The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-08-20
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ceremony, coming from the old idea of
verifying the death of the Pope, and has
its origin IN the fact that many people
were buried alive, and so to be abso-
Iutely sure of the death of the Holy
Father this simple ceremony takes place.
lie is pronounced dead and the offices Of
the church are celebrated with an I'M
usual splendor for the repose of his soul.
The BasiHca of st. Johns is draped in
black velvet and gold bullion. The
obsequies take place in the grand Basi-
lea of st. Peters, and all Rome turns out
in deep mourning for the Father of all
Christendom.
The holy sacrifice of the mass is cele-
brated with the greatest ceremony, the
officiating clergyman being the Bishop Of
Ostia. The sound of the sixty silver
trumpets that are wont to play Vivianis
grand march 500 feet up in the great
dome at the solemn entrance of the Pom
tiff into ST. Peters gives place to the
solemn dirge Of the requiem by the papal
choir, and the Popes remains are
afterward deposited in a sarcophagus
specially prepared for their reception
over the door Of the great sacristy of the
papal court, where they remain till
mausoleum is built either in the church
or in the cemetery designated by the Sow
eisn PorUf while he is still in the VigOr
Of manhood. When his sepulcher is ready
a day is fixed and the remains of the Pope
are translated to their last resting-place.
During the first centuries Of the exist
ence Of the Catholic church, persecution
drove the faithful into the very bowels of
the earth, where they constructed large
caves cut out of soft rock called tufa
granularia that undcrlies the city OF
Rome. Down in these caverns the sue
cessoTs Of St. Peter were elected to the
highest throne on earth - the throne of
the Galilean fisherman that has with
stood theStorms ofnineteen centuries and
bid defiance to the intrigues Of nations
and Of people that the church might fulfill
her mission on earth and bear out
Christ's prophetic words that "the gates
Of hell should not prevail against her"
and that Christ is to be with her even
to the contamination of the world"
Down in these catacombs IT was that the
first pontiffs were elected for over 800
years.
The royal houses Of the world are only
of yesterday compared with the endur-
ing line of the Papacy. Our own United
States goes back but one hundred years
The Bourbons of France. and the Haps.
burgs of Austria boast of but few hum
dred years reign. England changes from
day 10 day and becomes more and more
republican. The German empire only
dates from 1701. The house. of Napoleon
collapsed after the 'Franco-Prussian war.
The Car Of Russia's history IS very short
and is written in pages of human blood.
Italy is but a child compared with the
Papacy. The Papacy goes back 1900 years
TO the dawn of civilization, and is the
link between the new world and the old.
1t brings us back to when the world was
pagan and the smoke of the sacrifice
assembled from the pagan affairs of Greece
and Rome. In the reign of Pope st. Syl-
faa IL
Constantine, placed at the Popes dis
posal the beautiful palace of the Lateran,
in which she built a chapel for The Sow
ereign POntiff, which was afterWard
called st. John Eateran 1t exists to
the present day. and is called the
mother of all churches. The inscription
over the present edifice built on that very
spot is Mater Omnium Ecclesiarum
(the mother Of all churches) The first
dfty-siX Popes were canOnized. saints and
the first twenty-nine Popes gave up their
lives in testimony of the faith and were
honored on the affairs as martyrs.
The Pope is elected for life-once a Pope
a Pope till death-and even. when dead the
Cardinals do not WELD his power. The
Cardinals are to the church what the
Senate of old Rome was to the people,
and what the Senate Of this country is
to the United States The administra-
ton Of the church during the interregnum
belongs to the Cardinals. The dean Of
the Sacred College is their president.
Then can undertake no important change
in the affairs OF the church. The duty
that devolves upon them then is to elect
the next successor to St. Peter. Pope
Gregory Y so legisIated in the year 1913.
They cannot create new Cardinals nor
new Bishops SiXtus Y gave the Roman
congregations ordinary jurisdiction dur
a.
count of urgent cases that come up every
day and cannot be postponed lest detri-
mcnt would accrue to souls by business
being left unsettled. Hence the Cardi-
nails have universal jurisdiction over the
whole church during a vacancy and they
can, where danger to the church or mat
tiers of great Importance turn up, admin
ister ana pass Judgment in such urgent
cases. Should 4 dispute or doubt arise
about the validity or legality Of the Pope's
election a council of the whole church
IS in order, and If this becomes impos-
sible the College Of Cardinals can pro-
claim who is the legitimate Pope, i'm
peach the usurpeT and depose him. BY an
old tradition the Bishop of Osua is dean
Of the Sacred College of Cardinals 1t
belongs to him as the Bishop OF Ostia, and
he as president of that august body car
ries on the business of the church during
the interregnum. The dean of the Sacred
College at the Popes death summons
every Cardinal in Rome, and throughout
the whole world, to take part IN the cleo
ton. There is no exception TO this rule,
for If any Cardinal were prevented from
casting his vote it, would invalidate the
election. In the primitive ages of the
church even the laity had q voice in the
selection of the Sovereign Pontiff, but in
these days the election is entirely in the
hands of Cardinals and their vote 1t is
that decides who it is that is to be the
legitimate Pope.
The elections begin at least ten days
after the Pontlff's death. If the foreign
Cardinals cannot arrive in Rome. either
through sickness or old age or other IN
disposition, the election proceeds, and the
College of Cardinals cannot wait any
longer. Should any Cardinal arrive after
the ten days have elapsed he has a right
10 enter the conclave then in session. In
the first session of the coaclave each of
the Cardinals takes a solemn oath on the
Gospels to observe the canons that refer
to the election in the conclave. The
bulls Of the nine Popes who legislated on
the mode of procedure in the election Of
the Pope by ballot in the conclave are
read aloud to them. The Fisherman's Ring
1..fr r,T4 I,o f,,rs 10 Of ha Hn1xg