The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-08-15
CARDINAL sATOLLrS SUCCESSOR.

A number of confident announce
ments have recently been made in re-
gard to the appointment of success
sor to Cardinal Satolli as Papal
Delegate to the United States. First
came the report Monsignor Diomede
Falconio had been selected as the
figure head of Rome in America.
This report was promptly denied and
it was stated on apparently good
Catholic authority that Mgr. Bene-
dict Lorenzelli was the one chosen to
carry on the work begun by Mgr.
Satolli, now elevated to the rank of
Cardinal. Another report made the
Rev. Sebastien Martinelli, Prior Gen
eral of the Augustinian Order and
brother of the dead Cardinal Mar
tinelli, the chosen man. AS this has
also been denied nothing further
will probably be known concerning
the appointment until it has been
formally announced and confirmed
by official information.
The matter of the selection of a
Papal Delegate to this country is of
but little interest or Importance to
any except Catholics, further than as
an indication of the policy, purpose
and wisdom of the Vatican. In all
three of the rumored appointments
it will be noticed that the successor
of Satolli is an Italian. That much,
at least, is tolerably certain, who
ever may be or has been appointed i,
and this fact adds still further to the
appropriateness of the designation
Roman Catholic. 1t may be admit
ted that the Italians have genius
for church diplomacy, but in reading
the list of the Popes and the Cardi-
nails one might readily come to the
conclusion so far as the Catholic
hierarchy is concerned, that the
Italians are the chosen people of
modern times, the rulers and the
Judges of the church, based, according
to its own traditions, on the suprem-
acy of Peter among the apostles.
As to the various persons on whom,
according to different reports, the
honor of papal delegate has fallen,
there is but little to be said. Mon
signor Benedict Lorenzelli was born
in Bologna and is about forty-two
years old. He entered upon his stu
dies in the Pontifical Roman Semin-
airy, became friend to Cardinal JOS
eph Pecci, the elder brother of the
present Pope, and was for time pro-
fessor in the College de Propaganda,
Eide. He has been Ablegate Apostle
lie to Vienna and Intermentio to the
Court of Holland and the Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg and is proba-
bly, an able Catholic diplomat, if we
may use the term. The Rev. Sebas
ten Martinelli is older, being about
sixty years of age, and said to be
thoroughly versed in the foreign pol
icy of the Vatican. He visited Amer
lea two years ago and has at least
one qualification in which he is SUI
perior to Satolli, namely, his ability
to speak English.
But, as we have said above, there
is but little interest outside the Ro-
man Catholic Church, as to what Ital-
ian may have been or is to be named
as the Pope's representative in Amer
lea. The appointment is far more
important to Rome than to America
as by means of an able counsellor who
will have the advantage of studying
on the spot the conditions of Ameri-
can society, the Pope will be better
able to govern this part of the great
church organization which so long
dominated the conscience of the world
and is today making every attempt
possible to regain its lost spiritual
asceIdancy.