The San Francisco call., 1910-04-17

NEW YORK, April 16.-After the
smoke and sulphur have lifted from
the scene of the recent eruption in
Rome one towering fact stands forth,
VIZ: the imperative necessity for papal
independence. The papacy is still
great world power; nay, more, it is the
only really international world power,
counting its spiritual subjects by hun
dreds of millions and in every country
on earth. Hence. it must be equally
accessible to all; since all nations must
have more or less intercourse with it.
But, since the Italian government be-
came the custodian CD OF the holy see,
in spite of it's law of guarantee"-to
which no other power was signatory-
not a single Catholic ruler has been
able TO visit the holy father, for fear
Of becoming embroiled in the embar-
RAISING entanglements that have re-
Gently befanen two liberty loving
American citizens.
Two Protestant monarchs. King Ed
ward VII and Emperor William II, sue
ceeded in passing unscathed through
the hostile camps by which the Vati-
can is surrounded, and obtained
papal audience, with all the honors
due to their rank. But the former took
the precaution to start from the neu-
trail ground of the British embassy and
return directly thereto; while the lat
ter imported his own state carriages.
and a detachment of German soldiers
TO accompany him through the streets
OF Rome.
So. too. President Taft, as United
States envoy, with a safe conduct from
Archbishop Ireland, and under. the
guidance Of Bishop O'Gorman, man
aged TO escape all pitfalls; and he
never tires of telling his Protestant
and Catholic friends about the royal
reception he received at the Vatican.
The whole world knows how that au-
dience was the means of pacifying the
Philippines.
On the other hand, two distinguished
American citizens, a former president
and a former vice president, were COM
PEELED TO forego the coveted honor of
a papal audience on account of the
abnormal conditions they found exist
ing in the Eternal City.
Thus we have the extraordinary
spectacle of his holiness declining to
4 receive Colonel Roosevelt in spite of
his expressed desire to meet him on
account of the false position in which
! ii would place him before the world:
and Colonel Roosevelt also refusing
/ to meet his own American friends
/ who had f1ocked TO see him in Rome
| because to do so would have placed
him in an equally false position before
! the world.
What an intoIerable state of affairs,
And all because Italy has failed in its
promises TO the other powers, guaran-
teeing the neutrality and independence
of the holy see. The pope is truly "a
prisoner in his own palace"
Would not this be the time for The
Hague tribunal, instituted for the ex-
Ppress purpose of settling international
questions, to solve the eternal Roman
question" which, like Banquo's ghost,
will not down?
The Fairbanks and Roosevelt Incl
dents serve to give additional point and
emphasis to the earnest plea recently
made in a series of short letters in
Rome, signed by A. Wilmot, knight
of st. Gregory and a member of the
legislative council of Cape Colony in
South Africa, for a universal defense
league, to sustain the pope against the
insidfous attacks being so persistently
made upon the small remnant that yet
remains to him of papal independence.
The enemies of the holy see in Italy
are urging that his sovereignty even
within the Vatican be no longer re-
spected. They desire that the works
Of art contained in that historic palace
should be taken under the protection
of the Italian government and that
that government should boldly assert
1 is right to enter even within the pre-
of1 - Ia
deemed necessary for the public good.
Wilmot truly says that THE vital in
terests of the church of God are at
stake, and therefore it is certainly the
duty Of every Catholic, in all parts of
the world, to defend resolutely and ef-
fectiVely the vicar of Christ
Again he says. with equal truth:
The strength of Catholicism was
never so great as at the present time.
All that is required now is that wise
union which will create for that war
fare a world power of immense sig
niflcance and strength
Especially does Roosevelt's expert
ence in Rome. emphasize the need of
such league. While extricating him
self with difficulty, and only by sacri-
ficing his proposed reception to his
fellow Americans in Rome. from the
trap set for him by prominent Meth
odist clergyman in that city, he yet
fraternized freely with the Italian Free
Masons, receiving from them special
marks of honor, and thus blowing to
the winds the oft heard tale that
Masonry in this country is entirely
different from Masonry in Europe
However some fair minded Masons in
America may view the doings of
Masons in Italy and France, Roosevelt
makes it plain that their claim that
their brotherhood is universal is alb
SOlutelV true that Masonry is fruIv a
worldwide power.
Hence the plain, self-evident need of
universal defense league among