The Irish standard., 1900-10-06

i 7
IN futile efforts to resist the phys:c IL
mastery of the new conditions, and he
made 1T his task above all things to
prove that the moral influence of the
Papacy was not to be circums RI ell
by the limitations of the Pope's ,rly
possessions. 1t must be owre1 that
during his time the progress mad, by
United Italy has not altogether salts
fed the hopes of all those who re-
joiced over the expulsion of tie AVS
trians and the Bourbons and the abo-
lition Of the petty sovereignty ard the
union Of Italy under one crown. Italy
has her destiny yet to make, but for
the present we have to see in her a
country terribly overtaxel with n pop.
ulation crushed to an almost unexam-
pied degree by the expenditure neces-
sary to convert Italy into the SEM
blance of a great European power.
Pope Leo has seemed to say to all
the world: "My business in life is the
| welfare of humanity; am the apostle
of peace and universal brotherhood. Il
offer my mediation as an agent of
peace and of brotherhood in all quar-
rels where the disputants are willing
to receive my counsel and my help"
He has had some hard battles to fight,
however, for all his sweet, genial, pa
| cific nature. He has fought out his
battle to the end. where compromise
did not seem possible, and by his prin-
ciple of passive resistance he has gen
orally contrived to come out victorious
All the world looked OH with interest
while he battled for what he believed
to be the cause of religious liberty
against no less an antagonist than
Prince Bismarck, the greatest states
man then living on the European con-
tinent Bismarck had loudly pro-
claimed that whatever else he and his
colleagues might do, they ''would not
go to Canossa," abiding to the ia
nous castle where Henry Nv of Ger
many submitted to the penance i'm
posed on him by Gregory VII. But
though Bismarck certainly did not 60
to Canossa, he was undoubtedly not
the victor in the great Kulturkampf
or educational battle which was
waged between him and Pope Leo. It
is perhaps only fair to say. that the
heart of the old Emperor William,
Bismarck's master, was never tho
roughly with his great Minister in h s
attempt to make an authority of the
state overrule the dictates of private
conscience. The arbitration of Pope
Leo has been accepted more than once
by disputing States which acknowl-
edged no supremacy on the part Of the
Pope but that given him by the m raj
influence of his authority and his ca
reer.
Leo has strongly recommended in
several momentOus instances the rec
ognition of established facts in the pro-
gress of nations. For example, he rec
ognized the French Republic as the es-
tablished system of France, and used
the whole force Of his authority to in
duce the French Catholics to accept
the republican form of government
and to make the best of it. He takes
the closest and most active interest in
all institutions, to whatever country
they belong. which have anything to do
with the true organization of labor,
and which tend to promote the educa-
ton, the moral improvement, the per-
sonal independence and the domestic
comfort of the working man. His was
the first voice raised in cordial re-
spouse to the appeal of the Gear for a
conference of European states to bring
about cessation in the increase of
ornaments, and to establish some bas-
Is for international arbitration and an
end to the war. "a
The Pope has become SO popular
among certain influential classes Of
English Protestants that Mt one time
it seemed to many not altogether Inn
possible that some terms of comprO-
mise might be found between the Pa
pacy and the Established Church Of
England. The Pope, however, could
not compromise; Lord Halifax and his
English colleagues could not venture
to stretch their ideas of compromise
too fur, and SO the world went on re-
volving on its own axis just as be-
fore.
Pope Leo always watches with a
close and attentive eye every move
ment, political, social and religious.
that takes place in America. He has
and is especially proud of the position
which civic equality and religious free
dom have enabled his co-religionists to
take in the United States. Some of
}Pope Leo's recent days have been oc-
Coupled In the consideration Of certain
j tendencies which have been represent
ed to him as making themselves ap-
parent in. American Catholicism, ten
denotes which some Of his advisers be
lieved indicate great form of relig-
ious Independence not unlike that
a. - : -. -