Arizona republican., 1910-04-06
PHoENIX. ARIZONA. APRIL 6. 1910
Colonel Roosevelt and the Holy Father


 way toward home In spite of the earnest wishes of both the pope and the former president. the vatican in cident" will. of course. be the subject of nine days talk throughout the world. IL has created vastly more interest than the pope's refusal to meet former Vice President Fairbanks a few weeks ago: and however much a fair and non-sectarian press may deprecate the fomenting of unfriendly religious discussions. the papers which purpOrt to give the news to their readers would fail in their duty as newspapers in they failed to give space to the notable developments connected with Colonel Roosevelts eff fort to meet the pope
 A clear understanding of the sit uation is best gained from a chron- ological statement of the events in order.
 I. Before leaving Africa Colonel Roosevelt made it known through the American ambassador at Rome that ne would like, while at Rome, to meet the king of Italy and the pope on the same day; but if this was inn practicable, he suggested. he would meet the king on April and the
 
 9 To this application the following reply was sent to Colonel Roosevelt rom the vatican:
 The holy father will be delighted to grant an audience to MT Roosevelt April ,, and hopes nothing will arise to prevent it, such as the much re- gretted incident which made the re- ception of Mir. Fairbanks impossible"
 An audience to MT. Fairbanks was refused-or, to be accurate, a permis- sion previously granted was with drawn-because Mir. Fairbanks mean while had accepted an invitation to address the Methodist congregation at Rome It will be readily under stood, therefore. from a reading of the foregoing reply. that the pope said to MT. Roosevelt, in effect: Tt is possible for something to arise which will prevent your receiving an sudience-namely, your appearance before the Methodist congregation"
 3. In transmitting the vatican's reply, above quoted. Ambassador Leishman telegraphed Colonel Roose- welt:
 T merely transmit this communi- cation without having committed you in any way to accept the conditions imposed as the form appears objec- tionable, clearly indicating that an audience would be canceled in case you should take an action while here that might be construed as counten- ancing the Methodist mission work here, as in the case of MT. Fairbanks. Although fully aware of your inten- tions to confine your visit to the king and the pope, the covert threat in the vatican's communication to you is none the less objectionable, and one side or the other is sure to make capital out of the action you might take. The press is already preparing for the struggle"
 Upon reading the vatican's reply. and the ambassadors cable trars= hitting it. Colonel Roosevelt cabled this response:
 Tt would be a great pleasure to me to be presented to the holy father. for whom I entertain high respect both personally and as the head of a great church. I fully recognize his right to receive or not receive whom soever he chooses for any reason that seems good to him, and if he does not receive me I shall not for a moment question the propriety of his action
 "On the other hand, I in my turn. must decline to make any stipulations or to submit to any conditions which in any way limit my freedom of con duct I trust that April he will find it convenient to receive me. 4 To this communication the vat ican sent an answer. conceding the | coloners right to his freedom of con duct. but emphasizing the limitations | To which he must agree if he insisted | upon meeting the pope. The closing | sentence of this answer read: On the other hand. in view of the 1 for which neither His i Holiness nor Mir. Roosevelt is respon- sible, the audience cannot take place except on the understanding expressed 1 in the former message"
 6 Some inkling of this correspond i snce having reached the press. Colonel Roosevelt. upon his arrival in Italy. , with characteristic promptness took the world into his confidence and | made the correspondence public.
 5. It was given out from the vat can that the officers of the papal | household were astonished that Col | ,nel Roosevelt had published the cor 
 '. Following all this. Colonel telegraphed the Outlook. i of which he is associate editor:
 Through the Outlook I wish to make a statement to my fellow Amer