The Irish standard., 1903-03-07

be required for the solution or tnlS
great question; but the Papacy has
the patience of an eternal institution"
Some day, sooner or later, the world
will again see the Pope in undsputed
possession of his civil princedom, and
Rome once more the free, internation-
al city of the Christian world.
The name and the memory of Pope
Leo NH. will be cherished by future
generations as one of the most il
lustrious characters of the ninteenth
century. The century has been en-
riched by his distinguished services.
He has had Il marvellous career. He
has been Il luminous star in an age
of wonderful intellectual activity. His
singleness of purpose and sanity life
mark him as an illustrious churclman.
His keen discernment, s;lgacious judg-
ment, and courtly grace, distinguish
him among statesmen, and have won
for him the admiration of the most
clever diplomats of the past half-cen-
tury. posterity will remember him as
one of the greatest Pontiffs who has
ever sat in the chair of Peter.
In rude and barbarous age, the
sovereignty of the papacy was the
terror of tyrlnts and the hope OF the
depressed. The authority of the spirit
llal father of the Christian world up
held the sacred principles of liberty,
truth and justice, when lust OF prin-
ces, the ambition of kings and the
greed of monarchs menaced the peace
and the happiness of mankind. The
authority of the papacy protected the
s;,nctity of the home, the weakness of
woman, the rights of the people
against the cupidity of feudal lords.
This could never have been accom-
plished if the Pope We're the subject
) of any civil government Oh earth.
! The civil Independence of the Papacy,
under the providence of God, secured
Church, and saved for the Doth cen
: tury our Christian civilization. This
civil independence, to be secure and
inviolabe, must not be the outcome
of any law of guarantees, enacted by
! any national Parliament, above all
j. must not be the concession of an Ita
l liam Parliament but it must be the
Q recognized. normal prerogative of the
: spiritual kingdom of Christ safe
: guarded by the public conscience Of
: the world, and protected against as
d sault and invasion by international
e agreement. Pope Leo MIL, i'll his
:, stubborn resistance to the encroach-
e ment of the Italian government upon
II the inherent rights of the Papacy.
l. should not he censured as an enemy of
l. human progress. or condemned as at
II tempting to suppress the patriotic as
y pir,tions of IL united Italy. Leo loves
Y liberty, Leo loves the fair land of his
II forefathers, Leo is in generous SYM
pathy with the honest aims of enlight.
W ened statesmen to enlarge the OppOr.
le tunities and to improve the material
o. and social condition Of the masses OF
,f the people. Like his divine Master
H. he has compassion on the multitude
ly But Leo is responsible to the great
C. Shepherd of souls who confided to the
o. Papal office the care of His spiritua
le kingdom, and Leo must defend it!
he rights. protect it's freedom and guart
IS it's liberties against all the designs o
| will
a
- be true to his trust. He will defent
60 the divine right of the Church to it
to inlepe, ~ by insisting
l! upon II. of til
" Papacy. =,