The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-08-08

sake. For three centuries his success
sor received this inheritance.
Ffom the source already referred to,
namely. the generosity Of the faithful,
the treasury of the church was replen-
ished and augmented to such an extent
as to enable the supreme pontiff to aid
poor missionary priests in extending the
Gospel and supply the wants of many
poor families.
Pope Cornelius already referred to as
the successful defender of the papacy
against the claims Of Novatian, in a
letter to the bishops of Antioch makes
clear TO what use the funds of the
church were devoted. After enumerat-
ing the number Of ecclesiastics in Rome
who were dependent on the common
fund entrusted to his charge, he stated
that there were 'one thousand five nun-
dred widows. with Other afflicted and
distressed persons-to all Of whom the
grace and bounty OF the Lord furnished
support"
Origin of the Temporal Power.
Up to the reign of Constantine the
patrimony of Peter consisted merely
Of the aims Of the faithful. After the
conversion Of the Emperor Constantine
he bestowed on the Bishop of Rome GER
tain possessions to enable him to carry
out the sphere of his labors to pagan
countries. These possessions were in
creased by Constan1lne's successors. De
Maitre, a writer of deep research, gives
an assurance that the donation by Con-
stantine TO the Holy See is an assured
fact and Voltaire, after enumerating
his specific gifts 10 the cathedral
church of st. john wrote: ''The bish-
ops Of Rome stood in need of it. The
missionaries whom they sent to pagan
Europe, the eXiled bishops to whom
they afforded refuge, the poor whom
they fed, put them rrder the necessity
OF being very wealthy" Fleury, re-
cording the events of this period, SAID
that lit is apparent that Constantine
gave to the baptistry of st. John of
Lateran, which is attached to the
Constantine basilic, so many houses
and farms, not only in Italy, but like
wise in Sicily, Africa and Greece, that
the annual revenue amounted to so, 394
marks of gold"
The change Of the seat of the en-
pire to the east necessitated the inter-
ference Of the Bishop of Rome in secu-
lar matters at times. During the ponti-
ficate of Leo the Great, when asked by
the Emperor Aarcian to preside over a
very uncertain state of affairs at pres
ent does not allow me to withdraw
from the population of this city, since
the minds which are agitated would be
cast into despair, We're to quit the
country and the Apostolic See for a
cause of an ecclesiastical nature" His |
fears were not unfounded. for soon
after he had to face the northern bar |
barians who came to pillage, rob and |
destroy. 1T was Leo who met Atilla. |
termed "the scourge of Cod with his |
half million Huns, outside the walls OF /
Rome, and disarmed him, not by sword, |
but by his gentle eloquenee. Two years /
later he performed the same office with /
Genseric, who led the Vandals and
Moors to the gates of Rome They |
pillaged the city, but Leos appeal for
mercy saved the citizens from being
Though not temporal |
ruler Leo exercised civil authority for
The protection of his spiritual children.
Leo died in 461
A century and half later, Pope Greg
ory the Great by his humane and Just
treatment of all who were dependent
on the Holy See, won for him the af-
fection and good will of all his spiritual
children. Writing of his Justice and
cised. Guizot said: "It is easy to un-
derstand why people were at that time
eager to place themselves under the
dominion of the church; lay proprie-
tors were certainly far from showing
like solicitude for the well-being of the
occupants of their domains" To this
testimony of righteousness may be
added that of Gibbon in his Decline
and Fall Of the Roman Empire
where he says: In the use of wealth
he Gregory acted like a faithful stew
ard Of the church and the poor. and
literally applied to their wants the in
eXhaustible resources of abstinence and
order."
During the pontifcate of Gregory.
which lasted from 59O to 604 we find
he first exercise of civil authority. yet
le always acknowledged his depend
nee on the empire. and gave to Cae- /
TAR his just dues. Gibbon gives an eX-
lct and correct account of the Pope's j
sovereignty, and mis- exercise of civil j
uthority in the work already referred
o where he says: by the necessity ]
# their situation. the inhabitants of !
Rome were cast into a rough mould of ]
epublican government; they were COM {
'elled to elect some judge in peace 7
nd some leaders in war; the mobiles {
ssembled to deliberate. and their re- |
Olives could be executed without the {
nion and consent of the multitude.
he want OF laws could only be sup
lied by the influence of religion. and
heir foreign and domestic councils f
'ere moderated by he authority of the i
ishOp. His aims, his sermons, his cor
espondence with the kings and prel-
tes of the west. his recent services. @
heir gratitude and oath. accustomed a
he Romans to consider him as the a
rst magistrate, or prince, Of the city. h
Their face and inscription are V
tin apparent on the most ancient s
Dins. Their temporal dominion is now O
by the reverence of a thou
and years, and their noblest title is I
ne free choice Of a people whom they
ad redeemed from slavery" O
Thse tempralities, which for so t
ing a period included Rome and the
tates of the Church. are now confined
the gardens of the vatican. Here S
go XIII spent all lis time, and as d
lear of Christ. free from all civil au- a
lerity, performing his divine mission s.
5, prisoner, yet Independent of all n
vii government, even that of Rome. s.
is successor is prepared to follow in e
IS footsteps, unless Providence should I
terVene and restore to him the pat d
mOny of Peter u