The times., 1901-03-24

beneficial by opening up new lands and
by making transit easy and rapid, thus
recalling some of the conditions which
conduced to the original spread of the
religion of Jesus. A multitude of noble
souls have devoted all to the enlighten-
ment Of the barbarian and pagan world.
And while l disparage no land, and do
not undervalue the good intentions and
efforts Of those outside our pale, l can
not pass over in silence the French ma
ton. which has given more abundantly
than any, perhaps more abundantly than
all others, of priests. sisters. and funds
for the essential duty of Catholicism. The
work OF the Propagation of the Faith and
the Seminary of Foreign Missions at
Paris deserves a special souvenir as often
as Catholic missions are mentioned.
TILE PoPES OF THIS CENTURY.
Six Popes have ruled the Church in
this century: Plus VII; Leo XII; Plus
VIII; Gregory XVI, Plus TX, and the
present venerable Pontiff. Leo XIII In
/ the person Of Plus VII, they have known
what martyrdom was like. also the shame
and humiliation of being subject to a civil
! power absolute in its character and prone
to unwarrantabIe interference with the
I ecclesiastical power, even to contempt of
/ its most ancient and venerable rights. In
Gregory XVI and Plus TX they learned
/ the purposes and the power of those who
in Europe have succeeded to the men of
the French Revolution. In Leo XIII, their
line, the Oldest line of rulers on the earth,
can boast of a most enlightened mind
and a very sympathetic heart Long time
a Bishop of an important See before he
was made Pope he has been at the level
Of every task imposed upon the Papacy.
In a particular manner he has been the
patron of ecclesiastical studies by his
scholarly encyclicaIs on philosophy, Scrip
ture. history, and other branches of learn
! ing. A noble specimen of this activity is
his late letter to the Bishops of France
on the studies of the clergy. His spirit
is the Christian spirit of reconciliation
and concord, yet without sacrifice of the
immemorial rights and the solemn obliga-
tions of the Apostolic See. He may not
live TO see the. restoration of his indepen-
dence, and the reparation of the wrong,
inflicted upon the Holy See, but he can
maintain a protest that viii forever in
validate among Catholics the claim of the
actual government and keep open the Ro-
man question until it is rightly set
I tied. Catholics cannot forget that the
/ Pope for the time being is, according to
| Catholic doctrine, the successor of st.
Peter in all his rights and privileges as
the visible head of the Church appointed
by Jesus himself. Hence. among other
duties, he has to safeguard the approved
traditions and the general legislation of
! the past, to protect the status of the
| Church as given over to him and to hand
il down undiminished to his own sue
cessor. Precisely because he is the head
! of the Church he may not licitly alter
its organic and regular life or arbitrarily
abandon the almost sacrosanct ways
! along which his predecessors have moved
or give UP lightly the institutions In which
religion has gradually found setting for
itself 1 venture to say that this element
Of nXity In the attitude of the Apostolic
See will be more appreciated IN another
age more constructive and architectonic
than the past, less queruIous and destruc-
tive, even If less daring and brilliant
/ Forever to pull down and scatter, and
never to build up and perfect, cannot be
the final purpose of human society. II
is perhaps worth remarking that the
average reign of the Popes is much long
er in this century than In any other, be
ing over sixteen years, and that two sue
cessive reigns, those of Plus TX and Lee
XIII, represent fifty-four continuou:
years Of Church government at Rome
a phenomenon not witnessed since the
/ foundation Of that Church by st. Petel
and St Paul.
TIE CATHOLIC HIERARCHY
During this century the Holy Father
has been able TO restore the Catholic hier
archy in England, Scotland, Holland. anC
to create it anew in India. This mean.
the orderly management Of the works
and the purposes of the Catholic religion
since the Episcopate is the divinely insti
tuted organ for it's spread and its admin
istration. In many lands numerou
Episcopate has sprung UP. In our Owl
beloved country IL has grown almost a
the rate Of one See for every year of tn
century. The apostolic activity OF tn
Fpiscopate has been usually beyond re
proach The care of souls, the creation
Of parishes, building of churches, con
vents, schools. and charitable institution
has gone on in every diocese Of the Catho
lie world Some Bishops have distinguish
ed themselves by their sanctity of lif
and their love for the poor; others by thei
learning and their skill III their writin
works Of utility for the faithful; other
? by their holy martyrdoms, both in paga
and Christian lands; others by deyotio
to great works of common charity an
ItIIitv-neariy all by their exemplary live
. and the conscientious performance {
their duties.
No nation has a monopoly of this out
: pouring of the highest sacerdotal devc
ton; and no nation or people, as far as
: can learn, has been without steady SUI
o cesgion Of remarkable Bishops. men VII
2 would have done honor to any age
Christian history ! believe that it
2 the constant and edifying service of II
II episcopal body which is chiefly respons
c bic for the improvement in learning
morality, and laborious enlightened ze
C on the part of the clergy, diocesan ar
monastic, which IT seems just to clai
for this century. In some lands the epi
n copal Office is freer than in others, al
= its beneficent activity is more immedia
!. and visible. In all the Bishops have ke,
the bond of unity. often at no inconside
able sacrifice of personal comfort Meth
schism nor heresy of any foi NAL and not
!. worthy nature has been connected wi
"a the episcopal Office. IL would I'll becon
. me TO discriminate where the merits a
10 so equal ] may, however be permitt
ic TO rejoice. with my countrymon at 4
q end of the century that the life and 4
Of teachings Of Carroll, a Cheverus,
n. Brute, a Neumann n Dubois, have n
!