The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-20
POPE LEO XIII is DEAD.


A0eA NASP4oJ GU as governor OF a pOnIlU-
cal state Among other achievements
he succeeded in purging the arch do
ceseS OF br1Sandage and at certain
time all the prisons under his spiritual
jurisdiction were empty. Such success
did not pass unnOticed, and in 1850 Mgr
Peccl was elevated to the dignity OF
cardinal priest.
At the consistory held in 1877 Cardinal
Pecci was appointed Camerlingo of the
Roman church, which gave him chief
charge OF the temperatures of the Holy
see In TINS capacity it fell to his task
to make the necessary arrangements
for the conclave for the election of
new pope after the death of Plus TX,
in February, 1873. The conclave lasted
So hours and at the third ballot Car
dinal Pecci was elected supreme pom
tiff and took the name of Leo XIII after
the famous Pope Leo X, for whom he
had great veneration. He was crown
ed on March g. with the tiara, or triple
crown, the ceremony taking place, not
in St Peters, where all his bredeces-
sOrs but one had been crowned since
1855, but in the Sistine chapel in the
vatican, where the conclave had been
held.
Public opinion regarded the new pope
as characterized above all things by
love of peace, and it was expected that.
departing from that Non POssumus
policy of his predecessors he would
speedily conclude a compromise with
the lldlldn government anu lllASo P0N
an end to the antagonism between the
vatican and the quirinal The world was
soon deceived. and in his first encycli-
cal. promulgated at, the Easter follow
ing his accession, Pope Leo xiii unhes-
itatingly maintained his restoration OF
the temporal power of the papacy, nor
did he~ever recede from the position
then taken up.
HIS POLICY.
At the same time, the policy OF the
Roman church certainly underwent
DEVELOPMENT in the direction of moder-
alton, which greatly contributed to IN
creasing the influence of the vatican
abroad. From the very outset. the
new pontiff displayed the greatest IN
terest in the social questions agitating
the world of today and in an order, IS
sued December II, 1873, appealed TO the
Intellectual forces of Catholicism TO
contest the propaganda OF doctrines
which his holiness described as SUD
versive of social order, aliudlng esp sd
cialIy to the socialists in Germany anu
the Nihilist movement in Russia.
The co-operatio afforded by the pope
to the various governments IN oppoSIlS
the growing forces of social democracy
paved the way for the settlement OF
disnutes existing between those gov
ernments and the vatican, both splrlt~
ual and civil authorities being, as II
were, called upon to merge their diner
enceS and make common cause asaliaN
litical achievement of. the pope was the
settlement of the differences with GER
many which had given rise TO the Ia
nous Kulturkampf. The rapid spread
of anarchistic doctrines in Germany ana
the attempts made upon the emperOrS
life in 1873 induced Prince Bismarck 10
make approaches to the ultramontane
party to secure their support Tor MS
economic policy. Herr Falk, the famous
author of thu May laws, was removed
from office and other concessions Were
made to the Catholics. Finally, d1pio-
matte relations with the vatican We're
resumed, and the late Emperor Fred
erick. then crown prince, signalized the
restoration of a harmonious under
standing by visiting the pope at the
vatican. A still greater tribute was
paid by Germany to his holiness by her
selection of him as arbitrator In the
dispute with Spain regarding the Caro-
line islands, and her deferential accept
ance of his decision in favor of the
weaker power. His success in this arbl-
tration induced the pope to declare his
readiness to act as arbitrator in other
disputes for the benefit of the whole OF
and Christianity, but, for this.
his holiness declared it to be essential
that he should be restored his liberty
as an independent temporal sovereign
This demand, however. met with no re-
spouse, as far as foreigners were con-
and the hopes which had been
expressed in some quarters that the
German emperOr's visit to the pope in
1888 might lead to Germany advocating
the temporal claim of the holy see
were soon dissipated. The pope himself
in a letter to the German bishops de-
clared that he regarded the presence OF
Emperor William in Rome as the guest
of the quirinal as a "deplorable recog-
milton of accomplished facts"
THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE.
The interests of the triple alliance
were rot compatible with those of the
vatican, and even Catholic Austria
could not afford to offend Italy by
espousing the pope's cause, although
the Emperor Francis Joseph abstaine1
from visiting King Humbert in the city
Of Rome, and thereby openly recognized
the legality of the Italian occupa ton.
Perhaps the most remarkable fea-
ture of the late pope's policy was the
change in the attitude which the vat
lean hitherto preserved in regard to the
French reD-- bic.
At the beginning of Pope Leo's reign
the identification of the clergy with the
royalist movement had caused an an
tagOniSm to all that savored of religion
which at one time bid fair to lead to the
early separation of church and state in
France. Alive to the danger of the
situation, the pope sought to conciliate
the republic by acknowledging as the
esta blishment such a form of govern
ment and in 1891, the late Cardinal La
vigerie gave expression to his holiness
views on this subject to the great sur
prise of the Catholic press. While thus
engaged in political negotiations with
various countries requiring the greatest
address and dexterity, the late pope paid
special attention to the actual work of
such an extension for the church and
specially of English speaking countries.
AS an example of this may be cited the
pilgrimageS which came to
the external city from all parts of the
world, for instance at the time of the
celebration, December Is 1882. of the
priesthood. The Jubilee service in ST.
Peters on that occasion was attended
by fifty thousand persons. AT the mass
the pope used golden ever and basin
presented to him by the late Queen Vic
toria and wore a tiara given by the
emperor of Germany.
His holiness also wore a magnificent
diamond ring sent him by the sultan of
Turkey s a personal mark of his good
will and pleasure.
ENCYCLICAL ON AMERICANISM-