The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-07-23

Une ltal1an government
Rome, July 90, 2.4i p m.-The
Pope's death occurred at 100. As ht
lay dying the penitentiaries gathered
about the prelate's bedside recitinf
prayer, intercediug for the soul of the
passing Christian and quoted verses
from the Gospels giving the story of
Christ's passion, this last as his heart
finally stopped beating.
The chronology of Pope Leo XIII is
published below. An amplifcation OF
the events there noted would show
that His Holiness, ordained priest in
1887, oonseorated an archbishop in
1S43, sixty years ago, before the larger
part of this nation was born, created
a cardinal in 1853 and raised to the
chair of Peter in 1878, was person
age whose birth and eminent career
began far back in the times of the last
century. OF the 260 Popes few have
exerted a wider and more beneficial
| influence on the social, the political
and the religious world than the Pom.
! tiff who has just been called to render
an account of his stewardship. He was
a consummate statesman as we'll as an
enlightened churchman.
Only two Popes have exceeded Leo
in longevity, and only three have
ruled the church over whose complex
and far reaching organization he pre-
sided, for longer period, namely {:
Saint Peter, Plus VII, and Plus TX.
He assumed the pontifcate in the 6Sth
year Of his age, prelate of notable
distinction and experience, whose
strength of character, and whose judg-
ment, energy and piety had been bril-
liantly exhibited through forty years
of career as provincial governor
nuncio to Belgium, bishop of Perugia
and cardinal, acting as head Of the
church in temporal matters, in his
capacity of carmerlengo, after the
death of Plus TX and before the cleo
ton of his successor.
He was born of powerful family in
the diocese of Anagni, already famous
as the birthplace of four Popes. His
family had itself given three prelates
to the Church. When sent to Rome
for his studies he was so frail his
early death was anticipated. After
his ordination as priest he was APP
pointed one of the chaplains to Pope
Gregory, and year later was sent to
govern the troublesome province of
Benevento. This important mission
first disclosed the ability, energy and
prudence which increased as response
bilities grew along the line of his sue
cessive preferment. 1t was logical
progression toward the loftiest dignity
in the gift of the Church.
Created cardinal twenty four years
later he succeeded Cardinal de Angels
as carmerlengo, or high chamberlain
of the Roman Church, in which office
he displayed q consistently progressive
firmness and activity During his
career as cardinal he became by de-
grees a papal possibility, whose Gull
mination was the election in 1878 of |
Leo XIII, as the candidate of the |
Moderate Party" of the Sacred Col
lege as result of the third ballot. |
1t was soon seen that simplicity and |
of living enabled Leo XIII |
to husband his strength and to ac-
complish an amount of work devolv- |
ing on the head of the Church which
to men of far greater physical strength
would have seemed appalling, and that
more than this an indomitable spirit
burned within a fragile shell of a
body.
AS papal nuncio at Brussels the
mind of a statesman had been Guilt
waited and important questions of dip.
lomacy and statecraft were met and
solved from the beginning of the pom
tifcate till Europe came to acknow-
ledge that for many decades no head
so wise as that of Leo XIII had worn
the triple crown and that, excepting
Bismarck, no layman in Europe had
shown such skill in the most delicate
diplomatic negotiations
In respect of his relations with the
Italian government, which had de-
prived the Pope of his temporal
power, Leo was pleased to regard him
self as the prisoner of the Vatican,
yet he lived to see the prestige of the
papacy in the civilized world greater
than during any other period of the
nineteenth century.
With the passing of Leo XIII disap.
pears the last of trio of aged men of
such commanding stature that like
Saul of Tarsus they tower above all
heir associates, yet neither Bismarck
lor Gladstone made so wonderful an
IMPRESSION upon the times of the nine
zenith century as the Pope whose
ieath is announced today.
Subjoined is the record of the lead