The San Francisco call., 1908-08-02

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FORM ROMAN CURIA
The offices. or official bureau, for
the administrative work of the holy
see are the apostolic cacelleria, the
apostolic detaria, the apostolic camera,
the secretariate of state and the Sec
retariates of briefs to princes and of
Latin letters.
These congregations, tribunals and
offices constitute the Roman curia The
secretary Of state will be, in a vast
number of cases, the channel of com
munication with the various congre-
cations.
1t is provided that "for the future in
all apostolic letters sent either by the
cancelleria or by the dataria the be-
ginning shall be taken not from the
day of the incarnation of our Lord, that
is. from March 20, but from the 1st of
January"
1t is thought that the new code of
Plus Y, of which the recent legislation
on matrimony and the present apostolic
constitution form part. will be pro-
mulgated in about two years and a
half The present constitution upon
the sacred congregations goes into ef-
feet on November 8, 1908.
CARDINALS PREPARE REFORM
All the preparatory work for the
great reform has been done by Cardi-
nails Wives Tuto, Gasparri and De Lai
three of the youngest. most learned and
indefatigable members of the sacred
college. and all of them deeply versed
in the working OF the Roman curia
They were aided by a small body Of
prelates who hold Offices in the various
congregations
Cardinal Gasparri completed his
studies In the Roman seminary where
he rounded off a brilliant course by
taking the three doctorates of philoso-
ply, theology and canon law. He oc-
cupied the chair of canon law in the
Catholic institute of Paris, and his rep
utatfon was enhanced by the publica-
ton of a number of works on canon
law now universally esteemed. He did
considerable apostolic work among the
Italians in Paris. In 1898 Leo XIII con-
secrated him titular archbishop of
Cesarea, and sent him as apostolic dele
gate to Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. He
was recalled thence to become secre-
tary of the congregation of the
extraordinary ecclesiastical affairs
When Plus x formed the com
mission for the codification of the canon
law. his choice for secretary fell upon
Mgr Gasparri. and on this immense
task the new cardinal has worked with
characteristic energy for more than
four years.
Cardinal de Lai was the youngest of
the new cardinals recently created, be-
Ing 54 years of age. He took the same
three doctorates with great distinc-
tion. He found ample opportunity for
exercising his apostolic ministry while
an Rome, especially among the young
de was first prosecretary and then
secretary of the congregation OF the
council. Like Cardinal Gasparri, of
whom he is an intimate friend, he is
noted for the simplicity of his manners;
and. with Cardinal Gasparri, he entered
the sacred college only to have his
work in the curia doubled.
PLATFoRM FOR SCHOOLS
Cardinal Gibbons has been quoted In
the daily press as expressing his de-
sire for UNCONVENTIONAL schools in
this country. supported by the public
funds. The platform of the American
federation of Catholic societies reads
as follows upon this subject:
One of our objects is to keep burn
Ing brighter the lamp Of public opinion
on the school question. this solution be-
Ing proposed: First, let our schools
remain as they are, the property of
the church; secondly. let no public
moneys be paid for religious instruc-
lion In any school; thirdly, let the
children be examined in secular
sluOleS Dy municipal or a state
board, and If we furnish the secular
education required by the state, let
the state apply the taxes assessed
for education to our schools"
Upon which Mgr. Lavelle of New
York archdiocese comments as fol-
lows: After all this last clause In the
federation declaration resembles very
much what the navy department does
with regard to Its warships. It builds
great many in its own navy yards.
but places a great many more in the
yards of private firms. These latter
are built ac&prding to national plan and
under the Supervision of national ar
chitects. They are paid for on com
pletion and official appreciation. They
rank officially with those constructed
by the navy department itself, and who
will say they are not equal to the
best?'
WORK ON FREEMASONRY
We are informed that the recent
gathering OF Shriners in Minnesota
has aroused a special interest in "a
Study in American Freemasonry. -
written by Arthur Preuss, editor OF
the Catholic Fortnightly Review of
st. Louis. The work is compiled from
standard Masonic works in this
country. the references are accurately
given In every case for veriflcation by
the reader, and the book is closed with
the conviction that the genuine spirit
Of esoteric Masonry stands revealed
to the reader by its own exponents.
HONOR THE MEMORY OF