he choose
, create ten new Cardinals ut once
Il most or all of them prove to be selecte
n from among non-ltalian archbishop
/ there will be strong reason for tlIiukin
In that a nOn-ltalian Pope will, befOl
q many years, take his place in the Ion
Il line of Sovereign Pontiifs. Those wi
3 are even now prOphcsying that his Sc,
d Mar name will be james Gibbons
l. Baltimore may live to see their predi
tons, wild as they now seem, fulflle,
IS Sunday Press