The Irish standard., 1903-08-01

Blessed Sacrament and kissed the
feet. l laid my pectoral cross on the
left foot as a pledge of fidelity and
prayer for perseverance in all l have
learned from Plus IN. We then went
across st. Peters to the Chapel of the
Choir The procession then went to
the Confession of st. Peter, and the
bier was lowered to the ground before
it. as ii to receive the blessing of st.
Peter on his successor Then it en-
tered the chapel, and the office was
said, and the Costa Phi IN. We're read
over the body; which was placed in
the coffin. and a cloth was laid over
the face by the Maggior Duomo, and
the coffin closed. The Sacred College
then retired, and the coffin was car
ried and deposited in the loculus over
the side door of the choir This was
our last function, and our last assist
ance rendered to Plus IN. We enter
ed the Concave, Monday, February
IS, at 4 o'clock. The Pope was elect
ed at 1920 to-day, February 20, 1878.
Two days ago came tidings of Car
dinal Franchis illness, yesterday of
his death about midnight on Wednes-
day. He had been four months Cardinal
Secretary Of State, the honorable and
legitimate end of his life Plus IN.
died on It'll of February: from that
| date till we entered the Conclave the
Sacred College sat day by day in the
Vatican. On the Wednesday i'll that
week, 18th February, Cardinal Monaco
said to me, that he thought we ought
to confer together as to whom we
should propose in the election. 1t was
then fixed that we should meet at Card
inal Bartolini's rooms on Friday eve
ming, 18th. There were present Cardin-
al Bartolim, Franchi, Bilio, Monaco,
Nina, and myself Cardinal Bartolini
proposed Cardinal Pecci's name, in
which we all cOncurred as the first
name. He then said for the second
there We're Cardinals Franchi, Bilio,
and Monaco. Monaco at once said
that he was impossible on account of
youth and want Of self-control. Bilio
said that if elected he would absolute
ly refuse, for reasons cognosciate ed
occulte He said that his character
was weak, that Plus IX had told him
so, and that he knew it; that he could
not stand up against opposition, and
that therefore he would never consent
to the election. He then proposed
Cardinal Franchi and Monaco
| objected that was habitually
strained and uncertain in his judy
ments, as they knew by being on Con-
grega lions with him. Bilio said that
he held it necessary in the present COIL
'tlict of the Church that the next Pope
should be a foreigner, and then sug-
gested myself. 1 then said that in my
Judgment, as they already knew,
| the next Pontiff must be italian in
blood and speech, and one who knows
| AND loves Italy, and is known and
loved by Italians. That the election of
a foreigner might lose Italy to the
| Holy See through political causes, as
England was lost in the sixteenth cen
fury. That the reconciliation of Italy
| with the Holy See is vital not only
| to Italy, but to the Catholic world.
That therefore this preliminary bar ex-
pressed that l had been SO domestic
ated in Rome as not to be Il foreigner,
said that though knew their langu-
age, 1 knew it we'll enough to know
that l do not know it we'll enough
to be responsible for government:
that never knew a foreigner know
England. and that 1 believed no
foreigner would know Rome suf-
| ticiently for such an office. Bilio
said that proved too much, that there
had been foreign Popes. 1 said: But
that was when Christendom was one,
and all Christian persons Catholic, and
Europe united and the Latin tongue
universal, and mtionalites only aris-
ing, and Catholic unity dominant over
ALL We then agreed OH Cardinal Pecci,
and undertook to speak to other Card
inals. l undertook the foreign car
dinals with Cardinal Howard, and
most of them were invited to vote for
Cardinal Pecci. 1 record this with Il
sldder interest at this moment when
Cardinal Frnnchi is gone.