The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-04
UNDER ITALIAN RULINGS
Reasons Preventing New Methods
in the Catholic Hierarchy.

The Church Said to he Practically
Governed by Cardinals Residing n,
Rome Who Are Generally Opposed
to . Foreign PontiM-HOw . Pope
From Another Country Might Act.
The report that Leo XIII has in his
Spanish Cardinal Wives Tuto as his sue
cessor has caused much speculation as to
the effect on the Church of the election
Of non-Italian Pope. The official Vat
lean handbook to the ecclesiastical HER
archy supplies material for much inter-
esting study on the subject First Of all,
the question arises whether the election
even il he were to be designated by the
preceding Pontiff. The italian Cardinals
now number thirty. the foreign Cardinals
number twenty-five, and several OF them
could certainly not arrive in Rome in time
to take part in the conclave. The Italian
majority would, therefore. be greater than
the figures make it appear. Very few OF
ism in the political sense of the word.
but all Of them would certainly vote to-
gether in obstructing the election Of a
foreign Pontiff. A Pope has to be elected
by two-thirds majority, and though the
Italians are not strong enough to elect
their own Pope outright. they are strong
enough to prevent foreign Cardinals from
electing foreigner. The foreign Cardi-
nails, however. are always anxious to ex-
ercise their influence in conclaye, be-
cause 1t is the only opportunity they ever
have of influencing the government OF the
Church. The Church is practically gov
erned by the Cardinals who reside in
Rome and by the ecclesiastical bu-
reaucracy. These Cardinals are twenty
three in number. but only four are for
eigners. Only two Of the four foreigners.
Cardinals Ledochowski and Steinhuber.
preside over important congregations,
Cardinal LedochOwski being Project Of
Propaganda Eide and Cardinal Stcinhuber
President Of the Congregation Of the In
dex All the other Important offices are
in the hands Of the nineteen Italian Car
dinals resident In Curia.
In the lower ranks OF the Catholic
hierarchy and in the bureaucracy the pre-
ponderance of Italians is still greater.
All, with very rare exceptions. are Ital-
iaps. This monopo1ization of the admin
istration of the Church in Italian hands is
one of the greatest obstacles to an under
standing between the Vatican and the
Italian Government The reform Of the
Catholic organization in Italy would be
one Of the principal points Of any such
understanding. and it would very greatly
conduce to the proper training Of the
clergy and to the proper religious teach
ing of the masses. But it would destroy
or at least diminish the enormous num- .
Der of Italian bishoprfcs. and would tend
to reduce the number of Italian prelates
to a proportion in keeping with the pro-
portion existing in other Catholic coun-
tries.
In the whole Catholic world there are
942 archiepiscopal and episcopal sees, Of
which $50 are situated in Europe. Italy
alone possesses 275 Of these 5sS sees,
while the whole of Europe. including Aus
tria. Hungary, Belgium, France. Germany,
England, Ireland, Scotland. Holland. Por-
tugal. Russia, Poland, Spain. and Switzer-
land-countries having total Catholic
population of about one hundred and
millions-possess only .s13
sees Thus Italy, with less thar thirty
million Catholics, has nearly as many
sees as the rest of Europe taken together.
This enormous preponderance is in itself
an obstacle to reform within the Church.
living within easy reach of Rome. can
outnumber the bishops Of any other coun-
try or probable coalition of countries
which might desire to effect any reform
in an Ecumenical Council. The Vatican.
with its army Of Italian prelates. pos
sesses strong nucleus for making a
packed majority on any question 1t may
wish to force through council. The
history of the debates. or rather OF the
TN1,x txRfn
shows that all the resistance of the more
northern Bishops was useless
against the compact body of ignorant
Italian prelates, who were Joined by the
Spaniards in adopting everything the
Vatican desired. Spain has fifty-four
sees These. added to the 27o Italian sees,
constitute a majority numerous enough to
defeat the rest Of Europe which. without
Spain, can muster only 259.
Besides these bishops and archbishops
who actually reside in their sees. there
are the titular bishops and archbshops,
who are said to be bishops in partibus.
OF these there are 359; 101 are Italians.
and a of the 101 reside in Italy Seven
teen of the others are employed as mis-
sionaries and are Papal nuncios. The
total number of Catholic bishops and
in the world is 1.2i3. OF
whom $40, or nearly one-third. are ltai-
ans. The Italian Government has often
turned it's attention to the position OF
he Italian bishops. 1t desires reduc-
ion in their number and a prcportionate
division of their revenues. Some italian
sees are not much larger than good
sized parish. The See of Gallipoli, for
Instance, has only three parishes and
IS 600 inhabitants: Castellaneta has Ave
parishes and q, 600 inhabitants. The two
ices of Gravina and Montepeloso count
ogether nine parishes and "a 30 inhab-
tants. Each of these little sees has its
with its chapter of canons.
rhe Chapter of Montepeloso. for in
tance, numbers twenty-eight oanons and
.haplains. Every diocese has it's semi
larry, with chairs for every subject. from
attn to theology. Most of these chairs
re occupied by one or two professors,
because it would be impossible to have
fifteen or sixteen professors for twenty
II thirty seminaries. Naturally, the
rests thus trained leave the seminary
snorant and narrow-minded, knowing
title more of the world than what goes
n under the shadow Of the local eathe-
raj. One bishop from the south of Italy
tated not long ago that he produced very
God priests in his seminary at a cost of
sss than Ell a month head. They were
Dung peasants who had been accustomed
o live on polenta and onions at home.
nd he fed them inexpensively on the
anne diet in the seminary. Naturally
many of these sees possess revenues so
mall that they are unable to do more
han keep body and soul together.
Each see has kept the revenue which it
eceived before Italy was united; thirty
even bishops nave f120 year, seventy
tx have less than sS0O year. forty-one
ave between e40O and s70O a year.