The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-31
CAMERLENGO'S POWER.
An Impressive Figurehead for Nine
Days Interregnum.


New York Times
AS the provincial head of the Catholic
Church. the world to-day looks TO Louis
Oreglia di Santo Stefano- For nine days TO
come, and during whatever time the con-
clave might be i'm session. he is 10 be the
directing instrument by which the laws OF
the church. governing the proceedings of
the minutest detail, should be complied
with. Within the prescribed limits his
power of enforcing the laws is absolute.
At ceremonies he is TO be the chief figure.
1t is he who will preside over the conciave.
count the ballots cast there, and announce
the result Finally he will clothe the new
Pope in the robes OF Office at the meeting
of the cardinals. and then. as a mark OF
his return to the accustomed ways OF life.
first make obeisance to the new head Of
the church.
In all this there is the appearance OF
| power, as in any ceremonial when the at
tention is concentrated upon a single indi-
vidual as representing great organization
But it is an appearance only. Frvm the
| first act to the last there is requirement
laid down. and it is not the Office OF the
Camerlengo to conduct funeral and the
conclave that have been appointed for such
/
servances of those nine days are the OBJ
servances that have marked the passing OF
| other PopeS and surely nine days ruler
| may not depart from them. In the con-
| cave ID is possible that change may be in
troduced. but this change Is only at the
direction of the Pope who is dead. and the
possibility OF its Introduction Is determined
| when the seal is broken on his private pa
pers.
Such, then is the first Limitation of the
power of Cardinal Oreglia. Camerlengo
4 of ne whom
| the world looks as head OF the Cathonc
| Church. There is another limitation or
| more farreaching Importance, that comes
| through the lapse OF papal appointments IN
| the College of the Cardinals. In effect. the
| activities of the various congregations or
| departments are suspended from the time
| one Pope dies until another is appointed.
| unless some emergency arises In that case
| IL is the entire college, acting a deib-
| erauve Dody, ana not the Cameriehso.
| that determines policy and arranges Tor
| its execution.
The Camerlengo therefore, is a great
| figurehead, impressive because of the
| ganization he represents. but fgurehead
| nevertheless, brought into little power
| for a little time, when 10 pass back into the
| ranks to AXE up whatever work may be
assigned. by the real head of the church, a
new Pope.
1t happens that in the present instance
this figurehead is both impressive and pic
| turesque, and is made the more picturesque
| by a combination of circumstances with his
| own personality. When Joachim Pecci was
1
| the death of Pope Plus TX. Oreglia was an
| open partisan of Cardinal Billot. This
! because Oreglia and Pecci stood for radi-
cally different conceptions of things i'm gen.
eral Both, to be sure, were of gentle birth.
| Both were of scholarly attachments and
| possessed of education that their birth
| accorded them, and which differed some
what in that country. from the education
| attainable by one of lower antecedents. But
| Oreglia and Pecci had accumulated differ
| ent standards. The one was a patrician OF
| believing
in the precedence OF class; the other, IL
not then actually democratic. at least of
| democratic tendencies that would develop
with the years of his long pontificate. Greg
liza was a conservative of the conserya-
| tives. reactionary, almost; Pecci was a
| liberal and most progressive.
Oreglia, eighteen years the junior of Pope
| Leo had been cardinal for five years when
| the other. in the twenty-ffth year of his
| membership in the college, became the sue
| cessor of st. Peter. Pecci had been identi-
fed with important events; Oreglia, then
one OF the younger cardinals, with none
SUCH Therefore, bearing in mind the diff
ferences in temperament. IL is easy TO un-
derstand why in the subsequent activity OF
Leo Oregli should have been but small part.
The result was that after the election
Oreglia retired to his study, appearing in
public only the most important occa-
sions and when II was necessary for him
to appear in connection with his personal
| appointments, first as bishop OF Palestrina,
then as Bishop of Porto and Santa Ruhna,
and later as Bishop Of Ostia and Velletri.
celor of the Roman University and project
| of the Congregation of Ceremonies-both
positions fitted to his personality and at
tainments in a reign such as that OF Leo
XIII.
He went seldom to the Vatican. and il
was this fact that gave rise. a. few years
ago, to the famous story attaching TO his
visit when an operation was performed on
Pope Leo and the pontif's life was held as
in balance. Then Oregla was summoned.
that he might be on hand 10 perform his
| mn a { In ma
Pope should die. and the story went out
that he came into the apartments adjoining
traditional silver hammer with which ne
was to strike the forehead of the dead Pooe
when calling him by name.
| II was said that when Leo, recovering
| heard of the incident the feeling that had
existed between him and Oreglia became
intensified, but little credence is given the
tale, for the double reason that the silver
hammer which Oreglia might have used in
the ceremony remained always In the
Vatican, and that no cardinal. no matter
| what his feeling, would allow himself TO be
| guilty of discourtesy 10 a dying Pope.
Another story Of Oreglia comes with more
claim TO belief That is that when news
was brought him OF Leo's recovery from
| the operation he exclaimed:
when we elected him we thought that
we were choosing holy father. but it ap-
pears that We chose an eternal father"
Personally Cardinal Oreglia is exactly
what imagination would picture him. Tall
and bent by his seventy-five years. his lean
|
celtic. In facial appearance the picture is
carried out Said one who not long ago
met Oreglia and dined at the cardinal !
house:
HE is every bit the patrician. Published
prints Of his face hardly do him Justice
A high forehead. even before age made IL
bald, combines with his deep set eyes and
the fine lines of his lower face TO convey
the impression of man austere OF the ut
most piety. of great learning. deepest con-
servatism, but withal perfect gentleman
OF the old school.
when L dined with Cardinal Oreglia,
found him charming in conversation and
most interested in America and America
things, although his standpoint was very
: different from that OF the holy father He
. is in brief, the recluse, the student who
finding his ideas Of the old-time church.
J manship out of tune with views of more
. modern thought, withdrew from the world
! although he watched closely its course only
! to emerge, when his solemn Office called
him for little time into the light Thai
, Office performed he will return again. and
people will forget about him. as he lac
doubt desires"