The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-25
THE PAPACY.



To THE EnIroR or THE SrN Sir, In pre-
pairing my material for my forthcoming work,
Prussia Before the Bar OF the American Peo-
pie. came to-day upon u curious statement
in the famous address on The jews in Eu-
rope" which was delivered, July IS. i%i,
AZ the annual meeting OF the Munich Academy
OF Sciences by IFS president. DIR Johann Won
DOllln ger. the well-known Catholic theooglan
and Church historian according to this a,i-
tboritv, AmbrosIIs was raised to the Bishop
ric OF Milan. though he had not vet been
baptized
Living far from my library am unable 20
verify Dongrrs assertion but | krow that
Jewish origin does not bar Il candidate from
the Papal chair, whose 'irst occupants, in
decd, were genuine Pnlcst inian Semites, who. IN
their turn. we're succeeded, even In the Middle
Ages, by a scion of the Hebrew race In
my own fathcrlund, Austria, one Of the oldest
and richest arChbishOprc-, that Of Olm'it",
is ~ the present hour in charge OF Prince
Archbishop Kohn, whose father was born
and raised in the Jewish faith Since, as a
rule. the Archbishops OF that diocese receive,
sooner or later. the Cardinals hat. IL is not
impossible that the twentieth century will
see a man with the name OF kohn m the chair
OF the Semitic Simon known rs 81 Peter
II ever. this is the time for every thinking
mnn. he he by birth. education or conviction.
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jew or agnostic.
to get clear idea Of she real position oil the
Papacy AZ IA political world-pOwer and OF It's
spiritual possibilities for the advancement
of human progress in the future Cardinal
Gibbons will. very probably. moi become the
successor of Leo XIII but the mere fact that
he. the only American Cardinal. has been
seriously spoken of as a Papul possibility Is
very significant, not only of the new and
great position the nitad States s occupying
in the concert of nations. but also Of a radical
change Of views within the College OF Cardi-
nails itself Indeed. now that even tn" most
Tre{cate among the Princes OF the Catholic
Church has probably given up the slightest
hope Of ever seeing reestabllshed the tenn
p0ral power Of the Pnpacy. the latter has no
longer any valid reasons for remaining for
ever the almost exclusive possession of the
Italian clergy.
Gregory VII. the austare monk Of the
Middle Ages, grasped the far reaching posi-
bilities of Il Spiritual Supreme Court for civil
lized mankind. viii Gotti. the monk. or
whoever may become the successor of Leo
MIL, possess the necessary intellectually,
nerve and ambition to become the Hildebrand
of the twentieth century?
When Car Nicholas III called together the
International Peace Conference of The Hague.
the delegate of Leo XIII was excluded and
thp BlSnOp OIL Rome was kTltNeC DN tIlp nU-
utilization he had to undergo on the part Of
the summus episcOprs of the Orthodox Church
Leo NH s dearest dream was the old dream
of the reunion of the entire Christian world
under one head The successors of Luther
Calvin and Zwingi might, under certain
conditions. he gained for this great ldeaI. but
the autoCratir rulers of Russia and its Church
not only laugh at The mere thought of giving
mp the slightest parcel OF their despotlc
spiritual power over the 100000. DOC, Of their
best TO crush within their dominions both
Catholicism and Professionalism What IS
Of still greater Importance Russia is indus
mense territories of the Asiatic continent
The Russian Cossack. advancing toward the
steppes of ManChnria. Central China and -'
qmcn sdbc' toward India, ,s the armed mis-
sionary of the Holy orthodox Church. which
is one with the Russian state, and oan there
fore rely upon its powerful support me
TO preach their Gospe unaided by their Coy
ernments, relying almost entirely on the
freewll offerings of private societies and
Let me offer the modest suggestion of a
Jew who is pla cling himself not on the narrow
ground of religious confession true religion
is more than anything else of indivdualiStic
essence. and every human being. after reach
ing his spiritual maturity. should therefore
be left alone in settling his personal accounts
considers things from the higher point OF
view Of the historian and philosopher There
are about Casho"s IN the world
composed Of siyty-nine members Could
not Catholic public opinion bring sufficient
pressure on the future Pope, in order 10 give
the. Conclaye really catholic character:
to induce him to appoint one Cardinal for
every 3.OooOOo 20 3,5o0,ooO Of Catholics? II
this could be done, America lthe West Indies
and Philippine Islands included would mum.
Der in the first Conclave thus recruited
about twenty Cardinals, and there Is little
doubt that in view Of the common Russian
danger. political and rcligi2Ts4s The Cardinals
port TO the candidate Of the United States
only Pope born and raised in. this great
and free Anglo-Saxon republic OF ours will
have a chance to fulfil the noble dream Of
wiping out the, olS hostility between Protest
antism and Catholicism, and we Jews the
countrymep and coreligio1istss Of Joshua
one the centre. the other the founder Of Chris
tani;y, will say amen to the remarriaSe Of
course. that at that Mess anc. period hood
lum- parlor- and scientific anti
Scmltism " i'll long since have been relegated
to the handbooks of the history of human
! prejudices and superstitlons
| DIR IsIpoR SINGER
| RoCKAw AY BEACH. July ~