The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-11-17

Ae' AounNco vi II itltu alu Love. Rome
was the center of this pagan empire
and since a Christian empire was to
replace it, it is only just and right
that the siege and center of this new
empire should be Rome.
Go where you will in that ancient
city you will find remarkable debris
vestiges of the old Roman empire.
Here stands an isolated column in the
midst of ruins; there is the CAPITOL
to-day a museum of antiquities. Here
is the old Forum where Cicero pro.
nounced his great grafton; there the
ruins of the Palatine on one side and
the temple of peace and concord ON
the other; yonder the Coliseum, where
i'll times past a hundred thousand spec.
tators gathered together every day for
three months to applaud the gladiators
who killed one another in the arena.
and later on to witness wild beasts de-
YOUR Christians. whose only crime was
to love and serve God.
Wherever YOU so through the city,
you see nothing but lettering columns,
broken arches, fallen walls, the re-
mains of the once great Roman Empire
magnificent proofs of the nothing
ness of man. Could place more fit.
ting be found for the vicar of Christ
TO dwell, who says to. peoples and ma
tions. 'Remcmber man that thou art
dust and into dust thou shalt return"
From Il pagan city. Rome has be.
come the Christian city by excellence
She contains the tomb of st. Peter and
the remains of the other apostles dis.
trihuted among different churches of
the city. She has within her churches
the remains of many of the celebrated
fathers of the Church-St. Ignatius of
Antioch, st. Justin. st. Gregory of Naz.
ianza st. John Chrysostom, st. Leo,
st. Gregory the Great. There are the
tombs of sanity virgins,-of st. Agnes
and st. Cecilia; of sanity young men:
st. StanislauS KOstlla and of ST. Lou.
is Gonzaga; of holy women, of st. Hell.
ena and ST. Monica; of founders of or
ders. st. lgnatius I4oyala, st. Philip
Neri. There are the chapels, houses
in which they prayed ana wept; the
prison where st. Peter was confined;
the chain he bore.
At the foot of the capitol stands the
house where Paul lived when he came
to Rome to assert his right of Roman
citizenship. You will find in Rome the
crib wherein Christ was laid after his
birth, the table of the Last Supper,
the column to which he was attached
staircase he descended on his way to
Calvary.
Rome has been the home OF the Pom.
tii1s from st. Peter down to our pres,
ent POntifr, Leo MIL. save during the
Interval of the schism of the west,
when hey withdrew to Avignon, France.
However, after 1900 years of possession
of Rome, after 1900 years of arduous
labors, after having converted and civ
ilized Europe, the Pope today must
live like prisoner in his own city.
The Church, through her Pontlffs, was
the safety and guide of peoples during
the darker ages of hercsy, persecution
and invasion of the barbarinns. When
we look into her history what glorious
souvenirs she cvOkes as the alma mn.
ter of the middle ages, the church of
the fathers, the schoOlmcn and the
mystics, the church of st. Chrysostom,
st. Augustin, st. Benedict, st. Francis
st. Bernard st. Thomas Aquinas. st.
Thomas Kempls, Bossuet and Fen.
el0n.
The sovereign Pontiffs have ever
been the friends Of the people and
looked after their welfare. From the
chnIr Of Peter they taught truth, jus.
tice and mercy; they protected the
rights Of all, and civilization and liber
ty progressed with the progress of time
ana Of their power
Notwithstanding all these benefits
conferred upon the world, the
present pontiff is compelled to say
like Peter, "Silvcr and gold, ]
have none, but what have
give thee in the name Of Jesus Christ
Of Nazareth" "Silver and gold have
none," but have the truth-the truth
which illumines every man coming into
this world-the truth which can save
our modern agitated and troubled
world. "Sllver and gold have none"
but l have the grace which produces
the virtues that remain and suffice to
save the world. "Silver and gold ]
have none' but 1 have the authority
which upholds to-day all that remains
of authority.
II command obedience, which is de-
MED other rulers; l command without
physical force, and obtain voluntary
obedience from the army Of priests and
monks on five continents and from $50
millions Of souls. My power is indie
pendent; it subsists in itself, it de.
ponds upon no external power nor Is
subservient to any civil authority.
"My power is embodied in church
which is spiritual and moral organi.