New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-16
has dawned, and Uncle Sam can take all the
credit for II TO himself.
clRDIyAL ,sATOLLrs SUCCESSOR.

CARDINAL SATOLLrS SUCCESSOR
A long experience has taught the pubic ho'
TO believe implicitly all the alleged news III re-
gard TO the Roman Church emanatng from
Rome The Roman Cura, as is well Known II
one of the most deliberate bodies in the WORTH
II avoids coming TO n conclusion on any ques-
ton rs long as possible; and when it has actually
reached n conclusion it delays the publication
of its action until such publication is made neces-
sary by the interests Of the Church. In the neah
while. various persons in Rome ard elsewhere
most of whom have ecclesiastical axes TO grihd'
cause dispatches TO be sent from Rome. the sole
object of which is either TO react on the 'uria
or to affect Catholic opinion. 1t is business
that Is not at all credtable to those who are en-
gagged in It. and 1t serves to deepen the preJudice
Of many non-CathOlics against Catholicism.
The dispatches that have been sent from Rome
during the last few weeks in regard 10 Il sue
cessor to Cardinal Sitolll as Apostolic Delegate
in the United States are an excellent Illustration
of what we have been saying IT was hrst an
nounced on the highest authority, that MOI
sgnor Falconio had been chosen by the fope'
and the news was given with such crcumstah-
tial detail that a number OF American Church
dlgnitaries commented on IT as though 1t were
true and some enterprising newspapers were
misled into publishing the M0nsignors picture
Pretty soon. however, paragraphs began 10 APP
pear throwing doubt on the appointment. on the
ground that MonsignOr FalcOniO is Franciscan,
and the appointment Of religious '-that 49,
member Of religious Order-woud be dlstaste-
full to the majority Of American Catholics THESE
paragraphs as well as the absence or any ON
cial confirmation Of the appointment from Rome
soon led most people to discredit the announce
ment and everybody waited for another au-
thoritaive" dispatch from Rome II soon came
This time 1t was declared on unmpeachaDe
authorlty-which however. vas not given-that
the Very Rev. Sebastian Martinelli, PrlorGen-
eral of the Augustnian Monks. was the lucky
man. s;undry Catholic dgnitaries were induced
to comment on Father MartinelIs appointment
and numerous pictures Of him appeared IN the
press. But the new appointment did not 90
away with the difficulty raised by the alleged
appointment of Monsignor Falconlo, for Father
Martnelli is also religious" Doubts as TO
this latest piece of authoritative news began
to be expressed. especially as no one qualihed
to speak for the Vatican confirmed IT, and all
who were interested in the matter began to scan
the papers for the announcement that still an
other man had been appointed.
They had not long to wait. A Catholic journal
of this country announced on the very highest
authority" that neither Of the gentlemen men
toned to be the Apostolic Delegate, Dut
that the Pope had chosen another ecclesiastic,
whose name we do not now recall His name,
however IS not essential. as he seems to have
dropped entirely out of the running. Within
the last few days dispatches from Rome appar-
emily of a scmi-of'icial character have reiterated
the appointment OF Father Martnelli and yes
terlay one of our contemporaries quoted Mon
signor Sbarett the Papal Auditor in Washing
ton. as saying that private letters received by
him from Rome confirm the report In regard 10
Father Martine OF course this does not set
tie the question. MonsignOr Sbarettl may have
been unintentionally misquoted. Or. If he was
correctly quoted his correspondents in Rome
may be mistaken 1t is possible that no appoint
ment has yet been made and it would surprise
no one to learn that the Pope has reversed his
recent policy and decided to appoint no Apostolic
Delegate TO this country Leo Mi and his adj
ViScrs are the only persons who can threw light
on the question. and it Is not their custom to IN
form the world of their intentions.
But if it should turn out that Father Martinelli
has been Will be- appointed, it is pretty certain
that the new Apostolic Delegate will not find his
office bed Of roses. Many American bishops
dislike the religious orders; or. If they do not
actually dislike them, they believe that the re-
ligious orders are calculated TO retard rather
than advance the interests of the Church. cspe-
cay in this country. This impression Will
raise up against Father Martinelli. if he is ap-
pointed Apostolic Delegate the opposition of
many who have been most friendly to Cardinal
Satolli 1t was the conservatives chiefly who
objected to the latter while the liberals generally
stood by him Only few months ago that we'll
known liberal. Archbishop Ireland in an adj
dress in Washington. cited history TO show that
the religious orders have weakened the Church,
and declared that the Church in this country
owed its prosperity to the secular clergy In
view Of this feeling which is quite general. the
appointment Of Father Martine would be a
bitter disappointment to a large number OF
American Catholics.