The Irish standard., 1902-01-25
Process of Selecting the Proper Person
for the Exalted Dignity of
Peters Successor.
During Period of the Church's History
Three Claimants Arose for
~ the Papal Throne.

signal. If the voting has not resulted
in an election, the papers are burned
i'll a special stove at special hour.
There is a crowd outside watching the
little chimney of that stove Every
body in Rome can point it out. When
the smoke arises from this chimney all
the people go home and worry no more
till next day at the same hour, for they
know that there is no Pope yet. If,
however, there has been an election,
window in the palace is suddenly
thrown open, and some prelate with a
loud voice steps into the balcony and
intones the words: s'We announce to
you a great joy: we have Pope, and
his name is --." Whoever is
elected has evidently to have his
choice of name pretty near the sur
face.
AS soon as possible after the election
the Pope gives his public blessing. We
may presume that the Vatican tailors
have variety of white cassocks pre-
pared, for the Pope is the only bishop
who wears white silk. Certainly Plus
KS things would never have fitted
Leo Kill. and yet Leo came out Just
after his election with robes that
looked as If they had been made for
him. The blessing used to be given
from the great central balcony of the
facade Of st. Peters. and indeed Ber-
minis splendid colonnade was planned
with a view to this ceremony. But
since the invasion Of Rome in 1870 the
Pope has not shown himself outside
the Vatican. At Leo's election there
was a half hour of dramatic suspense.
Was the new Pope going to continue
Plus KS attitude? His very first act
would show it. There was crowd Of
at least 100000 in the piazza outside,
and another crowd of some $4,000 in
the basilica itself. Runners flew to and
fro, and every now and then q rush
took place into or out Of the building.
I was one of those thus swept to, and
fro, but at last I argued that inside
was the safest; he. might give it out
side, but even If he did he could not
ignore the $4,000 inside. With SO large
a crowd and with feeling running so
high in, Rome, there was considerable
danger Of riot. But all such danger
was prevented by Leo's extraordinary
promptitude Of action. With wonder
full speed the large window overlooking
the interior of st. Peters from the
Vatican was flung wide open, an i'm
mense red cloth was thrown rather
than spread over the balustrade, and
a slim figure in white stood out against
this splash Of red, lifting his arms in
the attitude Of blessing. We heard a
sonorous voice intoning the prelimin-
ary versicles, ringing throughout that
huge building that, we said to our
selves, is one of the attendants, and
there will follow piping little voice
for the actual blessing-we shall be
lucky If we hear it at all. But, to our
amazement, the same voice went on
with the blessing, it was Leo himself,
and where that attenuated form de-
veloped such voice from have never
been able to understand. 1t was only
typical of the energy with which he
has been amazing the world ever since.
He is nearing his hundredth year-and
still writes poetry for recreation!
This little account of the Papal cleo
tion gives us an opportunity Of deal
ing with matter frequently brought
up by way Of objection. AS In all other
affairs where the actions of many men
have to combine to definite result un-
der many conditions, there are possi-
bilities of error. Moreover, the Church
has seen days in which, besides having
bad prelates Of her own, she has been
subjected to much pressure from en-
perors and kings. A non-C Catholic sov-
ereign who persecutes cannot do near
ly as much harm as a Catholic one who
NEEDLES. Hence, in addition to valid
elections which have been improperly
Influenced, there have been several
cases Of rival elections resulting in