The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-22


Northwest" He Would Make a
Vigorous PontiR, and His Quail
flcatiOns for the Place Are Said
by Prominent Prelntes 10 he Supe-
rior to Those of Any American.
The Chicago Inter Ocean of yester-
day contained the following: In view
Of the fact that Pope Leo XIII. is crit
ically ill, and death is believed to be
not far distant, great interest Is taken
in the election Of his successor. AS the
following letter will show, there Is a
strong sentiment among the Catholic
clergy in the United States in favor Of
Archbishop Ireland for the next pom
election to the head Of the Catholic
church in all lands would be a wise
one at this time.
st. Louis, Mo-, Aug. 2O.-To the Editor:
From the East the report has come that Pope
Leo XIII. is fast nearing his end. In the or
binary span Of mans life this may any Gay
be expected: The fact that he has lived so
| long with the great and difficult duties i'm
Gioacchino Pecci, now Leo Kill, was born
at Carpineto March 2. 1910. He was ordained
q. priest Dec. 81. 1887. He was consecrated
transferred to Perugia Jan. 10. 1916. He was
proclaimed cardinal Dec. 49, 1853. He was
elected pope Feb. 2, 1878. Since then, as
| prior to that time, he has been very actively
| engaged.
| The outside world has no conception Of the
many and onerous duties of the papacy. Be
sides considering the merits Of various can
didates for episcopacy of the universal church
| in every land and in every cline under the
sun. he also retains the .prefectship of the
whole order of st. Benedict, of the order Of
| Friars Minor of the Via Crucis, of the So
| cred stigmita Of st. Francis, and Of the whole
| order of Preachers. or Dominicans: With all
this work he receives visitors at the Vatican
and has devoted great part of his time In
| writing pastorals On important economic
Leo XIII. is the 163d successor of St.
| Peter as bishop Of Rome since the beginning
| of the Christian era. Now, the personality
the 1s4th successor Of st. Peter e and who Will
rule from the seven hills of Rome the des-
tiny Of the Catholic universal and apostolic
church Is question Of great moment and
on the lips of men in every land. The Cath
Ollie word now sees plainly that 1t is only a
| matter Of a few weeks or months until that
event takes place.
MANY NAMES MENTIONED.
Many are the names mentioned in connec-
ton with the succession of the papacy. Leo
XIII, as all admit, was man of great mind
He has solved many difficult questions that
he only could solve. He is the sole surviving
intellectual genius OF the nineteenth century.
In the words Of Tom Moore:
'He is the last rose of summer. left bloom
ing alone:
All his lovely companions are faded and
gone"
His sole competitors for intellectual genius,
Gladstone and Bismarck, have departed. He
alone survives to the present. But his end.
too, is near. The great weight of years and
of labor is telling on him. together with the
sorrow that has darkened the declining years
of his pontifcate. when he beheld the two
nations he loved so well, America and Spain,
in deadly warfare, disaster he was unable
to prevent. This one fact has aided greatly
to enfeeble his physical condition. for Leo
is man of peace. Like his Divine Master.
who Gained the seething storm Of the ocean.
he feign would say to the nations, Have
peace: be STILL
Lumen de Coelo-Leo XIII. is known by
that appellation. for he has been a light
from heaven to the nations in the important
questions of state as well as those solely
ecclesiastical The successor of Leo will
be the Ignis Ardens, or the Burning Fire.
Of Rome have pointed out many eminent
cardinals and bishops designated by that
appellation. Nearly all the Roman caria of
the church agreed that the late Cardinal San
Feice, archbishop of Naples, fitted that title
Ignis Araens.
IRELAND MAY BE CHOSEN.
Now in the whole Catholic world and es-
the wise ones are pointing out one clergyman
Of high estate capable in every manner of
succeeding Leo XIII. and fully designated
as the Ignis Ardens. And the Ignis Ardens
of the American church, and, indeed, of the
whole Catholic world. seems to point out the
Rev. John Ireland, as the ecclesiastic SO des-
ignated and named by that appellation.
John Ireland has been designated and
! named by no less a parsonage than the dis
tinguished Archbishop Ryan, of Philadelphia.
| and indeed is known to all American eccle
siastics as "the conseerated cyclone of the
| prowess and strength Of his intellectual
genius, and his supreme courage for right
and duty. and how beautifully the designa-
ton of Archbishop Ryan fits the Roman
consecrated cyclone and the fire that cannot
be extinguished seem to be one and the
same. In intellectual capacity and zeal for
the welfare of the church of God, John Ire
land is indeed the alter ego of Gioacchino
Pecci. He is as truly conversant with and
as much alive to the spirit of our age as Leo
XIII. OF all our American prelates he is
more adapted for the office than any of them
He speaks French and Italian as fuently as
English. Again, nearly all the italian cardi-
nails or bishops mentioned in connection with
Satolli is the only nearing the youthful
ness Of Archbishop Ireland, but even his
personal friends have given up the hope of
his appointment. His mission to America
CALLED TO BE A PEACEMAKER.
1t is thought that Leo XIII. had his eye on
Archbishop Ireland his successor when he
passed over Cardinal G:bons and the apostolic
delegate and requested him to go to Washing
ton and in his name negotiate with his ex-
cellency the president of the United States
to avert the with Spain. And for this
America and Spain not unmindful of the
good services Of John Ireland. Spain having
lost her Catholic possessions and America
having gained them, the influence Of beth
nations at the conclave will be cast for the
mutual friend of both countries. The Italian
cardinals see this, and fear the solution of
this question, as they know that John Ire
and Spain could adjust the difficulty existing
in this critical situation Of Catholic coun-
try passing into the gubernatorial power Of
non-Cathol.c nation. This is a more d fl
cult problem than any at present realize.
The laws of the Catholic church are the
ruling laws Of the land. The state pays the
clergymen their salaries the same as the
Anglican church in England pays her minis
tiers or the Catholic church in France or
Spain pays her priests. This law prevails
Span. Now the United States wishes to do
what Is right and Just and Spain is anxious
that the law should be fulfilled, and both
have confidence in Archbishop Ireland. All
Of those considerations point to his strong
chances for the papacy His presence at
Washington now has a special significance
also.
And the special honor that never came to
more patriotic citizen of our glorious re-
public Some indeed falsely imagine that
only a cardinal is eligible for this exalted
dignity, but the truth is any pr est or friar
possessing the necessary qualifications is
eligible for election to the office. and the Sc
lection of Archbishop Ireland would mot ha