The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-25
THE CHOICE OF THE NEXT POPE
The Sonclusion.

| him contingent OF Ill tne lthlinn IarulnnlS
OF tho south. good number OF Roman
Cardinals. and several provincial Cardinals:
all those who. at homo and abroad.
consider tho triple alliance as n diplomatic
| machine directed against the cause OF Ponti-
| ical liberty. and the cosmopolitan interests Of
| tho Holy See. France has decided to accord to
her seven or eight Cardinals tho right OF
inclusion. as we call 1t in Conclnve parlancc. in
favor OF Cardinal Rampolla. This is return
to tho tradition OF the Roi-Soleil. that is to
| say. Of Louis XIV, who. In his famous instruc-
tons to his ambassadors. ordered the Car
dinals under his influence to unite upon n
certain prominent Italian Cardinal. 30 as to
| govern themselves in everything according
to the advice and the conduct OF tho so-called
Grand Elector OF tho Sncred College.
Tho Spanish Cardinals. us old friends OF the
| former Nuncio at Madrid. will also side with
| the Secretary OF State. Cardinal Is Taschercnu u.
Gibbons. Moran. and Goosssns will probably
have no interest in favoring tho Austro-l Italian
| and German influence In tho Conclave Tho
| recent Incidents which havo been developed In
| connection with the attitude OF Count Rever-
| tcra tho pressure exercised In high quarters
against the Fronch and democratic attitude OF
| the Holy SEQ. tho false and abnormal situation
In which the triple alliance Is placed as re-
| CARDS tho Vatican. oil this moral atmosphere
has singularly compromised tho game and
tho power Of those who are struggling against
the authority OF Cardinal Rampolln.
The thing which has particularly aggravated
this state OF feeling Ia the extraordinary do
sire. linked with foolish ambition. OF the Italian
Government to control the deliberations and
the vote Of the future Concave. Tho articles
Of the journals. and especially tho imprudcnt
indications OF NJ dc Cesare. in tho MORA An
folooid. have aroused profound anxiety in high
nIau ukI ot,1,H .-l.a
an absolute change Of front against these at
tempts ut intimidation and domination.
Chance caused the Emperor Francis Joseph,
while declining the candidacy proposed by tho
Quirinni. to pronounce n decided opinion,
which increased tho distrust and apprehcn-
sion OF tho high clerical world. Tho result
OF this whole assemblage Of facts is that
tho triple alliance. represented upon this
ground by Austria In her quality rs IL Catholic
power. can only rally very small number OF
Cardinals In favor OF its policy. Cardinal Ram
polla by joining hands with Cardinal Ledo-
chowski has divided the Austro- German and
Italian purity. Thanks to tho political dcpre-
citation OF tho alliance Of Italy with central
Europe. the Cardinals who might possibly
have manifested some sympathy for the inter-
ests OF that fatal compact. will BIO obliged by
prudence anu n sentiment Of honor to pro-
claim In the Cohclavo their complete independ-
ence in language. in discussion. and in voting
Under the most favorable circumstances, tho
candidate pointed out by Francis Joseph can
rally to his side only a small group OF
Italian Cardinals. one German. perhaps ono
Portuguese. and three or four Austro- Hun
garians Nevertheless. it seems very doubt
full whether this group can be formed after tho
events OF tho last year. 1t Is impossible. in
fact. that the general dispositions should DO
modified and that the situation should be-
come more favorable. because the Roman
question. the pivot Of the Conclave. has at tho
present time no chance OF finding loyal
solution. Tho pnrtisans OF tho triple alliance
have so thoroughly understood this that they
have recently concentrated all their efforts on
bringing about about IN entente. at least tacit
between the Quirinal and the Vatican. But
these Efforts. far from reaching happy result.
have contributed to reveal tho real purpose
and to increase tho chances of those who
stand as the resolute and irreconcilnblo enc
mics OF the triple alliance. To DO moro ex-
act. wo may add that only war. or an exodus Of
the Papacy. ran displace tho controlling influ-
ences by scattering tho groups Of the present
day and changing the aspect OF tho diplomatic
chess board. But those are future contingent
cies. with which an impartial observer OF the
present state OF things cannot and ought not
to count. In politics and in the direction Of
all human affairs the first condition Of success
and OF right judgment is to soc things as
they are.
This being the case. who will be tho cand-
date OF Cardinal Rnmpoln? Will his friends
select himsel. for tho honor of the tiara? Or
will the Secretary OF State conflne himself to
tho functions of Grand Elcctor? Here we have
the limit OF human induction and ascertain
ment The enemies OF Cardinal Rampoa re.
fer to n so-called Roman tradition. according
to which the Secretary Of State is not papubih. |
do not know this usage. Several Secretaries |
Of State to defunct Popes have received tho |
tiara. 1t is true that in the greater number Of |
cases this promotion from the Presidency of
the Council to the sovereign dignity has not
occurred. But as the Secretaries of State arc
as n general thing. only burcaIcrats. and not
Cardinals who are prominent as an!idates.
this law or rather tho notion OF its existence.
can easily 10 understood. Tho Gonsalvi. like
the Bismarcks and the Gladstones. are intel
lectual and moral phenomena. which arc not
easily repeated N history
Cardinal Rampolln himself is somebody. He
has culture. career. experience character.
He attracts attention. II YOU touch this doll
cato point among his friends. they will imme-
diatc!y refer to this pretended tradition .anSt
tho choice OF tho Secretary Of State. Modest
and reserved gentle and pous. less an ambi-
ccntrated labor. Cardinal lsampolla will never
aspire to this honor. But il tho Conclavc
should select him. could he refuse tho sovcr-
eiGn Office!
know some disntercsted anl intelligent
people who see in tho nomination Of Cardinal
Ledochowski to the Prefecture Of tho Propa-
gnnda. an initiation to tho Snprem" Pontiii-
cute Tho Rod Pope will bccom" the whit"
Pope. Cardinal Iedo"howski is tho friend and
conldant of Cardinal RamD0n. In all pucs-
tiops Of interest AMI general order the Sccre-
ta-y Of state and tho Project Of til" Trona-
ganda GO hand in hand. Tho cosmopolitan and ,
French policy OF tho Holy Soc. the social ana
democratic orientation. tho reforms to be in-
trod uccd in tho mechanism of the central gov
ornment o! the Church. all these things find |
them brothers in arms.
Tho nomination Of Cardinal lodochowski to
the post Of tho Propaganda was surprising.
Far , foreign Cardinal the thing did not seem |
ssihIe. nobody dreamed Of it. The promo |