The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-02-03

JiCle VI UNUSUAL interest on lOe SUD
ject of the internationalizatio Of the
Papacy An editorial introduction
points out that this is a question of
the greatest importance alike to states
men and to churchman, and that the
creation of twenty-seven new Cardi-
nails brings it again to the front. The
name of the writer of the article is
not disclosed, but although he is not
quite a Cardinal, he IS a prelate of
high intellectually whose life and
works might, in Other times, have been
rewarded with the Cardinal purple
The writer says 1T might have
been embarrassing to deal with the
question of the Observation-Disclosures of
the Papacy while the life of Plus y.
was in danger. Today there is no
objection. And, moreover, the crea-
alton of twenty-eight Cardinals by
which the Holy Father has just filed
not all but almost all the vacancies
made in the Sacred College by death
within the last few years gives this
article an immediate interest.
"Sixty-two Cardinals took part in
the conclave of 1908, thirty-nine of
them Italians and twenty-three for
eigners. The two-thirds majority ne
cessary for the election of a Pope Yves
therefore forty-one, and could be, eX-
cept for two votes made up by the
Italian element in the electoral body.
"The situation today would be much
less favorable to Italy if Plus X.
should die. The Church counts now,
after the recent consistory, sixty-four
Cardinals thirty-four Italians and thir-
ty foreigners. The necessary majority
now being forty-three votes, there are
not two but nine votes lacking to the
elect
"Such is the fact. l bring it forth
only to show that it tends to approx
innate balance. Furthermore, it has
this tendency by accident, for it would
be an illusion to attribute to Plus X. an
intention to establish in the Sacred
College a Justly balanced representa-
ton among the Catholic nations.
There is, indeed, in the present
state of affairs a vicious circle from
which it is singularly difficult to es-
cape 1t is the Pope who names at
his pleasure the Cardinals who shall
elect the Pope. Being an Italian the
Pope always arranges the creation of
Cardinals in such fashion as to as
sure the Italian element the absolute
preponderance in the Sacred College.
And in turn the Italian majority does
not seem even to admit the hypoth-
esis of the election of a Pope who is
not an Italian.
"This circle is really vicious in ev-
cry sense of the word. When we say
that the Church is Roman we mean
that the Papacy is attached to the
Bishopric of Rome and not that the
Bishop of Rome, whose title is lost in
that of head of the Church, should
inevitably be an Italian, for in that
case it would not be sufficient for him
to be of the Italian nationality; he
would have to be Roman by birth.
The Roman Church is also the Cath
Ole Church, that is to say, the Church
universal. And. since the Bishop of
Rome is the head of the Catholic
Church it is certainly not just that his
election should depend on Romans or
Italians 1t was the Pope st. Leo who
set forth this principle: Qui praefutu-
rus est omnigus alb nmnigus eligatur-
He who shall be the Chief of all shall
be chosen by all. There is a growing
number of Catholics, outside of Italy,
of course, who wish to see this prin-
ciple at last applied to the election
of the Pope. And it is easy to under
stand why the best qualified among
them do not dare publicly to demand
this reform, a natural corollary OF
which would be the Decentralization
of the Papacy.
Let it be clearly understood that
there is no question of the election
of a Pope by universal suffrage. We
would be satisfied if each nation should
be represented in the conclave by a
number of Cardinals about correspond
ing to its Catholic population. 1t was
this proportional representation thai
Brunetiere demanded in study pub
lished for the first time in 1901 undei
the title, DO We Want a Nationa
Church?" and it formed the subject
of one of the Nest interesting chap
tiers of his book, Questions of To
day"
..'Need | show, he said that the
teaching OF Catholicism has nothing il
its universally that can be reconcilet
with the idea OF sn exacting national
ism? If in the course of history thu
organization OF the Church has beel
nvoTucfya1V Italian