The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-02
VIII Church and State he Rcconciled
in Italyo

The despatch from Rome which we
printed yesterday is of obvious interest
to the whole Catholic world Our cor
respondent has been informed on the
highest authority hat Pope Plus X.
and his Secretary of State, Cardinal
MERRY DEL VAL, have determined to in
troduce a radical change in the policy
Of the Vatican toward the civil power in
Italy. II this assurance be we'll founded,
and many recent incidents confirm it,
the upholders of tho established social
order in the peninsula will be immensely
strengthened. and We may DO sure that
tho royal Government will do every
thing in its power to satisfy the just
claims Of the Papaoy.
On the occupation of the Holy City by
Italian troops in the winter Of 1901,
the Government of VICTOR EMANUEL
strove to conciliate the head of the
Church by Offering to give rim every
assurance OF independence, except the
recognition Of his temporal authority
over any considerable section of Italian
territory. II promised that he should
be treated rs a sovereign within the
precincts Of the Vatican, and to COM
pensate him for the loss Of revenues
previously enjoyed the Italian Parlia-
ment voted him an annual grant of more
than 100000 The Papacy has hitherto
refused TO touch a penny Of the money,
but that statute has never been repealed,
and in the eyes of many Italian jurists
it is nice question Of law whether the
Pope might not at any moment demand
the arrears Of the subsidy, which now
would amount 10 vast sum- that, how
over could easily be raised 10y Il loan.
Simultaneously with his stern refusal
Of what he termed a bride for conniv-
ance in the spoliation of Peters patri-
mony PITS IL. issued TO faithful Catho-
lies the famous injunction non erpeda
10 the effect that j. was not expedent
for them TO seem to condone the wrong
done to the Church by taking part in
any parliamentary election held under
The regime OF the usurper That in
junction was solernnly reafiirned by
Pope LEO XIIT For more than thirty
wears il has been obeyed with the result
that the friendo of the existing social
system have been deplorably weakened
by the refusal of nearly one-half of the
registered electors to exercise the fran
chise. The control Of the Italian Par
lament had, up to the recent general
election, passed virtually into the hands
of advanced Radicals and Socialists.
Nowhere else in Europe have the doc
trines of KARL MARX exerted so much
influence on legislation, or constituted
so grave menace to existing social and
political institutions, as they lately have
in the kingdom of Italy.
We pointed out not long before the
late general election in Italy that it had
become a question Of vital moment TO
the Papacy to decide whether a con-
tinued enforcement of the injunction
non e1pedt would be consistent with
due regard for its own safety. Little
cause as has the Vatican to regard the
Quirinal with sympathy, it must recog-
nize that the ominous drift of events
has exposed them both to a common
bhlAktlf AOi ~ lAtlo btNll AdLklAl AlliN lil'lt
is something worse even than usurping
monarchy by the deadly assaults to
which the Catholic religion has been
and is being subjected in France at the
hands Of the Radical-Socialist party now
dominant in that country. Pope Plus
y would have shown himself but an in
competent pilot had he shut his eyes to
the warning given by the resolve OF
Premier CoMBEs 10 abolish the Concor-
dat between the French Republic and
the Papacy, the warning, namely, that
the aloofness which formerly seemed
,eXpedient had become 80 no longer, and
that the law pr self-preservation re-
CURED the Churb h and the monarchy.to
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