The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-17
10000 SAW THE POPE
PROBABLY The LAST GREAT PUBLIC
FUNCTION OF LEO XIII.
st. Peters Shaken with Cheers When
His Holiness Appeared i'm All
POntiflcaI GRANDEUR.
Rome Letter in New York Press.

lie in all the gorgeous pomp and splendor
OF solemn ceremonial when on Sunday,
Feb. Is, he celebrated mass in st. Peters
in commemoration of the siXtieth anniver-
sary of his first mass. And it may be his
last great public function. He and his inn
mediate encourage are strongly opposed to
demonstrations on q grand scale, though
private audiences are almost as freely given
as heretofore. Formerly, when the popes
were wont to descend into st. Peters at
least twice year, the event naturally
failed to attract universal notice. But 1T is
different now Leo XIII will soon be in his
ninetieth year. Though by no means the
decrepit man he is often described to be,
the Vatican feels that he must husband
such force as still remains. In the nature
of things the mighty dome of the grandest
church in Christendom must soon resound
to the voice of Leo kits successor. And
so it happens that his Holiness now rarely
ventures without the narrow bounds of his
private sanctuary. In the city of Rome he
is never seen. That is the Kings
city. 1t is of course well known
that the Pope still claims the Eternal City
as part of his rightful possessions. And the
Vatican has never ceased to maintain that
its very own must sooner or later be re-
stored to it, if need be by force of arms.
The elaborate ceremony of Feb. Is had
a special significance for the reigning Pope.
1t was to commemorate the sixtieth ami
versary of the first mass celebrated by him.
AT that time Leo XIII was plain Pecci, the
priest, modest person, probably never
dreaming Of his future greatness. Catholic
Italy, or at least that portion of it which
remains loyal to the head of the church,
had long looked forward to a suitable cele-
bration of this day. 1t has been given to few
to survive sixty anniversaries of event
happening in their manhood's prime. Under
the circumstances Italian enthusiasm was
not surprising. Once more all eyes were
turned to the ancient city on the Tiber and
all Italy Joined in organizing an imposing
demonstration From every province, from
all more important towns and from many
an insignificant hamlet far away from the
Eternal City, pilgrim delegates were to be
sent to Rome
PAPAL BENEDICTION IN STORE.
1t was known In advance that the Holy
Father would reward the devotees by his
personal presence in st. Peters. papal
benedictioa was thus in store for them.
Ard so it happened that for days before
the appointed ceremonial Rome fairly
swarmed with motley crowd of Italian
pilgrims. A purely Italian invasion of
Rome is in itself a novelty, and not I'M
welcome relief was afforded thereby from
the ordinary spectacle Of ever recurrent
tourist armies, intent on doing the town"
in less than a week. These modern barbar-
iaEs form prosac enough accompaniment
to the otherwise enjoyable poetry OF Ro-
man spring. There they are, the Britisher
with his everlasting guidebook in faring
Ied always ready to admire the wrong
thing the inquisitive Yankee, pol1ing his
nose into t-of-the-way places and SEEM
ing surprised to find them smelly; the gap
ing German of ponderous proportions, look
ing stupidity studious and hopelessly out OF
place: the frivolous Frencny. with his
ceaseless chatter even in sacred places.
tiIeSome lot.
who for the time being owned the town.
Vociferous, lively. picturesque, many in
ragged garb they made one think of poor
old Mulberry Bend before reform and
health boards had npped it's sweet, squalid
life away. Admission TO the cathedral was
by ticket Of invitation only. Over $4,000 of
the coveted permits had been issued and
yet there was a scramble, Tor anothef mass
was to be celebrated by the Holy Father
at a. m By being on the spot before
in the morning / thought TO secure a good
viewpoint for Witnessing the ceremonies.
But it seems that about 10000 fellow-mor-
tails had had precisely the same thought
famous piazza of St Pietro, with it's tower
ing obelisk, its splashing fountains, and
those immense Serni-circleS of imposing
columns the Bernini colonnadeS, found it
densely packed with multitude of people,
all struggling to obtain early admission to
the BaSiica
To my surprise a detachment of Italian
infantry fully armed, was doing active
duty here. A double line of soldiers guarded
the steps leading up to the two portals
which alone were open for admission to the
church. and the crowd had slowly to pass
single file between these soldiers before en-
;ering
What business have the Kings soldiers
here?' L inquired Of a Roman-American,
who was close on my heels.
To maintain order in the public square
and as we entered he grnned pleasantly. |
los rnQ6 a
is in strict accordance with the law of Il
new united Italy, which guarantees the per-
sonal inviolability of the Pope The bound
airy line was sharply drawn. The pOntiff'S
own guards were on duty in the church.
but without everything was ostentatiously
left subject to the orders Of the present
ruler of the realm, the King, in the eyes of
the Vatican merely a usurper.
WITHIN THE VATICAN BASILICA.
1t was slow work inside elbowing ones
way along the sumptuous interior of this
palace of magnificence, which, brilliant,
luminous, Respondent, everywhere with
FURNISHED gold and polished MARBLE held
motley crowd with a predomnance of es-
sentially shabby beings.
Priests, visitors monks of all kinds, friars,
nuns, Sisters of Charity, seminarists of
every nationality, each country distin-
suished from all the others by some special
combination of colors; then the papal
guards and soldiers, men in evening dress,
women Il lespagnole, with black wells
loosely thrown over their heads; the Swiss
guards in their fantastic, multi-colored cos
tune some armed with medieval halberds
and incased in shining steel breastplates;
papal attendants in gorgeous scarlet or
plain black livery an occasional officer of
the Noble Guard helmeteG and in top-boots
and spurs, and wearing pigSkin tights, their
crimson uniform all a-gLtter with gold;
then the ponuhcal gendarmes, always in
tWos ana none less than six feet high, and
wearing immense busbies-a veritable fancy
of Tn llnl n i
ness, with costumes mostly borrowed from
the middle ages.
Several chapels. on the right hand aisle,
near the entrance, were closed to the peer
ing eyes or the throng From the first of
these, the Cappella della Pieta, all the way
TO the hlgh altar under the DOME double
Gordon OF Palatine guards in gala uniform
and armed with bayonet-tirped rifles kept
clear wide passagewdy for the procession
of pilgrims and the cortege of the Pope
One could scarcely help being reminded of
the crop curtain of a uheater by the rather
taWdry-looklng crimson and gilt drapings
of these chapels. Perhaps behind their
gong on AL any rate one caught glimpseS
or waving banners fitting officials the
glnt or much gold lace and gaudy robes
whenever the curtain was pushed aside.
II required tully half an hour of energetic
pushing ana working, not without audible
the pushed, before I had at last secured a
foothold which promised full view of the
procession and ceremonial. was not quite
near the scene and not far from the famous
baldacchlno of Bernini. that immense
bro ME canopy under which stands the high
altar which in turn is erected above the
tomb of st. Peter
Ar,rI