The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-14
The Vatican Court


thinking that the head of a nation
which does not exchange diplomatic
representatives with the Pope fails to
regard the supreme pontiff as SOW
ereign and the vatican as a court" said
a layman who takes an interest in
international affairs.
"1he vatican Roosevelt incident has
brought into prominence the mistake
refer to. Here is graph from
the Richmond Times Dispatch:
Speaking of the statement Cardinal
Merry del Val made to John Callar
O'Laughlin, that there is no court In
Europe that grants unrestricted au-
diences. the Indianapolis News remarks:
But the cardinal forgets that the
papal court is not a court at all from
the American point of view" That
may be so. but it so happens that the
Pope regards it as a court, many of the
most civilized countries of the world
regard it as court and have accred-
tied representatives to it, and it could
hardly be expected that, just for the
sake of seeing the colonel, the Pope
would discontinue the court. Let us be
reasonable about this matter and all
other things, and keep our feet on the
ground
Now, 7 am one who has not cared
much. one way or the other, about
the stir that the ex-President made in.
Rome, but as a matter of information
here are some facts. The British gov
eminent does not maintain diplomatic
relations with the vatican. Yet when
King Edward visited Rome he paid his
homage to the Pope and conformed in
every particular to the etiquette Of the
papal court. On the occasion of the
golden jubilee of the late Pope Leo
XIII Queen Victoria sent by a state
messenger a gift and an autograph
letter of congratulations to fits holt
ness and that letter before being dis
patched had to be approved by her
majesty's minister in waiting.
1.-The United States government does
not have fixed diplomatic relations with
the vatican. but in my times since the
Pope lost the states of the church
and his temporal power over Rome,
the supreme pontiff has been recognized
at the White House and in the state
department as a reigning sovereign.
The first instance l recall was when
President Cleveland in his first adj
ministration sent Pope Leo token and
rotary of State. Mr.. Cleveland's gift,
by the way, was a very elegant and
costly copy of the constitution, espe-
cially printed and bound for the Pope
1.-THE next instance that 1 recall was
in 1898, few weeks before war with
Spain was declared, when the Pope, in
his desire to avert hostilities, rendered
his good offices to the United States,
and he did it through the papal Sec
rotary of state at the vatican and
special envoy, Archbishop Ireland.
The latter was accredited to our gov
eminent according to the usual for
mula, his credentials as envoy being
ca bled l happened to have been in
Washington the day on which Arch
bish OPP Ireland called on President Nc
Kinley's Secretary of State. He was
received just as any other diplomatic
representative would have been re-
ce1Neu, ana ne his repre-
sentation in writing.
ION the death of Pope Leo President
Roosevelt sent an official message OF
coincidence to the vatican and ad-
dressed it to the papal secretary of
state, at that time Cardinal Rampolla;
and by the Presidents direction, Elihu
Root. Secretary of State, sent to Car
i. fA-,t oil
sage. ss4'
1.-The last instance / recall was the spe-
cial embassy that President Roosevelt
sent to the present Pope to open nesotia-
tons for the purchase of the friars lands
| in the Philippines. President Taft was
at the time Secretary of War. He was
accredited to the Pope as a commissioner,
but he was to all intent and purposes a
special ambassador. He was accompanied
by three or four attaches, including a
military attache and Bishop O'Gorman, as
an ecclesiastical attache. The military
aid attended Mr.. Taft at the Vatican in
| full uniform. and the bishop wore can
onicals. Great court style was observed
| throughout and President Taft remarked
| the other day that when he was in RonIe
accredited by the President to the Vail
| can hefwas not permitted to call on the
King of Italy Thus it is seen that the
papal encourage is very much of a court.
"In Macmillan's Statesmens Year Book
published in London, and accepted in all
chancellories of the world as an authority
on governmental systems, policies and sta
tistics, accords the Roman see the rank OF
an autonomous government. In the States
mans Year Book for 1909-the last have
at hand-Part / is devoted to Great Brit
ain and the British empire; Part III to the
United States, and Part III to Other
countries. In the alphabetical index Of
other countries is found Rome, see anc
church of. All other religions ant
churches are treated under the heads OF
the various countries, just as matters
pertaining to education are treated.
Zone more fact and / am done. In thu
New York World Almanac for 1910, or
page 55s, is a list of 'sovereigns of Eu
rope arranged according to their dates o.
accession, and in that list is Plus x
Pope"
l4tts Special Field AgentsHeEe s'.s
4 w. L. Pryor of Laurel, Miss, specia