The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-05
Pope Plus K.

/ Cardinal Sarto was a compromise candl-
date. A man Of exemplary piety ana at
tending sedulously to the manifold duties
of his archdiocese of Venice, he has never
been known to take any aggressive stand,
but has played the role Of a peacemaker
when burning questions come up. When
the late King Humbert visited Venice,
sarto paid him a state visit, altho the
vatican had sent hint that such courtesy
to the House Of Savoy would not be ao-
ceptable to the pope, who left the determi-
nation to the archbishop himself. Sarto
presents the record Of a good mans life.
He has attended strictly to his ecclesiasti-
cal duties and has developed no strong In
dication of policy as Roman pontifr. His
emotion upon announcing his acceptance
OF the result Of the election indicates his
deep appreciation Of the vast responsible
ties Of the office, especially at this time,
when the new and burning questions con-
tinually coming up for solution, which vi
tally concern the functions of the church,
make continuance of the policy of self
effacement and abstention on the part Of
the pope most injudicious and inimical to
the best interests Of the Roman church.
The dogma of papal infallibility imposes a
tremendous weight of responsibility upon
the pontiff. AS Bellarmin, before the for
NAL announcement of the dogma in 1870,
explained it: 1.-THE language of the church,
il e., Of the council, or of the pope when
speaking from the chair, is not the Ian
guage Of man, !. e., language liable to er-
ror, but rather the language of God"
There is no doubt that Sarto fully ap
preciates the peculiar relations of the Ital-
ian government and the vatican; the
change which the growing spirit of ma
tionalism has wrought in Europe, bringing
about the uni1cation Of Italy under the
house of Savoy -Carignan, followed surely
by the absorption of the papal territory
So is threatened the disintegration Of Aus
Magyar elements. The new pope is more
likely from his antecedents as one outside
the intrigues and factions Of Rome, to leaG
the church further along the way Of prog
ress 1Iian Leo XIII. did.
The first step the new pope took
AA>
Intended to assert his prerogative yer!
strongly. Like Leo XIII. he started for tn
balcony on the outside of the west from
of St. Peters there to confer the tradi
tional benediction upon the people in thu
square below and upon the world, but tn
program was changed and, as in the cas-
of Leo, Plus x. gave the benedic
f,,nr, tho tr41 ho1n
ing down into the church. Yesterda.
the great crowd thought the new pop
would return to the old custom and bles
from the outside balcony. They cheere'
loudly when under that impression Wha
a mistake to try to keep up the fiction o
Imprisonment in the vatican! What ad
vantage Is it to the vatican to omit tn
ancient benediction, urbi ct orgi, from tn
outside balcony of the great cathedral?
Under the law Of papal guarantees tn
pope Is protected by the Italian govern
ment in the exercise Of all his spiritus
functions In all the great religious func
lions. under the late pope, which brough
hundreds Of thousands of pilgrims to tn
basilica Of st. Peters from the Who'll
4AfdOAIdoiC 5lOOo, lAlci Lids UeSll liO lstCh 7
protection from the Italian government
The pontiff has spoken more emphaticall
and incisively to the world on live ethics
subjects, on religion, marriage, labor, sc
cialisrn, etc, than has any pontiff of tn
past hundred years.
If the new pope would exercise the full
ness of the influence of the Roma
church upon the world, he WILL as LIE
was, be faithful champion of labor with
4 it's legitimate rights, Of the betterment \
labor conditions, of all needed social n
forms, etc. He will take up the cause
the people who are struggling to-de
against manifold forms Of oppression ar
vice. Still the vatican and the Quirin
are yet far apart.
The vatican opposes the Quirinal as Il
great usurper and oppressor Of the :churc
the robber of its 10000 square miles Of te
ritory In Italy. The italian governmer
with 80 per cent Of the Italian people, no
that a United Italy is dearer to the Itans
heart than anything else, and bisect
and disintegrated Italy they will have no.
Of No compromise seems possible.
An Insignificant little piece Of wild lal
Is sometimes very important to nation
Because the northern point Of Mai
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