The Calumet news., 1912-08-03
Pope Plus BEGINS TENTH
YEAR OF REIGN TOMORROW
Owing to the Delicate Condition of the Ponts Health There viii
Be No Public Observance of His Ninth Ami
yersary at Vatican Tomorrow

Rome, Aug. Sit win be nine years
tomorrow since tho memorable Sunday
on which Giuseppe Sarto. who had
beer Patriarch OF Venice. was crowned
Pontifex Maximus of the Catholic
Church and invested with the inslgni,.
of his office in tue great Baslica of
st. Peter. filed to it's capacity wiki
interested spectators from ali parts Of
the globe. Owing 10 the extremely del
icate conaition OF the Pope's health.
which compelled him some time ago
relnctantlNto follow the urgent advice
of his physicians and TO suspend all
public audiences and functions. there
will be no public observance of the
anniversary.
a Succession Of Mines.
The fact that tomorrow Plus Y WIFI
enter upon the tenth year of his reign
as supreme pontiff partakes of addi-
iional Importance inasmuch as IL dis
proves the superstitious prediction that
Pope Plus. who was nine years a parish
priest, nine years "a bishop and nine
years patriarch, would not be pope
more than nine wears. Superstitions
concerning the probable duration of tho
reign of ropes have always been quite
common, but almost invariably their
fallacy was shown by the actual facts.
During the reign of Plus IN the su-
perstitious belief was quite general
that he would not be Pope more thar.
twenty five years. two months and
seven days. that is. not longer than 81.
Peter reigned after the establishment
of the panal see i'm Rome. Yet Plus *.
disproved the superstitious theory b.
reisning 81 years. Z months ana u
days.
Many Popes Martyrs.
There have been but three Popes
who have reigned more than twenty
i've years. The first was ST. Peter.
who spent the Iirst seven years of his
pontificate at Antioch ana then came
To Rome where he reiGned an addi-
tional twenty five years two months
and seven days before he died a MARTYR
Next TO him came Plus IN. who reign
ed thirty one Years months and II
days and then came Leo MIL. who was
Pope % years and months. Sis
pontffs have reigred more than 23
years eleven more than 20 years: 800
less than one year and nine less thar
one month. OF the first 30 Popes. 30
were martyrs, except st. Dlonysius.
who was the 25th. The total number
of Popes who died martyrs was 80.
Next Pope an Italian.
There is nothing definite to form the
basis of forecast, but one thing
seems To he tolerably certain--that the
next Pope will not be an Americas. in
fact II seems to be generally UNDER
stood that the successor of Plus y. is
to be an Italian. The tremendous
growth and development Of tho Roman
Catholic church i'm the United states
had given rise TO the hope that sooner
or later one of the American cardinals
would be selected for the papacy. That
time may eventually come. but at pres
ent that hope is undoubtedly prSma-
turc The time has not yet COME fGr
selecting a pontiff from outside Of It1ly.
Six Cardinals Mentioned.
The choice of a successor to Plus y
being thus narrowed down to the Ital-
ian contingent of the Sacred College
II becomes comparatively simple 10
mention the six cardinals who are con-
sidered the strongest candidates for
the papacy. First come the leaders of
the three parties in the Sacred College.
Cardinal Rampolla. who was candi
date at the last conclave. Cardinal De
Lai nd Cardinal Mani and next in line
Cardinal Fcrrata, Cardinal Richelmy
archbishop of Turin and Cardinal sGas-
parri. IL Is the general belief in well
informed circles that one cf these sly
is practically sure TO be selected for
the honor.