The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-29
SOUL OF POPE Leo
HAS MASS CELEBR ATED AT ROME
FOR ITS REPOSE.
WAS IN THE SISTlNE CHAPEL
THAT MANY DISTINGUISHED PER-
SONS GATHERED.

Grand Music Was "a Distinctive
Feature of the First of the Three
Requiem Masses Under the AUS
pieces of the Sacred COlIeEe-New
Ring to Replace the FishermaR's
Ring-COnVictiOn That the Con-
cIave Will BE short Is Growing.
Engagements for Three Days.
Rome, July 2S.-The first of the three
great requiem masses, under the aus
pices of the sacred college for the re-
pose of the soul of Pope Leo, was cele-
brated this morning in the Sistine
chapel. All the cardinals now in Rome,
the diplomatic corps. the Roman no
bility and many other distinguished
persons were present.
The intermingled uniforms of France
Russia, Prussia, Austria, Spain, Bel
GUM, Portugal, Brazil, Chill Colombia,
Guatemala and Bavaria formed a vivid
contrast with the simple evening dress
of the Roman princes and Grape wells
and black dresses of the princesses,
who sat directly across the aisle. In
addition, two galleries had been
erected.
In the gallery on the left were about
hundred ladies, all in deep black.
In the right gallery were the special
missions, among them being'Sir Thorn
as Esmonde and Capt. Donelan, rep
resenting the Irish parliamentary par
ty. Beneath the galleries the priests
and laymen who had been fortunate
enough to secure tickets, but who were
not distinguished enough for special
places, were packed in dim seclusion.
Swiss and Noble Guards, chamberlains
and other Vatican officials lined the
aisle. Michael Angeles frescoes on
ceiling and walls seemed merely faint
reflections of the brilliant maze of color
that stretched below from door to al
| tar.
Choir Was MntchIess.
The Able Perosi. Italy's famous ora
! torio composer, waved his baton, and
the silence was broken with the notes
of the Dies Irae Those who know the
| Vatican we'll say the matchless Sis
tine choir never sang as it did to-day.
| Through the historic chapel the voices
| of boys and men rose and fell and
| swelled triumphantly as ii with songs
| of paradise, the voices dying away al
I most to a whisper at the mention of
death. Even. the cardinals sat spell
bound at this perfection of the Gre
gorian chant. Not a note of instrument
tai music was heard throughout the
mass.
AT the altar Cardinal Serafino Van
nutelli was assisted by Cardinals Agli-
ardi, Vincenzo Vannutelli, Satalli and
Richard, wearing white mitres and
glistening vestments.
AS the fifty cardinals and fifty con-
clavists gathd,ed around the cata-
falque and alternately knelt and rose,
their movements resembled an amaz-
ing kaleidoscope of crimson and vio-
let, with colors so bright as to be al
most binding to the eyes.
AT the conclusion of the mass the
choir again burst into song, and Car
dnal Serafino Vannutelli, preceded by
the cross bearer, passed solemnly
around the catafalque, after sprink-
ling it with holy water. Each of the
officiating cardinals followed in turn,
and the ceremony was concluded with
the chanting of the Oremus
1t was after midday when Cardinal
Vannutelli pronounced the final abso-
luton.
One of the Guards overcome.
During the ceremony one of the no.
BILE guards on duty beside the catafal-
que was overcome by the heat and had
to be led out. Another guardsman
instantly took his place.
To-days meeting of the Congrega-
ton of Cardinals was very short After
an exchange of views on current af-
fairs, Mgr. Del Val, secretary of the
Consistorial Congregation, gave each
cardinal a diagram, showing where mis-
apartments in the Vatican will be To-
Gated during the conclave.
The Tribuna says that as the fisher
mans ring, which could not be found
after the death of the Pope, may be
discovered in some drawer which was
sealed up and cannot be opened until
after the election of the new Pope, the
camerlingo, Cardinal Oreglia, has or
dered a new enc for use in the SYM
bolic ceremony, which occurs immedi-
ately after the successor to Leo is
chosen.
The member of the noble guard who
was overcome during the requiem mass
in the Sistine Chapel this morning
while on duty beside the catafalque.
was Count Stampa, who was few
days ago placed under arrest for feign-
ing illness. To-day he had a slight at
tack of syncope.
Factions Getting Together.
That there is a conviction at the
Vatican that the conclave will be of
short duration is proved by the fact
that all those who are to enter the
conclave to minister to the wants of
the cardinals have been engaged for
July, three days. The two camps. into
which the Sacred College is divided,
appear to be becoming daily more ir-
reconcilabie and it is said that the
anti-Rampolla faction has declared
that, if necessary to defeat the oppo-
sition, they will even go to the length
of supporting a foreign cardinal. The
name of Cardinal Kopp, Bishop of
Breslau, was mentioned in this con-
pection, but was hardly considered Sc
riously, owing to the belief that under
present conditions the elevation of a
German to the Papacy might mean the
irreparable loss of France to the holy
see.