The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-04-04
EDITORIAL
MIR. Roosevelt and the Pope.

Ill
u In view of the late experience of Mr. Fairbanks,
d Mr.. Roosevelt made mistake in asking for an
% audience with the Pope, but a self-respecting
81 American citizen and former President OF the
United States he could not have done otherwise
az Than decline the conditional invitation" when
{ The Vatican extended and he did so with becoming
n dignity and with due respect to the proprleties
We quite agree with Mr.. Roosevelt In the opinion
be expresses through the Outlook magazine that
sfhe great ma ory of his fellow citizens, Catholics,
quite as much as ProteS-ants will feel that he
acted in the only way possible for an American
10 act, y
In February last Mr.. Roosevelt wrote from
Eondokoro to Ambassador Leshman saying that he
/ would be glad To visit King Emmanuel and the
Pnpe There was no difficulty in arranging
for an audience with the King, but while at Caro-
Mr. Roosevelt received the following telegram from
J Ambassador Leishman dated March %:
Manager Kennedy, rector of the Amer
lean Catholic College, in reply to an in
1,sairr which ea4ased to he made, requests
the following communication
Transmitted to you;
The Holy Father will be delighted
TO grant an audience to Mr.. Roosevelt
on April 5, and hopes that nothing will
arise to prevent it, such as the much re-
GREETED incident which made the recep
Mr.. Roosevelt Replied:
s'tIt would be a real pleasure to me to
be presented to the Holy Father, for whom
entertain high respect, both personally
Il and as the head of great church. /
fully recognize his entire right to re-
ceive not receive whomsoever he
chooses, for any reason that seems good
to him. and il he does not receive me,
shall not for a moment question the pro-
prety of his action. On the other hand
/. in my turn, must decline to make any
stipulation or submit to any conditions
which in any way would limit my free
dom of conduct. ] trust that April 5,
he will find it convenient to receive me- -
Mr.. Roosevelt interpreted the message from the
M Pope to mean that If the audience granted, it
Il would be on the condition that he would not visit
n The Methodists as Mr.. Fairbanks had done. That
b M was right in his diagnosis is borne out IN a
Az aubseuuent message which he received from the
nAme follows:
t*TIis Holiness will be much pleased
lS to grant an audience to Mr.. Roosevelt,
| Tor whom he enterfans great esteem, both
personally and as President of the United
States. His Holiness quite recognizes Mr.
Roosevelt's entire right TO freedom of
conduct. On the other hand, in view Of
w the circumstances Tor which neither His
% Holiness nor Mr.. Roosevelt is responsible,
an audience could not occur except on the
understanding expressed in the former
message.
This closed the incident, so far Mr.. Roosevelt
Was concerned, but later on, John 0 'Laughlin
personal friend of Mr.. Roosevelts and, Judging
from the name a Catholic-waited upon Carolina
Merry Del Val and undertook to intercede The
cardinal then asked Mr.. OIaughlin the direct
question if he could guarantee that Mr.. Roose veil
would not visit the Methodists in Rome.
80 Mfr. 0baughiin rcpfied Il cannot. Indeed,
believe Mr.. Roosevelt is just the to go there
He will do as he pleases. -
The sum and substance of the matter is that
the Pope had the right to make the terms upon
which he would grant Mr. Roosevelt an audience
especially when the request had come from Mr.
Roosevelt, who is Protestant. Not only So but
m view of the Fairbanks incident Mr. Roosevelt
might easily have antipated the Pope's terms.
ID Hut while he made blunder in proposing the
visit, it would have been bnnder compounded
AZ he had accepted. and in doing he would have
Inundated himself and forfeited the respect of
his fellow citizens in America
D.