Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-04-09
POPE LEO AS AN EDITOR
HOW Encyclicals are Prepared and
Edlted-Slt epless. Nights Passed
on Them

According to the rumrs from Rome.
the pope is now finishing a new pom
t!tlcal document addressed to the dis
senting churches, and claiming the
supreme authority of the holy see from
the time of st. Peter.
And just here it may be interesting
to note how the pope gets out his en-
cycllcals. Leo XIII. at first studies his
subject. When he forms the outlines
of it in his head he sends for one of
the cardinals or prelates who are in
his confidence, explains his general
plan to him and requests him to de-
velop it. This cardinal or prelate whom
the pope selects for his collaboration is
always most eminent theologian. He
works out and amplifes the rough
draft which the pope confdes to him.
When this is done he. brings it to his
holiness, who gives it the first revision,
adding to 1t, correcting it or making
eXcisions as his judgment dictates.
When the pope is satisfied with this
first study he turns the matter over to
his secretary of the Latin letters
whose function it is 10 translate the
pontifcal documents into Latin. This
prelate is a distinguished Latinist.
When he receives the first text of the
encyclical, which is always in Italian,
he stretches it out in long and elegant
Latin periods This done, the document
Is printed in the printing establish
ment of the vatican. The pope then
gets the proofs of it and Immediately
begins to revise and correct it. Leo
XIII, is hard to please in this matter.
He is very particular, and often passes
sleepless nights meditating over the
cadence of a period. 1t is not the per-
lection of style alone that he aims at;
he takes the greatest care to present
his thoughts in all their shades and
shapes, fearing TO let a single word
go beyond his idea and thereby leave
room for false interpretations. Some
times the pope sends the encyclical TO
cardinals and other high ecclesiastics
with the request for their opinions.
These learned men read carefully the
Latin text and return it to the pope
with their observations. The pope's
proof loaded with notes, additions and
eXclsionS, is finally sent to the vatican
printers, who return it to his holiness
in its final form. AT last the pope has
his encyclical in proper shape; but it
frequently happens that Leo XIII.
keeps it locked up for months before
giving it publicity. He watches the
current of public opinion, and waits
for a favorable chance to bring out the
carefully prepared document, because
ar encyclical presented at an unfavor-
able moment creates little or no i'm
preston. That is just what happened
to the lirst encyclical of Leo XIII. upon
the union of churches, addressed to
princes and peoples. 1t came out on
the very day that President Carnot was
assassinated and the newspapers were
hardly able to give it more than a
couple of lines
Up to the time of Leo Mi. the en-
cyclicals were almost always addressed
Ito the bishops and faithful in COM
munion with the holy see" but the
coming encyclcal will be addressed to
dissenters rather than to Catholics,
because it is the former that the pope
wishes to reach, with the view of con-
yerting them.-Courrier DIES Flats
bune.