The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-10-12
POPE LEO XIII.
sketch Of the Life Of the Supreme
POntfff.

sketch Of the Life Of the Supreme
POntfff.
Gioacchlno Pecci, otherwise the Supremo
Pontiff Leo XIII. who is nearing the and
OF his brilliant career. was born at Carpl-
neto, In the diocese Of Anagni thirty
seven miles from Rome. on March 2. 1910
He was a son Of Count Luigi Pecci was
consecrated archbishop Of Damiata In 1s4s;
was proclaimed cardinal on December 10.
1857; was elected supreme pontIff as sue
ceesor to Pope Plus TX on February 90.
1875 and was crowned pope on March g..
1898. Consequently the pope is So years
and months old. and has occupied the
pontifcial throne for eighteen wears and
six months.
Ordinarily the election OF pope is bv
scrutiny. Each cardinal taking part in the
conclave writes ON ticket his own name
and that OF the cardinal whom he chooses
These tickets, folded and sealed are laid
In chalice which stands on the altar of
the conclave chapel. and each elector, APP
preaching tho altar. repeats prescribed
form Of oath. Thereupun the tickets are
u
pointed from the electing body. the tickets
are compared with the number of cardinals
present, and when 1t is found that any
cardinal has two thirds of the vote In his
favor, he is declared elected pope. Should
1t turn out that no cardinal has received
the needful number of votes. another pro-
cess is gone through known as access"
so called because any cardinal may accede
to the choice Of another by filling I'D an
other ticket made for that purpose.
The present supreme pontiff who was
chosen unanimously. Is regarded as the
263d pope from st. Peter.
The pope is the absolute ruler of the
Roman Catholic church. and against bis
judgment there Is no appeal He has for
co -adjutors the sacred college of cardinals
consisting, when complete of seventy
members. namely: Six cardinal bishops.
fifty priests and fourteen cardinal deacons
Cardinal Satolh. the former delegate of
the pope to the Roman Catholic church in
the United State. has been prominently
mentioned as the possible successor of Leo
XIII.
One of the most serious questions which
will confront the next pontiff will be that
in connection with the finances. At the
time when Leo was elected to the chair
of st. Peter, the Peters pence constituted
at least seven-tenths of the entire reye-
nuess received at the vatican. Today the
receipts from this source have declined
to the extent OF 10 per cent from the fig
ures at which they were in 1879. and the
majority of the Catholic dioceses in the |
United States, once so generous. have
ceased almost altogether sending Peters |
pence This is attributable to the news |
which has been published from time to
time OF large sums squandcred by the vati- |
can in speculation and in unfortunate In
vestments, while the repeated scandals |
rIoNa {y,r nrtt h
the Peters pence fund. notably the one
which resulted in the dismissal OF its |
treasurer Archbishop Folchi have like
wise had the effect OF closing most Of the
American purses to tho papacy.
Leo does not hesitate to ascrihe this
state OF affairs to Cardinal Ledochowski.
The project OF the propaganda. and popu-
arly known as the '"Red Pope" In conse-
luence Of his being intrusted with the d.
lection of the Catholic church In all coun-
ries where the state religion Is not Cath
'lic. The cardinal, ON his side, openly
declares that 1t is the popes own fault II
he Peters pence receipts have declined
Utmost to the vanishing point. and so BIT
er is the feeling between the holy father
md the prelate on the subject that, on
he last occasion when the pope received
he sacred college. he spoke to every one
II the members thereof except the project
Il the propaganda, for whom he did not
ind single word Of even ordinary greet
ng.
Unless, after the death OF Leo. there is
revival of the Peters pence fund and
IL increase of it's receipts, the vatican will
70 driven by financial distress to at length
vail himself of the annuity OF $500. 900
Which the Italian government, by It's
realty Of 1870, undertook to pay to the
ope, and which has been accommodating
Yer since in the italian treasury. the
apacy having been until now CT the opNn.
On that to accept 1t would be equivalent
D a recognition OF the spoliation OF the
emporal power of the church.