The Irish standard., 1903-09-12
Catholic Countries Will Not Permit Him
to Become Subject to Italy or
to Any Other Country.
Italy Like Other Nations Accords Him
First Rank and Precedence Over
Its Hereditary Ruler.

"1'hc position Of the pope in the law
of nations is Il peculiar one. AS SOW
creign head of the church and fore
most Of Catholic monarchs he is above
all law, vet his position is ut once
guaranteed by the laws Of nations and
by the king and people of Italy" says
the Chicago Chronicle.
10 explain this fully we will have
to go back to the times when Rome
and the Roman provinces, otherwise
the states of the church, did not vet
constitute an integral part OF the king
dom of Italy AS long as the pope
remained worldly sovereign there
could he no doubt of his position in
the European concert. The law Of
nations protected him and his rights
as it does those of the emperors Of
Austria and Germany, for instance.
But these latter monarchs are able to
back up their will and prcrogativcs by
armies and navics, Il thing the pope
has been unable to do for centuries
past. The pope, then, was in reality
not power as Il sovereign monarch
-"thc last of the kings" Mommsen
once called llim-but only the supreme
head of religious society with mil
lions of adhcrents in all parts of the
world. The Catholic church is an in
ternatiOnal institution, governed to a
certain extent by the laws of nations
The exceptional position guaranteed to
| papal ambassadors before ana after
| 1870 proved that. Then, as now, they
| had and have precedence over all other
| ambassadors; even the imperial am
hassadOrs of countries like Russia,
that are opposed to the Catholic
church, must give way to them. Be-
fore 1870 they represented the interest
of the states of the church as well as
the church itself. AS ambassadors of
n worldly kingdom they would have
ranked with the minister Of some
small German prince, yet the proudcst
Wears Of "Christs vicar on earth"
And so it is today, when the sue.
ccssor of st. Peter, prince of apostles
is no longer a mundane sovereign. Tho
dual capacity of king OF Rome and
head of the church was virtually IL.
norcd in oldcn days, the pope passing
as what lie was and is, emperor of the
Catholic world. AS such the laws OF
nations extended him every protection
and guaranteed his rights and priv
lcgcs for all time. When, however, in
September, 1870, the last remnants OF
the papal states were annexed by the
kingdom of Italy, the situation chang
ed, but for moment only. Italy was
Informed by the emperor of Austria
and other Catholic monarchs that the
loss of Rome must not mean loss of
personal sovereignty, and that the
popc's position under the laws of ma
tons permitted of no change.
Italy hastcncd to assure his majesty
of Austria and the representatives OF
Spain and France that it never haG
any intention of curtailing the popc's
personal power and that a modus viz
cndi, pleasing to all concerned, would
be found. In making these conces
sions the victor saved itself the great
est possible complications, for tho
Catholic church is c-emincntly inter
national in character and the various
governments having Catholic subjects
must necessarily insist upon the popc's
mundane and spiritual independence
They cannot permit him to become
subject to the state of Italy, or to any
other country for that matter. Theil
own interests demand that the pope
exercise his high office without inter
ference or hindrance from anyone.
At that moment international actor
would have been in order, but, strange
to say, the powers took no steps what
ever to assert their own and theil
cO-soverign's rights.
In the order of things they ought tc
have called n congress to stipulate the
pope's rights and privileges before the
law of nations, but fear Of embroiline
themselves In one way or another