The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-31
ME KINGS CONSCIENCE.
p,sE AND FALL OF A ROYAL
1nN COMPRESSOR.

,isode of COntempOraneous
18Th History-HOw the Queen
out stole March Upon Her
,.,ers Modern UItramonta-
pism
u~om the New York Post.
,,.dr.d Dec. %. -considerable sensation
h.so caused in the Spanish capital
49,. dismissal of a well-known Jesuit
,,bsr divine, and writer, who has
r., 5uring the last twenty years the con-
,s.sor Of several members of the royal
- The reverend father. Don Joe
,-..,,rde- Montana, was born in the pro-
-, If Asturias in 1910. He showed very
.t,. an inclination for the Church. He
..os first educated in his native province
~ afterwards completed his studies at
t-..,,rial. in a seminary and college at the
I'D of which was the famous Padre
c,are+ the confessor Of Queen Isabella
II His advice helped not little to lead
that sovereign into the reactionary and
,.srioa policy in the sixties which brought
IN the re,o.ution of September. 1868.
padre 4ret made himself so conspicu-
ans and so unpopular that he was the OBJ
ieo+ of the most violent attacks and satire
in the press and in Parliament on the eve
If the downfall of Queen Isabella. 1t is
not surprising that under such tuition the
,.ong Jesuit Montana soon became not
on,v all uncompromising Ultramontane,
but an ecclesiastc who did not conceal
his strous Carlist predictions. He made
no secret of his opinions during the revo-
Iuto1ary period from 1868 to 1875, and in
cratiated himself with the higher clergy
50 quickly that he held the office of secre-
tary 10 The Cardinal Moreno, Archbishop
of Toledo and Primate of Spain, from 1878
10 $780, in the first years of the restoration
Of the Bourbons.
It was this prelate who suggested
Father Montana as a suitable priest for
the post of confessor of the second wife
of King Alphonso XII, Dona Maria CHS
tina of Hapsburg, because he could speak
German. Montana had just then declined
a bishopric which his patron Cardinal
Moreno had offered him. Thus it came
TO pass that he took up his spiritual du-
.as at the Madrid palace, where he sue
tessvely became the confessor of the
Queen Christina, of her sister-in-law, the
lnfanta Isabella, widow of the Count of
Girgenti then later one of the Queens
two daughters, the Princess of Asturias
and the Infanta Maria Theresa When
the young King was thought old enough
10 have a confesSor, the Queen Regent
conhded him to the ecclesiastic who was
her own spiritual adviser Finally. in 1894
Father Montana was appointed professor
Of morals and religion to his Majesty.
with salary of fifteen hundred dollars
a year. By way of recognizing his long
services, Her Majesty conferred on him in
1898 the grand cross of Isabella the Cath
Ollie, which made him an Excellencv
excelentisimo senior, and also appointed
him judge of the Tribunal de la Rots."
the highest ecclesiastical court in the
kingdom
During the whole time that he has been
royal confessor and professor to his Ma
jesty' Father Montana, it must he said.
never has concealed his reactionary and
lit9montane opinions. His sermons
We're considered among the most able and
frank demonstrations of the ideals and
aspirations of the Indifferent high church
OF Spain His contributions to the Catho-
JIG press and reviews were equally fear
less eXpositions of Ultramontaine views.
AS he grew in years Father Montana
seems TO h1ve become more i1tolerant
ana more aggressive, as no one had ever
hterfered with his writings and sayings.
His contributions to the Ultramontane
paper III Siglo Future, organ of the adj
Nanced Catholics, who make no secret
that they place the interests of religion
and of the Church of Rome above the
worldly considerations of form of govern
ment and dynasties, became more fire.
quent. Finally, short time ago, the roy
al confessor sent FL Siglo Future a Sc
RES Of articles IN which he asserted
among other things, that liberalism of
every kind and democracy were dam
nable mortal sins under the creed of the
Roman Catholic Church, and contrary
10 the degmas established by the Sylla-
bus and by the Vatican Council of 1870"
IN the same strain he triad to prove
that parliamentary and constitutional in
sttutions and governments, the outcome
OF liberalism and democracy, were nat
urally contrary also to the dogmas of his
church.
The Madrid paper Ell Liberal, an indie
pendent Republican, was first to direct
attention TO these articles. In quick sue
cessiOn the Liberal and Republican or
ganS opened fire with great energy, fore
most El impartial, a paper generally very
respectful when alluding to the royal
family; Ell Correo, the chief organ of
Senior Sagasta and of the moderate dy-
naste Liberals; Ell Heraldo, organ lor
senior Canalijas and the advanced Lib