The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-01-17
THE ROMAN QUESTION.

held at Milan last month served
to focus public attention once
more on the important topic of
the liberty and independence Of
the Holy See. The pivotal adj
dresses at the Congress were made
by Archbishop Rossi of Udine,
and Count Della Tore, President
of the Popular Union Of Italian
Catholics organized under the di-
rection of His Holiness Pope Plus
x. There has been much discus
sion in the Italian papers regard
ing the real significance of these
utterances. There can be no
doubt about the fact that both
asserted very emphatically the
necessity Of Papal independence;
but, apparently, there was a veer-
ing around from insistence upon
the actual temporal sovereignty
so long enjoyed by the Popes to
a more thorough and stable guar
antee of independence by the Gov
eminent of Italy than seems to
be implied in the present Law of
Guarantees thereby intimating,
without stating it in so many
words, that if this new guarantee
was backed up by international
agreement, the question might be
solved.
Archbishop Rossi who made the
opening discourse at the meeting
spoke of the vital necessity Of
the liberty and independence of
the Papacy and among the neces-
sary qualifications stated that it
must be supported by pledge
of an international character, as
this liberty interests Catholics Of
all nations. The form in which
the independence and liberty Of
the Pope were covered by guar
antee for over a thousand years
was the civil Princedom of the
Papacy. Now that that is des-
troyed does the Roman Pontiff in
the actual conditions enjoy a lib
erty true, manifest, full, stable,
and sufficiently guaranteed?'' The
liberal press Immediately con-
cluded that this discourse was Of
fetal and that the Holy See had
abandoned all claim to a temp
oral power and sought as a sub
stitute some sort of an interna-
tional guarantee for the independ-
ence of the Pope. Count Della
Tore dwelt on a settlement to be
reached spontaneously by the Ital-
ian people. According to the
Roman correspondent Of the Lon
don Tablet neither Of these ten
tative suggestions excludes the
thesis that in the last analysis the
temporal power may prove to be
the only solution Of the problem.
The "Osservatore Romano" and
the "Civilta Cattolica," comment
ing on the discourses of the Con-
gress, seem implicitly to give APP
proval to the sentiments therein
expressed, all Of which would in
dictate new orientation Of af-
fairs regarding the independence
deemed necessary by the Pope for
freedom of action and for the re-
spect due to his august dignity.
Of course, the temporal sove-
reignty which came to a close IN
der Pope Plus TX. was never an
end in itself, but only a means
to an end. It was a method which
Divine Providence had placed at
the disposal of the Holy See for
centuries to enable it to exercise
it's spiritual jurisdiction unham-
pered by any earthly ruler. But if
social and political conditions
have so changed as to suggest the
necessity of viewing this question
from another angle, there may
we'll be reasons requiring a change
of attitude on the part Of the Holy
See which, however, will not i'm
ply any remuneration Of the prin-
ciples for which it has always con-
tended, but only a change in the
means by which the desired end
may be secured and the political
independence Of the Holy See as
sured beyond question.
The net result Of the discussion
so far, says the writer in the Tab
let, may, perhaps, be said to be
the Law of Guarantees in it's pres,
ent state does not guarantee the
liberty and independence Of the
Pope; the temporal power need
not necessarily be the only solu.
ton of the Roman question; eff.
forts to find another solution have
hitherto been fruitless, but fur
Their efforts are not only not for
hidden but are encouraged; posi-
bly, the remodelling of the Law Of
Guarantee on some kind Of inter
national basis may serve the pur
pose. Any way a seed has beer
sown which may come to fruitior
with time, and for the moment
we do not seem to have made
very much progress towards set
Element.