The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-05
THE POPE AND THE UNITED STATES.

The Catholic population of the United
States is SO large that IL is of some impor-
lance that the head of the church should
have an intelligent understanding of the
government and sympathy with its funda-
mental principles. An occasion might arise,
though the prospect is rather remote, in
which the influence of the Pope would be
potential in the cause of law and order. On
some former occasions the government has
tried to avail itself of this influence though
not through the Pope. During the Mexican
war President Polk asked Archbishop
Hughes. of New York, TO accept an unoff-
cial mission to Mexico. where it was be-
lieyed his influence with the clergy might
promote the conclusion of peace. but he
declined the mission. During the civil war,
in which the archbishop was a strong friend
tary Seward both sought his advice In GER
tain matters. and at their request he Wis
tied Europe in 1861 to exert his personal in
fiuence in Catholic countries in favor of the
Union cause. 1t may have been partly due
to his visit that Pope Plus TX in October,
1862. addressed a letter to Archbishop
Hughes in which he deprecated the war and
urged the archbishop to do all in his power
Ito conciliate the minds of the combatants.
pacify, reconcile and bring back the desired
tranquility and peace" The letter did not
contain anything to indicate that the Pope
understood the nature of the contest or that
he sympathized with either party TO 1t. A
cirrniIa loffa al IN he
bishop Of New Orleans and by him pre-
scented to jefferson Davis, who sent a reply
in which he assured the Pope that I'VE
have ever addressed prayers to heaven for
that issue which your Holiness now desires.
We fight merely to resist the devastation
of our country and the shedding of our best
blood. and to force them to let live in
peace under the protection of own in
stitutions and under our laws which not
only insure to every one the enjoyment of
his temporal rights, but also the free exer-
else of his religion To this letter the
Pope sent very friendly reply in which he
addressed Davis as "illustrious and honor
able President" and expressed a desire for
his perfect friendship The letter showed
no appreciation Oh the true SITUATION, anu
there a general feeling in the North
that the Pope had been too careful not to
show any sympathy with the Union cause
or the established government. 1t is quite
possible that he knew very little about the
merits of the controversy.
Leo XIII was more advanced and more
liberal than Plus TX. He understood the
government and people of this country
much better than his predecessor did, and
had more sympathy with them. He re-
garded the government as liberal and just
in its dealings with religious questions and
in the separation of church and state, and
he found the constitutional guarantee of
the equality of all churches before the law
ample security for the greatest activity and
expansion of the Catholic Church. II the
civil war had occurred during his reign it
is believed he would have declared in favor
of maintaining the government and that he
would not have carried on friendly cor
respondence with the leader of the rebel
lion. There is reason to believe-at least we
may be permitted to hope-that the new
Pope will be found as friendly to the United
States as his immediate predecessor was.