The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-11-27
Copyright. 1871

a VERY short lime the duty VIII
fall on the sacred college OF cardi-
nails of the Roman Catholic church
to elect a new pope. The age and
feebeness OF Pope Leo make 1t a
practical certainty that ho cannot
live very much longer.
The choice OF Leo's successor on the
throne OF st. Peter rests with the cardi-
nails and is OF their number. THESE
chosen advisers and assistants or the
sovereign pontiff constitute the supreme
council or senate of the church.
Bishops, priests and deacons make up
the three orders OF the cardinalate. The
six cardinal bishops are always bishops
and have their origin from the several
sees of the church located in the vicini-
ty of Rome. The cardinal priests, with
few exceptions. are archbishops or bish-
OBS and the cardinal deacons generally
priests. Choice OF a cardinal is not re-
stricted to the priesthood. and the IA
nous Cardinal Antonelli. privy coun-
cilor of Plus *. was only deacon.
The first cardinal bishop is dean, the
first of the priests first priest and the
first of the deacons first deacon or the
sacred college. The dean consecrates
and the first deacon proclaims and
crowns a new pope.
Seventy cardinals compose the full
membership of the sacred college,
though 1t is very seldom that there are
SO many. A cardinal is always created.
never made or nominated, and his ere
alton" sometimes precedes by several
years his publication" or proclama-
ton.
In such instances. as was the case
with Cardinal Satolli, he Is said to be
reserved in petto. and when proclaimed
takes precedence according to the date
of creation. A cardinal wears the red
hat. which is the sySnbol of his rank.
but once-when the pope puts IL on MS
head in the consistory at which he Is
created and which follows the semi
private bestowal Of the red berretta. 1t
is then put away. TO be laid on his bier
when he dies. After he Is buried IL Is
brought from the place where his grave
has been made and held TO await the
creation of his successor. In second
consistory the pope CLOSES the mouth
of the candidate; in other words. Tor
bids him speaking, fon the time being,
at meetings of cardinals. In third
consistory, however, this prohibition Is
removed, and at the same time he is
given a ring, on receipt OF Which ne Is
expected TO give a considerable sum of
money in charity and is assigned a TIT
Mar or parish church in Rome. II the
candidate is absent or prevented from
reaching Rome at that time, the red
t. htt,. md 0Yl rsr
II he Is bound TO make oath that he
will within a year. visit the tomb Of
the apostles and pledge himself To de-
fepd the church and its peace with his
blood
Pope Leo XIII has displayed great
deal of independence and latitude in his
choice of cardinals. and the sacred col
lege differs very much In its present
makeup from those that have preceded
il.
So recently as the days OF Plus TX.
aristocratic names predominated among
the cardinals. But today this Is no
longer the case, the plebeian element be-
ing far in the majority. The Bona
partes. the Shuarsenbergs and the
Howards are no longer represented, and
even scions of the Italian nobility have
;icilians and Neapolitans. The foreign
,ristocracy in the coming conclave will
,e represented only by Cardinal Hohen-
,ohe. a member Of the famous family
TO which belongs the present chancellor
OF the German empire, but he is count
ed as having small influence in the col
lege.
Men born among the masses now con-
stitute majority OF the sacred college.
and their influence will weigh heavily
in the choice OF the new pontiff. Car
dna Parocchi is the son of poor mil
ler: Cardinal I.ogue is the son of an
irish peasant, and Cardinal Cascajares
was an officer OF humble rank i'm the
Spanish army before he entered holy
orders.
Moreover while in times past France.
Austria and Spain have vetoed papal
elections, and still claim the privilege
10 do so, a bull issued some years ago
for the conduct of the coming conclave
confirms to the sacred college the exclu-
siVe right to elect the pope, absolutely
excluding any intervention on the part
of the secular power. All previous rules
as TO the duties of civil and municipal
magistrates In connection with the con-
clave ,have been done away with and
the ordering OF all matters connected
with II left in the hands of the car
dinals. rt
The sacred college in electing a pope
has the world to choose from. for any
faithful Catholic Is eligible; but for
precedent for a layman popo 1t would
have TO go back 10 1904, when the pa
trician Crescentius became Pope John
XIX. Again. OF the 26s popes regis
tered in Catholic statistics. 224 have
been Italians. For more than three CEN
turtles and half no one but an Italian
has sat upon St. Peters throne. and it
is as certain as any future event can
be that the next incumbent of the holy
sec will lie of the same nationality.
There are many convincing reasons for
this belief. Gradually to establish an
alliance between the papacy and the
Italian government without thereby
ioosenng the bonds that unite other
foreign Catholic nations to the holy
see"-that is the keynote Of the secret
policy OF the Vatican which led 10 the
n