The Portland daily press., 1899-03-07
THE POPE AND the PAPAcy.
The Most Remarkable Institution
Known 60 Man.
From The Now York journal

From the New York Journal.)
Elghty-nlns years ago today was bonn
the boy who now, rs Pope Leo MIL, is
venerated By over 2so,0j), 00O Christians
as their spiritual head. And now that
he lies In the shadow OF death, not his
own followers alone, but the psopla of
the whole civilized world watch anxious.
ly the bullstins that tell the vary ing
course OF his brave fight against age and
disease.
Looked at from a purely human point
CT view, as topogrnpher would examine
a mountain range, the papacy is the mos
remarkable institution known to man.
1t is centuries older than any nation in
Europe and while the power of every civ
II government is limited by. definite
boundaries, tho power Of the Pope ex-
tends to every spot on the globe on which
a Catholic lives.
1t Is an interes.in fact that with all
the growth Of free thought. and all the
vigorous progress of non Catholic
churches, the Pope has more followers
today than any Of his predecessors ever
had in the whole history of the world.
Seventy cardinals, IA patriachs, l75 arch
bishops, and 766 bishops carry the author.
ity of Rome to the heart of Africa, the
deserts of Central Asia and the Iemotest
islands of the Pacific. Nine European
sovcreigns and 10 presidents of republics
bow before the spiritual authority OF the
Pope. lfonso Kill, Canoyas, Sagasta
and Weyler. on one side and Gomez, Gar
II ha
ciated in his communion. Aguinalio, in
the Philippine junRles, looks to the Nati-
can for his religions guidance. and so
does Mataafa, in the Samoan bush. There
are more Catholics in the Islands OF the
Pacific now than there were In the worl3
when the first Pope began to reign.
Among the many unique features of the
papacy there is none more extraordinary
than Its combination of autocracy and
democracy. The Pope is an absolute
ruler, but he may have sprung from "A
peasant family. Hildebrand, who kept
the hclY Roman emperor standing bare
foot in the snow before his gates at Can
ossa, wns the son of carpenter. Tho
Importance of such an influence in pre-
serving the democratic idea through tho
reign of class privileges In the middle
ages cannot be over estimated.
Although the Popes no longer attempt
to exercise the political power they WELD
is more secure and more respected than II
was then. In the middle ages they Were
| harried, insulted. and often assassinatsd
by men who protested to be devout he
levers in their divine authority. No
| Protestant or even Mohammedan cum
queror would treat q Pope now us the
| soldiers of the Catholic King" of Spain
treated Clement VII. at the time of the
sack eff Rome under The constabl5 OF
| Bourbon.
| The Pope in our day, no longer tom
poral prince, except within the precincts
OF the Vatican, receives sovereign honors
even from the government that has taken
possession of his capital There is u dip
| lomatio corps accredited to him, who's So
mem bers have the same immunities IN
Rome that ara granted to those accredited
| tt King Hum bert The Italian govern
! lnent, for - years, has guaranteed to the
| Pope au aurnual income of 1920. 900,
| which he has steadily refused to accept.
| The arrears of this annuity amount now
to over s., 900 0 O, and i the money hal
| been accepted from the beginning and in
vested ut compound interest mt per cent.
| IL would have reached s3O, 0U0, csc. 1t Is
rather refreshing in this commercial age
10 find any body that can refuse IA sum
like that for u princitle. whether the
principle coInmends itself to cur Judgment
or not