The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-01-18

In answer to correspondent, the
editor Of Truth, Raleigh, N. c., gives
the following excellent sketch of
momentous historical incident, with
the correspondence between Napoleon
and the Pope on the marriage Of Je
rome Bonaparte, a brother Of Ma
poleon, to Miss Patterson, a Protest
ant lady Of Baltimore, Md, by Bish-
op John Carroll, in 1903.
The hidden purpose in political
movements it is difficult or impossible
to discern. Napoleon was for the mo-
ment the chief political ruler. The
Pope, by his Office, was the chief &C.
clesiastical ruler. Ambition in the
Pope could only take the form of
faithful guardianship of the Apostolic
trust imposed upon him. Napoleon's
ambiticii was unlimited, and he made
repeated encroachments on the Pope
to secure his authority at home. He
might have allied himself with Prot
estantism, and why he refrained Is
uncertain, unless he perceived that
the same motives which gave rise to
Professionalism would nullify his i'm
~perial power. Napoleon may have in
tended from the first to hold the Pope
a prisoner when he invited him to
confer the imperial crown upon him
i i'll 1904. But it is probable that he
would not have done so but for two
reasons: First, he observed that the
y Pope's popularity was far greater and
more genuine than his own; and, sec
ond, the Pope required him to be mar
ried according to the rites of the
Church before he would perform the
coronation ceremony. The first aroused
his Jealousy, the second his hatred.
The Pope was the one obstacle to his
supreme ambition, and the Pope could
not be turned from his duty even to
favor an emperor.
Napoleon injured the Pope in 1901
ssby trying to deceive his ambassador
into signing false Concordat. Short
ly afterward he added what are called
the Organic Articles to the Concor-
dat approved by Cardinal Consalvi,
the ambassador, and infringed on the
ecclesiastical rights. Withdrawal of
these articles was sine qua non of
the coronation; but Napoleon never
fulfilled his promise. He even held
the Pope prisoner at Paris, and only
released him when he found that he
had provided for his resignation, and
the election of a successor, in case he
failed to return. Having little force
of arms, the Holy See seemed an easy
Aprey, and Napoleon followed early
German precedent in trying to estab-
lish protectorate over the Papal
States, contrary to the Pope's wishes.
He demanded the closing of PapaI
ports to English ships, and the sur
render Of Victor Emmanuel I, King
of Sardinia, both Of which the Pope
refused. Napoleon was further anger
ed by the Pope's refusal to sanction
the divorce of the emperor's brother
Jerome, from his American wife, and
the correspondence between the Pope
and the emperor on this subject is so
interesting and. instructive that we
give it in full. The following is Ma
poleon's letter to the Pope:
l have often spoken to your holt
ness concerning a brother of mine,
then lad Of nineteen, whom I sent
: to American on frigate, and who,
after a sojourn of a month in those
parts, and in spite of his being
minor, married in Baltimore Prot
estant daughter Of merchant. He
has just returned, and he realizes the
entire extent of his delinquency.
have sent Miss Patterson, his so-called
wife, back to America. According to
our laws the marriage is invalid. A
Spanish priest was so far forgetful of
his duty as to give the nuptial bene-
diction. Bishop Carroll, an American,
blessed the marriage.) 1 send your
holiness several memorandums, one by
Sardinal Caselli, which will greatly
enlighten your holiness. 1t would be