The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-04-08
THE CIVIL INDEPENDENCE
OF THE HOLY SEE.

pendence OF the Holy See lives
today as it lived fifty years ago
when a parliament in Turin de-
creed it's death so far at least as
it's death was within the compass
Of DEGREES Of parliaments: it lives
today as it will live tomorrow I'M
til the ordering Of Providence,
however consciously or uncon-
sciously men and nations may
lend or refuse cooperation, will
have solved it in accord with the
high requirements of the divine
mission Of the Church s Sovereign
Pontificate
The Church Of Christ is supra
national, appointed to move Of di-
vine right among all peoples, to
teach all nations. vitality Catho-
lie in constitutive elements, it is
vitality Catholic in purpose and
action. To restrict itself to one
part Of the globe rather than to
another, to place itself, even
seemingly, under the ruling hand
Of one nation rather than of an
other, were contrary to the COM
mand of the Master" Teach all
nations land fatal to the uni
versatility Of it's mission and infu-
ence. Now and then amid the
vicissitudes of it's passage along
the centuries,' conditions have
arisen when, for the time being,
it's supernatural character may
not have been so safely guarded
and so visibly set forth as the
Church itself deemed BETTING ::
but those conditions should never
have been of it's own choosing, as
they never were, and should never
have been allowed, as they never
were, without protest against the
restraints they imposed, without
effort to sever the bonds they
wrought around it and to come
into the possession Of the full
fruits of it's native freedom. Pro
tests against untoward conditions,
limiting in fact, or even in ap-
pearance, the grandeur of it's uni
versatility, the Church never failed
to make, so long as those condi-
tions held it in thrall: and those
protests not only saved the princi-
pie, but actual y maintained among
peoples and nations, the abid.
ing belief that in whatever it did
the Church actually was indepen-
dent. A dominant Law lifted it.
self over the Head of the Church
the cry Of protest made clear to
all hearers that, as a matter OF
fact, whatever the appearances
the Church in it's supreme chief
taincy was independent of extran
eous control and preserved intact
it's superintendent Of character
and of action.
Today the Sovereign Pontiff il
dispoiled Of those outward guar
antees Of independence with which
ages had endowed him-the rights
Of temporal sovereignty. So fa1
as human laws, so far as appear
ances extend, he is the subject O:
the king Of Italy, under the dom
!, nation Of the king Of Italy, or O
the powers that rule the king, tn,
J Italian parliament; he is unde
, the influence of temporal masters
king and parliament Is this tn
condition to which he should b,
7 reduced, who as Vicar Of Christ i
) the teacher Of all nations, who's
i mission it is to speak to all with
/ out possible suspicion on the par
: Of any, that he is touched by tn
E interests or the will Of one to tn
' prejudice of the other, with al
outward evidence that in pro
a claiming the divine law he is a
impartial as Christ was, the faith
: er and the guide of one as nue.
: as Of the other? Assuredly not
r The king and the parliament o
S Italy have, indeed, put on thei
e statute-books laws guaranteein
0 papal independence: but thos
r laws, feeble of effect, as frequer
) occurrences too well prove, ar
Y the mere transient will Of kin
! and parliament and tomorro7
r may perish from the breathin
0 that yesterday created them.
0 No: today in Rome, the Hea
/ Of the Catholic Church is withou
:. normal and efficient guarantees G
d that civil independence which i
n self is necessary guarantee 9
e his spiritual independence. Whs
} shall we expect from Plus x?
e it acquiescence in the situation
h which the Italian conquest q