The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-26
The Money Had Been Allowed to Ac-
cumuIate in the Royal Treasury
since the Treaty of 1870.
HEAVY BLOW At THE VATICAN
RESULT OF HIS HOLINESS REFUSING
TO YIELD TEMPORAL POWER.
PapaI Allowance for COnfiscatiOn of
Palaces Reyerts to Italy Except
for Past Five Years.

ROME, Dec 25.-In order to understand
the extraordinary bitterness of the speech
of the Pope yesterday in reply to the Christ
mas congratulations offered by the members
of the Sacred College and Of the papai
household. it must be explained that the Vat
lean has been, during the past week, sub
jected to an act of spoliation by the Italian
government which is all the more disagree
able to bear owing to the fact that the
papacy is debarred by its own conduct from
making any public or official protest about
the matter The spoliation, if it can be de-
scribed by that name, is a very considerable
one, for the sum involved amounts to no less
than 15,0G0000
At the time when the Italian government
took possession Of Rome in 1870 it undertook
to pay each year into the papal treasury a
sum of between 100000 and 100000 to serve
as civil list for the Holy Father anil as a
compensation for the palaces and estates be-
longing to him, of which the crown had
taken possession. Neither The present Pontiff
nor his predecessor has ever drawn any Of
this money. taking the ground that 10 do so
would imply an acceptance of the present
condition OF affairs and a recognition of the
abolition of the temporal power of the
papacy.
Moreover, the two Pontiffs rightly took the
ground that it would be polite to avoid as
long as possible availing themselves of this
civil list assured TO them by the treaty
known as the law of guarantees; that its ac-
ceptance would imply a loss of independence,
and it is this argument that has always been
used in order to increase the offerings of the
faithful, the understanding being that unless
these were generous the papacy would be
compelled 20 accept the money assigned as
civil list by the italian government and thus
forfeit it's independence by placing the Pope
in the pay of the Italian government, pre-
cisely in the same way as every other Ital-
ian bishop and parish priest.
The Vatican has, however, always under
stood, until few months ago, that, although
the Pope did not draw his civil list, yet that
the amount remained credited to the Vati-
can, was payable on demand and was avail
able at any moment that the Pope might
see fit to make use thereof. 1t was likewise
understood that the Italian treasury allowed
compoand3nteissS - on the amount, which, of
course, went on increasing year by year, n
not unnatural supposition, since it was obyi-
ously of advantage to the government to
have the use of all this money until it was
needed by the Pope.
Last year for the first time in drawing
up statement of the budget of the Holy
See mention made of these accumula-
tions of the papal civil list that remained
in the hands of the Italian treasury. The
Italian government at once availed itself
OF the opportunity to point out that there
was no such sum as $150G0,00O to the credit
of the Holy Father in the Italian treasury
1t took the ground that inasmuch as there
is statutory limitation, or, as they describe
it here, prescription at the close of every
five years the only sums to the credit of
the Pontiff were the accumulated annuities
of the last five years, and that the papacy
had forfeited all right to any other moneys
payable under the terms of the treaty of
1870. The papacy at once appealed to the
counsel of state, and the latter has just
given a decision in final appeal in favor of
the government and against the Vatican,
according to Paragraph 2144 of the civil code
Of the Italian kingdom, debarring annuitants
who have neglected to draw their annuities
from claiming more than five years arrears
and placing the statutory limitation of debts
at the same length of time, holding that
it applies just as much to the Pope as to
any other Italian citizen or to any one who
is not an Italian citizen, but who draws pay
from the Italian treasury.
OF course the Pope and the Sacred Col
lege would have liked to- make this action
on the part of the Italian government the
subject of a strong-worded complaint to
the foreign powers, taking the ground that
inasmuch as the papacy is accorded by
treaty extraterritoriai prerogatives the
Holy Father cannot be held amenable to
Italian law, but is entitled to the same
treatment as if he were foreign sovereign.
But, unfortunately, the Vatican is debarred
from any such step as this by the fact that
it has ell along made a special boast of de-
clining to accept the proffered annuity from
the Italian government. 1t cannot, there
fore, now complain that it is prevented from
drawing the civil list in question.
Incidentally have learned within the last
few days that the order of the Jesuits,
which, as every one knows, is possessed of
incalculable wealth, has for years helped
the Vatican treasury to the tune of nearly
100000 francs a year, if not more. The
Jesuits can easily do this without difficulty,
for their revenues exceed those of many a
European government The fact however
goes far to explain the influence which the
BLACK Pope as the general of the Jesuits
is described, has been able to exercise over
the white Pope" that is to say, Leo XIII
throughout the present reign.
A $45,0OO,OOO PRIZE