The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-05-21
The French Presidents Failure to See the
Pope Reduces the Influence Of
France in the East.
Germany Will, in Case of Break Between
Papacy and France, Take the
Latter's Place in Orient.

well, how does the account OF M.
Loubet's journey to Rome foot up?
OF what use has it been? At first sight
it looks as though the Quirinal were
reaping rich political harvest, says
the New York Sun. Is it not the first
time that the head of Catholic ma
tion visits in Rome the usurping gov
.ernment, which is called the House of
Savoy? Was not the object of the
Franco-Italian agreement, of which
the ascent to the capitol forms the
eliminating point, to give sanction
of legality to the residence of the two
powers together in Rome? And is
this not the ful6lment OF the dream of
the Quirinal repeatedly formed and re-
peatedly disappointed?
This first impression must be cor
rected by observing the real facts.
Doubtless Victor Emmanuel III. pre-
pared and made his trip around Eu-
rope with the object Of. obliging all
sovereigns to come to Rome. Francis
Joseph did not pass under these Cau-
dine Forks of Italian diplomacy, and
it was he that the king had especially
in view. The other Catholic sovereigns
initiated his noble example. But if
M. Loubet's journey is diplomatic
disobedience of the laws of etiquette
arranged by the Popes to preserve the
hostility of Italy and the Papacy be-
fore the powers, the Quirinal doesn't
gain from it the profit which it had
counted upon beforehand.
Although the republic has humiliat-
ed the Vatican and lost its ideal patri-
mony in the world, this visit adds moth
ing to the international power of the
House of Savoy nor to its power in
Italy. The precautions taken by the
Quai d'Orsay and M. Loubet not tc
give to the festivities an anti-papal
character caused this disappointment
to the unitarian government. Just be.
fore the journey the French diplomac,
was courteous enough to communicate
TO the Papal secretary of state the dec
1arations made by Quia d'Orsay to tht
fonsulta as to the proprieties and thu
character Of the voyage. In note sen
to M. Barrere, who conveyed it orall.
to Signor Tittoni, M. Delcasse forbad'
any demonstration contrary to th'
Vatican or to the feelings of Frencl
Catholics. He said that M. Loubet
representing neither majority nor
cabinet, could not permit the visit t.
have any influence on the relations o
the republic with the Papacy. If M
Combes is the head of the government
M. Loubet is the president of the ma
tion. Nothing is changed, therefore
there has been only one trip more.
The journey, blunder, may brin,
about results over which the Quirina
will have no reason to congratulate it
self. The inexorable logic of concret
situations seems to deduce from thi
episode an increase of anti-clericalisr
At AOAAS, SOO1AiiE VI lllC lCIdtlOll
with the Pope abroad, loss of mora
influence in the Orient and throughor
the world. Who knows? Time is
gentleman in France as in Italy. B
stepping into that terrible trap {
Rome, French diplomacy, if it doe
not intend to become the tool of ant
clericalism, must have found opportur
tiles for observation and reAectio,
The greed OF the Italians, the neigh
borhood OF Wilhelm H., returnin
from his pilgrimage to Sicily, hav
probably disclosed to M. Loubet an
M. Delcasse the value of the Pope
collaboration. If the king of Italy,
the Hohenzollern, set such a price O
the assistance of the Vatican as to sui
ordinate to it, the latter his Weltpc
1itik, the former his diplomatic polio
why should France give up the realit
for the shadow and abandon her cent,
ries old inheritance? In spite of til
despotic demands of internal polio,
the diplomacy of the Quai d'Orsa
ands itself in the presence of incalcul;
bic elements whose importance cal
for reparation of the blunder that ha