The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-08-08
Plus X.

The supreme power in the greatest
organization in the world has passed
quietly and in Il most orderly and dig
niiied manner from the college of car
dinals, where it rested for Il short
time, to one of the princes OF the
Church. Nothing could impress upon
the world to Il greater degree the pow
er and permanent character of the
Catholic Church than the manner in
which the change was affected. Calm
ly, quietly and unaffected by personal
considerations, fearing neither one pow
er nor another, praying that God
might give them the light to see and
do right, the siXtytwo cardinals who
entered the cOncave have elected the
successor Of st. Peter. Any one of
those cardinals might, humanity speak
ing, reasonably have expectations that
he would be selected. \ dozen or
more, because of their prominence and
ability might without any conceit
have considered their chance of cleo
ton to the papacy something more
than i; mere possibility. No one of the
great cardinals most prominently men
toned has been elected. So far as the
world can see. there was no personal
ambition carried into the cOnclave,
and no personal disappointment or re-
grct carried AWAY. When they ell
tered their cells these men were all on
an equal footing. They were indie
pendent co-cuual princes of the holy
Catholic Church. When the time to
leave the vatican arrived. one alone of
the princes remained. to whom each
of the others had llnceleu and paid his
homage and obedience. Apparently the
only one disturbed and troubled was
Cardinal SartO, who had been selected
to assume the tremendous responsible
ity which falls to the pope. Catholics
who understand and appreciate what
the dogma of papal infallbility means
will readily understand the conslerl
tons which caused the new pontit1 to
be so thoroughly overcome. The over
whelning Importance and responsible
tiles of the great office are calculated
to make such men as are worthy Shun
rather than seek it. NOn-CathOlics do
not and cannot understand the Situa-
ton. because they do not understand
the doctrine of infallibility, do not APP
precatc the seriousness of the charge
placed by Christ upon st. Peter Thou
art Peter, and upon this rock l will
build my Church; to thee l give the
keys Of the kingdom of heaven; feed
my lambs. feed my sheep"
The important events which have
just taken place serve, however, to
show the strength and position of the
papacy. We can remember that ut
the death of Plus l Y in 1875 the opin-
ion was frequently expressed that
there would be mo more popcs." AT
that time the non-Catholic world look
cd upon the pope as an enemy. There
was another pope, and when he died
noll-Catholics mourned his loss and
looked forward with hope and interest
to the selections of his successor There
| is now but one discordant note and
that from the socialist press, which
commented upon the death of Leo as
Il matter of Indifference and referred
to his unknown successor as the new
enemy" Such remarks stamp the
authors as the enemy of all ordained
religion. At no time in the history Of
the centuries, and certainly ut no time
since Macauley made his prophesy as
to the permanence Of the Catholic
Church, has the papacy exercised a
greater influence over the lives ana
works Of man that it has during the
last twenty-five years. Who now
would have the temerity to assert that
Macauley used mere rhetorical -four
ish, when he said: "And she (the
Catholic church, may still exist in UNI
diminished vigor, when some traveller
from New Zealand shall, in the midst
of vast solitude, take his stand on a
broken arch of London bridge to
sketch the ruins of st. Paul's."