The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-07-29
THE GREAT QUESTION OF A
SUCCESSOR TO POPE LEO XIII
OF the Several Available Men, No One Can Tell
Who Will Be Chosen-Cardinal Gibbons
Name Mentioned, but it Looks as if
Cardinal Gotti will Be the Man.

affairs But it has been an almost I'M
heard-Of thing for a Secretary of State
to be chosen Pope. A man of manifest
phys que and at the age of tifty-seven in
the very zenith OF his powers, he is yet
said by everybody to stand little chance
Of succeeding. a Pope of Rome near the
end of a long pontificate has more enemies
than friends IN a Sacred College created
by himself. And a Secretary of State is
so close 10 the administration that he in
variabIy shares the odum of his master.
RampoIla has sacrificed himself in making
Pope Leo's pontticate successful.
The grand old man of the Sacred Col
lege. Cardinal Parrocti, IS in failing health.
His dropsy and asthmn are gaining on
him. Had Pope Leo died ten years ago,
Parroch would almost certainly have been
chosen to succeed him. But Leo lived and
spoiled Parrochis chances. However, the
great Mantuan has company. Pope Leo
is living and spelling the chnnces of 9TH
ers There are two men besides Parrochi
who are nearing that seventy-year limit,
which is counted the dead-line for a papa
bell
Cardinal Parrochi is one of the three
who alone remain of the appointees in the
Sacred College of Pope Plus tx. The
other two IRE Cardinal Oreglia, the pres
ent Camerlengo, whom Pope Leo PERSONAL
ly does not like. and Cardinal Ledo-
chowski tho great Pole, whom Bismarck
helped to make famous and who has just
quilted the high position of Project of the
Sacred Congregation for the Propagation
of the Faith and mnde room for Cardinal
Satolli some time apostolic delegate at
Washington. The son of a Mantua mill
Ter he is self-made, and the greatest man
intellectually in the college He lives IN
some badly-furnished apartments, reads
everything and knows everybody. but
there are, it is said, too many interests
against him, not to mention his own
health, to make his chances of sitting in
the chair of St. Peter worth much.
The moment Pope Leo XIII. dies, GER
tain formalities will be gone through to
prove that the Pope g really dead. Tint
duty falls upon Cardinal Oreslia. He is
Camerlcngo of the Holy Roman Church,
which beng translated into English is
Chamberlain He is the senior cardi-
la. bishop, for there axe three ordars in
the Sncred CoNege-b.shops, priests and
deacons. These orders refer solely to the
college. Archbishop Gibbons is the cardi-
nal priest Upon the death OF The Pope.
the I'amerlengo together with the senior
cardinal priest, who is Cardinal Ledo-
chowzki. and the senior cardinal deacon,
Cardinal Macchi. become a sort of COM
mittee of administration, and serve as
such until the new Pope is chosen and
proclaimed.
A CONCILIATORY PARTY.
Cardinal Oreglia is seventy-two years of
age and therefore past the probable limit
He is exceedingly conservative and not at
all likely to be selected by a Sacred Col
lege made up rs is the present one. He
is not identified with the present ponti-
ficate as is Cardinal Rampoa, but is out
~ !, p;,,r e al !,
own account.
In the Scored College there is a conciia-
tory party that believes the Church ousht
to take matters as il find them and for the
cause of religion make the best of them.
at the head OF this party is Serafino Car
dinal Eannutelli He is the elder of the
two brothers in the college Naturally ne
is liked at the Quirlnal, and naturally
also by other members of the Triple ALI
ance. He began his official career in
Mexico, going there with Macmillan on
that Inflated empire-hunting expedition.
He is not a divine but diplomat. He
maintains a prodigious correspondence and
IS probably as we'll posted on American
affairs as any man in Europe.
Some other members of the Sacred Col
lege get mentioned Mt times, so these re-
turning pilgrims say. They are Cardinal
Sarto. who is Patriarch OF Venice; Cardi
nal Prisco Archbishop OF Naples; Cardi-
nal di Pietro. who is generally in the
thickets Of Cura questions; Cardinal Fer
rata, Prefect OF the Sacred Congregation
OF Indulgences and Sacred Relics, and Car
dnal Satolll. who has just been advanced
TO the head of the Propaganda Eide. Con-
corning the latter it is stated, however,
that his recent advance signifies nothing
He is a scholar and was not very success
full in his one diplomatic essay here. He
is not mentioned with seriousness.
THREE PROMINENT MEN.
Coming now to the three men who are
most talked of in connection with the sue
cession, ii may be said of Cardinal svampa
that he keeps pretty close to the affnirs
OF the Archdiocese Of Bologna. and out
os 4hnr. az tha Roman Cs11r;a Born IL.