The Irish standard., 1904-12-17
in which 1 said that despite my signed
permission from the Holy Father I WAS

examine the papers 1 wanted to see
Merry del Val read this letter to Leo
The following day got Il message that
the Pope wanted to see me at once.
81 went to his apartment, and when
I entered his presence he came toware
me and taking me by my cowl shook
it nervously. saying at the same time
in an angered tone:
"'Abbot, why do you get angry Il
the Holy Father? Don't you know
that no one should ever become angry
with the Pope?'
Here was my chance, and thinking
1 might just us we'll be reprimandei!
for a severe offense as a triife | said:
":I have been ordered to do this
work by you and cannot carry it out
without certain documents in the Holy
Office: and, Notwithstanding your APP
probation, am unable to get these
essential Materials
"The Pope laughed outright, and
walking from his seat to the extreme
corner of the room he drew aside Il
tapestry. revealing a large box con-
timing the documents. Still holding
the tapestry with his left hand, he di-
rectcd my attention to the box with
his right. saying at the same time:
"'You shall have this room to your
self and can work undisturbed, taking
YOUR own time in doing the work |
have commissioned you to do. When
YOU have finished bring the key OF this
room to the cardinal secretary of state.
"The very next morning I began
work. l was surprised to find upon
the top of the box of documents the
signed order from the Pope to Mgr
Segur on which was written diagonal
ly across it, the reasons why l should
not have access to these documents.
One cam see that my constant going to
the Holy Office brought the matter
directly to the Pope, who in his final
order to have the documents brought
directly to him, again marked his ~.
X as you would say in America, on
my privilege to examine them.
MY first step in the investigation
brought me to the secretariat of bulls.
Tsupposed that the question of the val
idity of the orders must have come W
shortly after the break with Rome,
and so l began to examine the poll-
titicnl bulls of Plus ".
II found tifty-two volumes of bulls
After reading carefully five volumes.
became curious to know what was in
the last one just as one might look at
the last chapter of Il novel. Then, too
| thought that by working from both
ends of the fifty-two volumes | might
chance on the particular one | desired
more quickly.
Il took up the fifty second volume
and when half way through it I found
the bull of Plus IN treAt ting of .Angli-
can orders. In this document tive
classes of ministers are very clearly
distinguished In the first class are
those who were ordained according tc
the old Catholic ordinal, then lapset
into hercsv, and again returned to com
munion With Rome. The orders OF
such ministers We're not renewed.
.In the second class are those who
received orders in hercsy. When sucl
ministers applied for admission into
the priesthood of Rome their orders
were conferred from the beginning.
Now document Of such Importance
naturally suggested that there mus
be other papers bearing on the same
subject. / went to the secretariat o
BRIEFS There l found Il pontifca
brief of Plus " explaining still fur
Their the principles laid down in thu
bull. From here l went to the gen
eral archives of the Vatican and ther'
discovered three sets of documents
of the same period.
''In the first set was series of ques
lions proposed by the Holy See TO
settlement; in the second set thes
same questions were put in the regula
form for use with the congregations
and in the third set these same ques
lions were found with their answers
and in every case Il distinction wa
made.
earned with these five documents
came to Leo He was delighted an
kept them all, while waited furthe
orders from him.
"a few days later the Rev. Fathe
Brandt, the Jesuit editor of the Civilt
Cattolica, had an audience with tn
Pope, who was still joyful over hi
discovery He showed them to til
learned Jesuit in his moment of happ
ness, and Father Brandt, with hi
newspaper instinct, obtained thcl
long enough to publish them in hi
next issue.
'"rhe news was at once cabled t
London and the editor of one of til
leading London dailies, commentin
upon the important discovery, said tina
while the bull of Plus Nv was undoub
edly an important discovery, still
never had been promulgated, for if
had it would have been found, not /
the secret archives Of the Vatican, BIT
in some of the archives of London {
p, olcowl,a,.o