The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-02-05
Spanish Ambassador Shows Appre-
citation of the Pope.

one of the interesting papal audi
euces of the last month of 1909 was
that granted to His Excellence Perez
Caballero, who until a few days pre-
vfousy had been Spanish ambassador
To the Quirinal, and has now become
minister of foreign affairs under the
new Liberal government.
81 had long desired" he said i'm
mediately after his audience, Ito pre-
sent my homage to His Holiness. and
Immediately my diplomatic mission to
the Quirinal ended / begged for an
audience in my capacity as Spanish
minister of foreign affairs. Puts Y
had made deep impression on me as
a real ruler with a strong, firm will of
his own. There are some, even in
my own country who believe that His
Holiness is isolated and that the real
rulers are those who surround him.
The truth is that it is Plus X in his
own person who governs. You have
only TO come into contact with him
to realize in him clear intelligence
and a firm character, united with an
geic goodness. Yes. il is the good
ness Of the Pope which has most
struck me. His words, his voice, his
whole bearing, are wonderfully at
taCtive. In one way / was very agree
ably disappointed in him. ] expected
II see him. in view of his age and of
the immense burden that has
weigher on him for many years, cast
down and worn out Instead l saw
at once that the Holy Father enjoys
excellent health and that he is of
sound and robust constitution.
After the fall of Maures cabinet,
with which the Ferrer agitation had
at least something to do it was as
Sumed that the new Liberal ministry
would be inclined to trucke to the
anti-clericals and revolutionaries. who
have caused so much trouble in Spain
recently. That evidinetly, is not the
view of Senior Caballero. The cabi-
net to which l belong" he has de-
clared to the Rome correspondent of
the Momento lis a Liberal one-but
liberalism does not imply anti-clerical-
ism. if by this word you mean a policy
Of persecution against the Church. We
viii have nothing to do with persecu-
ton. The Spanish ministry will study
the various problems of ecclesiastical
policy. co-Ordinating them with the
reasons on account of which it has
been put into power, but whatever it
does viii be done in perfect harmony
with the Holy See, with which the
government will always maintain the
best relations. We shall take good
care not to enter into the field Of dog
ma, i'm which the church is the exclu-
sive Judge: but we shall have to face
various reforms i'm such a way as to
make the religious policy of Spain bet
Ter adapted to the present require
mcnts Of the nation. Just because we
are Liberals we wish for liberty for
all. and especially as regards the re-
ligious sentiment and conscience. Be
sides we must bear in mind that
Spain is profoundly Catholic, and that
it would be absurd to adopt a policy
Iu opposition to the religious belief of
the whole nation"
The correspondent reminded him
that there had been talk of the sup
preston of the religious orders and
nt other measures openly anti-clerical.
You viii understand" he replied.
that ] cannot enter into details, but
n s certain that if reforms are to be
made they viii not be inspired by ha-
tired of the church and of Catholics.
Toe Spanish government will endeav-
cog TO put into execution only those
laforms which can be accepted by the
Holy See and Of which the Vatican
VIII recognize the necessity and the
J#stice-and remember I am speaking
' reforms. and not of suppressions,
"r of other measures which would be
opposition with the sincerely lib
oral spirit of the ministry and with
laa Catholic sentiments of the Span
lsa people 1t is to be believed that
Tho minister gave all these and other
assurances to the Holy Father.