The Portland daily press., 1896-08-04
COST OF A CARDINALS HAT.
Many and Varied Fees which the New
Dignitary Has to Pay at Rome.

A Roman correspondent of LInde-
tendance Beige gives some curious
| figures about the cost Of becoming Gar
dinal. Each oonsistory held by the Pope
brings golden shower to the people OF
Rome, he says. One does not become
Cardinal without discussing a sum rang
ing between forty and sixty thousand
francs, while newly appointed BISHOPS
are required to pay the cost OF bulls, an
mats and fees, the amount of which
varied according to the Importance OF the
see. AS regards French Bishops the
Cononrdat made at the beginning OF the
century hxes the amount at a, 900 francs.
| This money was formerly paid by the
French government, but since the es6ap-
lishlnent of the Republic it must be fur
nished by the appointee. 1t will, there
fore, be seen that, if the Pope preconizes
forty or fifty Bishops at consistory, the
golden rain is of Importance; but it Is
not so heavy as in the case Of Cardinals.
On the day that Cardinal is created
| in consistory noble guard must start
| at once on the special mission of carry
ing to the new dignitary the red cap,
| the first sign of the Cardinalate. Within
| day or two later prelate Is sent with
| the loretta. The travelling expenses OF
both the noble guard and the prelate are
paid by the Vatican, but the new Cardi-
| nal is required by custom to make q
present to each. In France. where Car
dinals aim to show princsly spirit,
the present is 5000 francs for the noble
guard and 10000 france for the able
gate; but in Germany and Austria they
are more parsimonious and present only
8, 600 francs to the ablegate and 5000
francs to the noble guard. AS, in adj
dltion to these fees, both ENJOYS are apt
to receive presents and perhaps decora-
! ton from the head of the government,
the missions are eagerly sought at. Rome.
The miscellaneous fees which have to
DO dlsbursed are numerous The new
Cardinal has to pay fees at every step
| from the moment of his creation to the
occasion of his receiving the red hat in
pubic consistory. These fees constitute
a very serious tax upon the new Cardi-
| nal. notwithstanding the efforts of sue
oessive Popes to regulate and reform the
matter A list of fees paid by newly
| created Cardinal in 1842, under Pope
Gregory XVI, shows the expenditure OF
J, 342 Roman crowns on the occasion OF
the creation and of !, 400 Roman crowns
on dhe occasion Of the reception OF tho
red hat, while the total of the simple
gifts made on these two occasions was
| more than 10. 600 francs. The new Car
dinnl pays 30 crowns TO the singers of
the Sistine Chapel, but in returnMthey
are obliged to sing gratuitously at his
funeral 70 the Propaganda, which fur
nishes the Cardinals ring, worth about
40 francs, he pays g. 910 francs; but this
payment obtains for him the right to
dispose by testament of his property,
upon his death. Fees must be paid to a
long list of officials. ranging from cham
berlalns down to sweepers cooks and
soldiers of the Swiss guard.
When the new Cardinal takes possess
sion of his titular church at Rome, GUS
tom requires that after the ceremony all
the persons invited to it shall pass into a
room near the saoristJ. where are served
refreshments, consisting of ioea, wines,
cakes and bonbons. Some of tie inhabi-
tants of Rome make speciality of OBJ
tanning Invitations of this kind, and
never miss the refreshments that follow
the ceremony. The custom is source of
| annoyance as we'll ms of expense because
as a rule three quarters of the guests are
| strangers to the host and intent only
upon getting as much of the refresh
ments as possible. Consequently she
German and Austrian Cardinals have re-
belled against it and substituted the
plan of dividing among the poor of the
parish the amount that would be spent
| upon refreshments. 1t is believed that
| this plan will eventually be followed by
the Cardinals of other nations.
| The question of clothes is also very
serious one for the new Cardinal, as the
charges Of Roman tailors who are skilled
in the delicate distinctions involved in
the dress Of Cardinal are high, and as
| furthermore many clothes are required.
The costume of Cardinal is governed
by rigorous etiquette set forth In book
which prescribes day by day throughout
the year, whether he shall wear red or
violet, CT whether he may go in street
dress or in costume suited to the con-
ditions of time, place and functions.
If the new Cardinal La without fortune
to defray the cost Of his elevation, and
If he is to reside at Rome, the Vatican
out of his allowances. With O regular
allowance of 4, 900 crowns and other
sources Of revenue, the income of Car
dinal averages about rs, 900 francs year,
an amount which hardly suffioes to
maintain the state required Of the princes
| of the Church. 1t is not surprising,
| therefore, that Cardinals occasionally
die in don't 1t is admitted that reform
Is needed in these matters, and Leo XIII.
has sought the remedy; but it Is not
easy TO apply 1t. for the pope finds him
self in the presence of coalition of
varied interests, where none Is willing to
give way, each fearing that, beginning
once mde, the reformation might extend
too far.