The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-12-09
THE NEXT POPE.
speculation. That WIN Interest Profess
tants, Too.
(Ths spsctator.)

be elected. Not only Is the msjori ~ In
the Conclave comrosei Of italian horn,
the totals being THIRTY five to twenty six,
but there are grave reasons, almost over
whelming reasons, why one who Is not
of that nation should be elected. The
old reason that the church is centralized
In Rome. and that the congregations or
CONF ittees which govern IL would feel
themselves out OF touch with foreign
Pope, Ia still operative, and rather strong
or than weaker because the new dogma
has compelled them all TO exalt their
chiefs spiritual rights. Infalli pility can
not be entrusted to q barbarian. Inter
national enmities have become more Bit
ter, and no q, rman or Englishman could
BE- elected because Frenosmsn would be-
neve him hostile. while the choice Of a
Frenchmsn would Touse srspioion In all
who think In German or possibly In
Magyar. There are hut two Slav Car
dinsls. Lsdecsowski and Aissia. and,
though tho former would be a worthy
candidate. he would be disliked 10th In
Russia and Germany. rs sure to keep up
the sentiment, partly religious and partly
national. which prevents Poles from
being politically forgotten. An Aneri-
can Cardinal might no doubt be elected
without exciting much Internal ional
feeling though Spanish-Amerioa, 1t
must be remembered. 10 u great division
Of the Catholic world, and both detests
and dresds the North Amerlcsn-but the
election of Cardinal Gibbons would seem
to the congregations revolutionary pro.
oeeding, aud one, moreover, forbidden BY
III grand obstacle Of all. Il would be
fatal to ths last chance OF the restorati On
Of the tenn poral power. That restoration.
II accomplished at ell, must bs accom- :
the Imposition by force of u foreign SOW
ereian rel sctsd By q whole people Is pain
fully rspugnant. Even the moderate
Cardinals cannot bring themselves to
surrender all hope Of once more becoming
Princes, and showing the world how
state ought to DO governed for the promo
ton CT Oh .istiAn life and they certainly
will not add to the difficulties In the way
Of their dream by selecting as their chief
any foreigner whatsoever, whether Ger
man, Siav, Latin, or American. They
will choose sn Itslian. and among Ital.
ians they will strive to lind n mau OF
ability and spotless character who viii be
iaIiy as relates TO the Kingdom OF Italy.
They are far too well meaning, as well
ms worldly wise, to elect man about
whose character there Is any shade OF
doubt, and too well aware or M dern MS
csssities to choose any man whose abili-
ties are nankfestly unequal to his lofty
and unique Position.
Pho Mono was a genius In an odd way,
and Leo Kill vanquished Bismarck in
di plom acy, and must have been at one
tine one Of the keenest intellfgences In
the world. We shall be surpIi ed, too, II
those grave and courtly old gentlemen
choose any man who will not look his
part, or who In his bearing suggests any
thing grotesque. At tine same time they
win desire as English Prsmiers do when
they reco nmend an Archbishop, q safe
man." csrtain not to shook the world
with novelties. or to travel on line
which his subordinate coadjutors do not
found to thin the numbers greatly, they
striking out Cardinal Orealia, who would
be dan ger ously fanatic; Cardinal Capece-
AFRO, who IL too old, seventy seven;
Cardinal Syampa, who is too young
forty light; Cardinal Psroooht. who Ia
d "a "a zoe; Cardinal d Pietro. becasuse he
is disliked az Berlin; and, above al.
Ca-diral Ranpofa, the Secretary OF
State, whose cha noes are Iaiher ia sored
by the writer In the Quarterly. but who
has probably offended haf the sa,rsd
College BY his inpsriousness. AID all the
governments OF EUROPA. especially the
French. He will be no more elected
than Antonelli would have besn. This
kaves In ths front rank of this Parabili
only three mon: Ca-diral Gotti, whom
Ihs Pope has indicated as hts successor:
Iardir al Jaoobini, aud Carmellits monk,
who Is greatly farorsd by Cariira, Ram
poila, but whoss purposes may be kept
secret even from him.
1t will he notsd that thu Qua: tTly Re-
viewer. like all other recent writers on
papal elections, passes over In silence tn
possibility that the choice Of the conclave
might fall on q man who was not oar
dinal. 1hsre IL. in truth, no such possi-
biliuy. In thsory, the Pope being elect
cardinals, tbs choice might fall on any
baptized Christian, white or black; nut
for centuries the coDclave has never
sought q supreme bishop outside the
narrow limit Of Its own body. No abil.
ity, no success, no sajntliness will make
VI the greatest bishop In the church a
possible candidate unless he has attracted
the favorable attention OF Pope, or has
been recommended by one of the govern
msnts to which the Pepacy Is obliged to
defer. The ecclesiastical moi "A ,ohy II
therefore not elective. but oo-optstive
among the mol lnf eS OF tue Fdpai Sofef~
eigns past or prsssnt. Any systsm which
endurss so long must be accepted as hav-
ing. In the opinion OF those who mansgs
II, worked we'll but the draw backs to this
one are very patent. 1t mus. be nearly
fatal to genius of any but the administa-
live kind. Ihe choice lies always among
q few elderly men who have held certain
offices, and have pleased Pupes whom
originality or excessive fervor Is very
apt to disple ass. The Pspal throne 10,
therefore, very unlikely to be filled by a
great law legislator, a great missile aary.
or any one whom the world recognizes as
u great prophet. On the other han
there IL rs little likelihood Of its being
filled by n zsalot. a faddist, or y man In
competent TO perform its ordinary dutiss.
On the whole. We shoula say that the
hereditary system secured as many
efficient chiefs, and the Parliamentary
sy stem more leader of rare capacity. but
that the Papai sy stem secured best the
conditions of durability. Nothing has
lasted like 1t except the authority Of the
Mikado, and ID is difficult TO i'm sgine the
conditions which would bring It to
final end. Nothing bnt a permanent
Counc could supsrssds 1t and the Popss
will take strenuous care that no sgch