The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-02
HOW POPES ARE CHOSEN.
Rot UnIfkcIy that Pope Leo May Sc
Iect His Successor.

Philadelphia Press
| The London dispatch announcing. on the
authority of the Bavarian minister, that
Pope Leo XIII has made a will designat-
ing his successor receives peculiar confir-
! nation in news which is now at hand from
| Paris. This comes in the form of an adj
vance notice of a book soon to be published
| III the French capital. How a Pope is
| Chosen The author, the Able Sabatier.
| the canon of the Roman Catholic Arch
| bishopric of Paris. is one of the most
| learned dvines in Europe, and has long
| been regarded as an authority on all mat
| tiers affecting the papacy and the Sacred
| College The decision which is reached
| by this ecclesastic and scholar is briefly
! this: AS the power of the Pope is abs D
lutte 1t involves the right of naming sue
cessor. Moreover. should Leo XIII see fiji
| So 10 do, he will be supported not only by
| logical reason, but by actual precedent as
| found In no less than three instances of
| church history.
Among the 263 Popes that have sat i'm the
| chair of st. Peter. ii is true that more than
three have risen TO that supreme position
| by appointment rather than election, but
| most of these cases date back TO the me-
| diaeval days when the states OF Rome
! Germany exerted a power ia matters OF
the church which was soon to be usurped
| by the then forming Sacred College. In
|
| majority of Roman Pontiffs been chosen,
! by election, by compromise. or by acclama-
| ton, while there still stand forth in promi
nent exception the three upon whom Able
| Sa batter bases his contention of to-day.
What the world would think of the action
| OF Leo XIII in taking from his cardinals
| the right to name his successor the able
| does not attempt TO say. What he does say
! is that a Pope so nominated would be a true
| pontin, of valid status, and so to be held
| by Roman Catholics the world over. Should,
| then, the representative of Bavaria at the
| court of St. James be right, ii would seem
! that a matter OF vast Importance and
| worldwide interest is TO be settled very
| simply
This is Able Sabatiers argument: 1.-The
| Pope is the head of the church and COM
| mands not merely some but all. Jesus
| Christ did not place the sheep on equal
| ity with the shepherd still less did He
| place them above him; the shepherd alone
| is above all. With the single exception OF
| the Roman POntff. no bishop has by right
! divine any authority over any other bishop.
| and IL naturally follows that neither one
| bishop, nor several nor. indeed, all the
| bishops, can have any authority over Peter.
Peter land. of course. each of his sue
cessors). is the chief. who rules the church
| as the vicar of Jesus Christ. Since he is
| supreme pontim no one can bind what he
has unbound; since he is an infallible teach
er he cannot err when he speaks doc
| tor of the universal church: since he is
! a sovereign judge and lawmaker of the
church, he cannot be judged by any one
| Then follows the recital of those facts in
| ecCleSldSIlcdl history, winch, as presidents,
| strengthen the force of this reasoning. st.
| Peter himself named Clement TO succeed
| him. st. Stephen i'm like manner nominated
| Lucius while i'm the sixth century Boniface
| III became the head of the Roman Church
| on the sole authority of Felix w. On this
| last instance great stress is laid. as if in it
were found the strongest precedent for
! present or future action of similar kind.
! ION the last day of August in the year
80, writes Sabatier, Felix summoned to
| MS palace, where he lay on his deathbed.
4
Rome, and, after pointing out the necessi-
| ties of the hour. informed them that it
| his desire to have his archdeacOn Boni
| face, elected TO the paDacy after his death.
/ His arguments prevailed and thereupon. in
| order to show that his wish 70 have Boni-
face as his successor was immutable, he re-
| moved the sacred pallium from his Shout
| ders and placed 1t on the shoulders of Boni-
| face III.
That the death of Felix fell in an excit-
ing era when the election of a new Pope
| meant the temporary suspension of law and
| order. with fierce fractional fights and riot
| ing I'm the streets. is noted by the French
| author, who admits that such circum-
stances may we'll have Influenced the de-
| parting pontif to take unusual measures
| THAT fact. however" says he, can in no
| wise affect the supreme right of the head
| of the church, nor in any slightest degree
! impugn the valid title OF his successor so
appointed"
What if the surmise of the Bavarian
minister prove not true? Then the next
| Pope of Rome will be chosen by the Sacred
| College. as has been the custom for more
| than eight centuries In the city where Leo
| XIII shall die and within ten days of his
| end the cardinals will assemble. summoned
| by the papal secretary. They need not
choose one of their number; they may even
name layman provided he receive orders
before his installation. but two thirds ma
| JOrity must unite upon name whether.
as in the case OF Leo XIII, in 1878. the de-
| cision be reached in two days or in six
| months, the in 1890 when Plus
| VII was elevated TO the pontificate.
While choice is usually made by a ballot
n hat I'm In,
4 elections i'm this country there are two
other methods recognized. All the candi-
small committee of two or three. which
| is known election by compromise. This
! however is seldom resorted TO. Still less
| often is the nomination made by accla-
| nation, "quasi-inspration." 1t is then
| that the cardinals. with a sudden and har-
monlous consent. proclaim some person
4 pOntif with one voice and without previous
| canvass.
Every actual cardinal. even though he
munlcation. has the right of vote in
papal election. The balloting takes place
| In the presbytery of "A church and be-
| fore the altar The cardinals are seated
| which is of green II the dgnitary II
shelters were created by a Pope proceed
! ing the one just dead. or of purple if
| of the last Pope's creation.
The voting papers folded so as
! TO have at each end a sealed portion.
/ Within the upper end is written the
voters name. TO be opened only under
| special circumstances: and in the other.
sealed with the same seal, is some motto
| from Scripture which. once adopted.
must be the same In all the ballots.
| serving as a means of identification of
| the vote. In the middle space, which Is
! left open, stands the name of the candi-
/ date.
Should any ballot result in exactly the
/ two-thirds majority required the upper
| folded parts Of the ballots are unsealed
| TO ascertain that the candidate in ques-
ton has not voted for himself. as 1t is
/ unlawful that any Pope should have
/ been a direct instrument 10 his own ad-
! Vancement When at last choice has
l been made all the canopies lowered.
/ excepting that over the successful candi-
date which alone remains sloft. while from
! beneath II comes the first benediction pro-
! noUnced by the new Pope.
Artificial Curing of Tobacco.